He eventually landed instead in Florida, where he staked a claim for the Spanish Crown and ensured himself a spot in the annals of history. As legend has it , and as scholars have maintained for centuries, Ponce was in search of the Fountain of Youth, a fabled wellspring thought to give everlasting life to whoever bathed in or drank from it. In , the king encouraged him to continue searching for new lands, in hopes of finding yet more gold and expanding the Spanish empire.
He would hold exclusive rights and be declared governor for life of any lands he came across. In a month's time, he and his men landed on the east coast of Florida. Not realizing he was on the mainland of North America, he thought he had landed on another island.
He named the region Florida meaning "flowery" , in reference to its lush floral vegetation and because he discovered it at Easter time, which Spaniards referred to as Pascua Florida "feast of flowers". In addition, he was not the first European to explore the area.
Spanish expeditions had raided the Bahamas on a regular basis for years prior, and there is evidence that some made it as far as the east coast of Florida. A neighboring tribe of Caribs had burned the settlement to the ground and killed several Spaniards. His own house was destroyed and his family had narrowly escaped death. The Spanish crown also ordered him to organize a small army to subdue a native uprising on Puerto Rico that had continued in his absence. The Spanish crown also ordered him to organize an army to subdue a native uprising on Puerto Rico, and he sailed with a small fleet in mid They landed on the southwest coast of Florida, near what is now Charlotte Harbor, with the intention of founding a colony.
His comrades sailed back with him to Havana, Cuba, where he died. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando de Soto c. In , while leading an expedition in search of gold, he sighted The story of North American exploration spans an entire millennium and involves a wide array of European powers and uniquely American characters.
He became a military commander at this post and was appointed deputy governor. While there, he found large deposits of gold. Soon after his discovery, he left the island. He returned in on orders from the king of Spain to explore and colonize the island. He renamed the island Puerto Rico. He was the island's governor for two years until the king replaced him with Columbus' son.
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