Written by Dominic and Jerry on April 5, 1526
Juan Ponce de Leon finds a large island called La Florida while looking for the Fountain of Youth!
His self portrait.
Ponce was born in 1460 with his brothers, little brother Pedro and older brother Luis. He lived in a small village called Santervas de Campos. They were not a wealthy family, but they were noble. A noble is a member of the ruling class. His family sent him to a man named Don Pedro Nunez de Guzman to be his page. Then, he started his training to be knight. Knights were much needed at that time. The Moors, people from North Africa, had invaded Spain in 711. For centuries they fought to drive them out. It was mainly a religious and political war. The Moors were Muslims, while Spaniards are Roman Catholics. Ponce began his training as a page. He learned how to have good manners. He also learned how to read and write. He learned how to fight, to ride horses, and to hunt. Spain drove the Moors to Southern Spain until they surrendered at last.
Juan Ponce de Leon explored and discovered many places. After Spain conquered the Moors, there was no more need for knights. Soon, Christopher Columbus organized his second expedition to the New World and Ponce went with him. They landed at Santo Domingo (or the present day Dominican Republic). They sailed on to Hispaniola. The natives of Hispaniola were hostile. They had many fights. In the end, the Spaniards forced the Indians to work as slaves.
One day, Governor Ovando learned of a Taino rebellion. He sent Juan to end it. Juan eventually captured the chief of the rebellion. Ovando appointed Ponce governor of Higuey, another land that Spain had conquered. He also got about 200 acres of land. He made a plantation of casavas. A plantation is an estate on which crops are cultivated by resident labor. One day, an Taino Indian from San Juan (present-day Puerto Rico) reported that there was mines of gold there. Governor Ovando sent Ponce de Leon to go to San Juan. They found large quantities of gold. Ovando told Juan Ponce to establish a colony. Ponce named it Puerto Rico. He made a home for his family in Puerto Rico. In 1509, the king of Spain made Ponce governor of Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, since Christopher Columbus died a few months ago, his son now had control over everything he had founded including Puerto Rico. His name was Diego Columbus. Ponce and Columbus began a battle for control of the island. First, Columbus had Ponce replaced. Then, Ponce replaced Columbus. He tried to keep peace between the natives and the Spaniards. Unfortunately, the settlers were very cruel and another war broke. The Spaniards eventually won but many lives were lost. In 1511, Spain decided that Diego Columbus should be governor. Ponce was furious. He decided that he would find his own lands to govern. He heard stories about a fountain, from the Taino, that turns old people into young people. It was supposed to be located in Bimini, an island north of Cuba. In 1512, Ponce had permission to locate and colonize Bimini. First they landed in the Bahamas. He explored it for about a month. Then, they landed at present day Florida. They continually explored the outside of Florida. At the time they thought Florida was a large island. They were attacked by hostile Indians. He founded three places called Santa Cruz, Saint Augustine, and Dry Tortugas, which is now a national park. He also discovered the Gulf Stream, one of the most powerful currents in the world. When he returned to Puerto Rico, he learned the Taino had attacked. His family barely escaped. Columbus blamed Ponce for the trouble. He reported his discovery to King Ferdinand. He made Ponce governor of Florida and Bimini and made him a knight. He went back to Florida in 1521. The Indians fiercely attacked them. Ponce was shot in the leg by an Indian arrow. They sailed to Cuba because his injury got infected. It got worse every day until he died in July of 1521 in Havana, Cuba. He was forty-seven years old. In 1559, his body was moved to San Jose Church in present-day San Juan. In the the 1900’s, he was moved again to the San Juan cathedral where he remains to this day. Historians do not know what tribe killed him. The only known tribe he encountered in his life was the Taino. He has a hotel named after him in Florida and a memorial in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The inscription on his tomb reads, “Beneath this stone repose the bones of the valiant Lion whose deeds surpassed the greatness of his name.” |
Where was Juan Ponce de Leon born?
Bibliography
Harmon, Daniel E. Juan Ponce De Leon and the Search for the Fountain of Youth. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000. Print. Heinrichs, Ann. Ponce De León: Juan Ponce De León Searches for the Fountain of Youth. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point, 2002. Print. https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4031/4315466012_6a3477fe62.jp "Ponce De León, Juan." UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2003, "Juan Ponce De León." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, "Ponce De León, Juan." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2015, "Ponce De León, Juan." World Encyclopedia. 2005, and "León, Juan Ponce De." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2015. "Ponce De León, Juan." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2003. Web. 20 Oct. 2015. "Ponce De Leon and the Discovery of Florida." MrNussbaumcom Ponce De Leon and the Discovery of Florida Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2015. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Appletons'_Ponce_de_Leon_Juan.jpg Sakurai, Gail. Juan Ponce De León. New York: Franklin Watts, 2001. Print. Sutcliffe, Jane. Juan Ponce De León. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2005. Print. |