Juan Ponce de León The First Governor Of Puerto Rico

Welcome to Ponce de Leon’s Fountain Of Youth.  This is another tourist attraction in St. Augustine, Florida. And don’t forget to feed the peacocks and squirrels while you’re there. 

But what really is the true story behind the man? Was he really searching for a Fountain of Youth as our contemporary historians proclaim?

Ponce de Leon was not looking for a so called Fountain of Youth at all. Ponce was acting out as any other Conquistador of his time. He was wanting to conquer new lands in the honor of Spain. And like many in his day, money was the driving force behind the conquests. The search for gold to be more precise.

But what do we know about Ponce de Leon and his role in history? Ponce was awarded governor in 1504,  on an island called Hispaniola. This is known today as Puerto Rico.  La Casa Blanca is the name of the house that Ponce de Leon had built in 1521. His descendants occupied the residence for 250 years. The house today is a museum open to the public.

San Juan, located in the north, is the capital of Puerto Rico and is the most populous municipality in Puerto Rico.

The story about Ponce looking for the Fountain of Youth was not started until after the man died. The legend was created by Oviedo (Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés), a Spanish historian. His works called Historia General y Natural de las Indias of 1535, mentions that Ponce was hunting for the waters of Bimini to cure his aging.

It would not be the Fountain of Youth that would make Ponce de Leon immortal alone; it was the legend created by writers that would sustain the myth. Francisco López de Gómara writes about the same incident in 1551. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda also speaks of Ponce de Leon in his memoirs in 1575.

But in the end, what made Ponce famous would contribute to his death. In 1521 he and 200 men landed on the southwest shores of Florida. The men were attacked by Calusa braves. A poison arrow struck Ponce’s thigh. The men sailed to Havana, Cuba, where Ponce would die from the wound. He would be buried in Puerto Rico.

Ponce de Leon will be remembered as an explorer searching for the Fountain of Youth. On April 2, 1513, Ponce de Leon and his men reached the shores of St. Augustine, Florida. And historians aren’t exactly sure about the location. The ships were: Santiago, the San Cristobal and the Santa Maria de la Consolacion.

After naming the discovery La Florida and spending five days there, Ponce de Leon and his men would sail south to discover other parts of Florida. There was never a word about a fountain.