PONCE DE LEON, JUAN (e.1460-1521). A Spanish) Governor of Porto Rico and discoverer of Florida. He was born at San F!Wrvas, in the Kingdom of Leon. After serving as page to a tutor of the royal family. Juan Ponce in 1493 went to America on the second voyage of Colum bus. In 1508 he went to Porto Rico and in 1510 was empowered to conquer the island, of which he became Governor. He rapidly acquired a considerable fortune there, so that when Diego Columbus appointed a successor to him. Ponce was able to fit out three ships with which he started, March 3, 1513, to investigate some stories of a marvelous island named Bimini which the Indians said contained a spring which had wonderful curative properties. There is little in the original narratives to substantiate the legend that this was a 'Fountain of Perpetual Youth' that Ponce was in search of. On March 27th land was sighted. He landed, not far from the mouth of Saint Johns River, and on April 8th, on Easter Sunday (Spanish Pascua Florida). took possession of the country. A month later, Sth, having explored the coast carefully and having had two unsuccessful encounters with the natives. Ile doubled the point of the peninsula and started up the western coast. Proceeding to the neighborhood of Pen sacola Bay, he then returned to the Florida keys. and crossed to Cuba. From there he sailed
to the Bahamas. where he was on July 25th. and after two months more of cruising about the Bahamas reached home September 21. 1513. Ponce immediately took ship for Spain. where he secured permission to conquer and colonize the island, as he supposed it to be, of Florida. Returning in 1515. he was delayed by the neces sity of conquering the Caribs from Guadeloupe who were overrunning Porto Rico. and who in flicted several severe defeats upon the Spaniards. It was not until 1521 that he was again ready to start for Florida. With two ships, carrying two hundred own, he proceeded to a harbor, probably Charlotte Harbor or thereabouts. where he landed and prepared to build a settlement. The natives. however. attacked the white own so fiercely that they were soon compelled to reembark. A storm separated the vessels, one of which made its way to Vera Cruz, where it arrived just in season to assist Cotes at a criti cal period in his conquest. Ponce. who had been dangerously wounded in the knee by the Indians. started back to Porto Rico in the other ves-el, but he died before arriving there. Consult Ilarrisse, Discorery of North America (London. 1892).