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19 Juan Ponce De Leon Facts For Kids

navajocodetalkersadmin on December 16, 2014 - 8:00 pm in Fun Facts for Kids

Juan Ponce de Leon, or just Ponce de Leon as he’s often called, was a Spanish explorer who became the first governor the country of Puerto Rico, and who actually discovered the state of Florida. Ponce de Leon named the state of Florida and was traveling there to find what was called the fountain of youth, a supposedly magical fountain that would make people young again and let them live forever.

His Early Life

1. Ponce de Leon was born in the north of Spain in 1474 or 1475. It’s believed that one of his ancestors was a Spanish princess and while not much is known about his family, many think that they were very influential and may have been very wealthy.

2. As a young man Ponce de Leon joined the military and fought for Spain and helped to defeat people that were called the Moors, in a country called Grenada. This happened around 1492, when Ponce de Leon would have been about 18 years old.

Going to the New World

3. That same year, a man named Christopher Columbus sailed to what is now called America; at that time it was called by those in Spain and surrounding countries the New World because it was all very new to them!

4. After Ponce de Leon fought in the wars in Grenada and Spain, his work as a soldier was no longer needed. Like many soldiers of that time, he then decided to find something exciting to do in another country, and many people in Spain were talking about this New World.

5. Not many people today realize that Christopher Columbus didn’t make just one trip to the place that is now called America. After he discovered this New World for Spain, he returned there and planned another trip back to the same area. Columbus knew that the lands around America needed to be explored and that they had lots of valuable resources that could help those back home.

6. To make the next trip, Christopher Columbus needed volunteers who would sail with him. This time around, there were some 1200 people who wanted to go. These included regular sailors who helped with the ships that were used, along with colonists. These are people who simply wanted to move to a new area and settle down and build homes.

7. There were also soldiers who went with Columbus to the new world, to protect the colonists and the sailors and because they needed something to do now that there were no more wars to fight. It’s believed that Ponce de Leon was one of those soldiers who went with Columbus and his other volunteers, to protect everyone and because he needed something to do.

Hispaniola

8. The first place that everyone landed during this trip was an island called Hispaniola. Not many people use this name for the island today because it’s shared by two countries, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

9. Hispaniola is located south of America, to the east. Many of the colonists who came with Columbus at that time decided to stay in that area, which is why so much of the culture of those two countries has Spanish influence.

10. Ponce de Leon was not done exploring however. After he helped Columbus and the other colonists and sailors settle into Hispaniola, he decided to do some more traveling. Many people think he then went back to Spain for some time, and then returned to the same area, to a country now known as Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico

11. Ponce de Leon settled in Puerto Rico for some time and became its first governor, by order of the Spanish government. During that time he used what is called forced labor, which is a type of slavery, by forcing the people who were already settled in Puerto Rico to harvest crops. The other people who settled with him treated these native people very harshly and diseases like smallpox and the measles made them sick. Many of them died during this time, and even though they tried to rebel, Ponce de Leon would not allow it and forced them back to their labor.

12. During this same time, the son of Christopher Columbus arrived in Puerto Rico and claimed that he should have more of the land to himself since his father had discovered it for Spain. The two men had many fights over who should be in charge of the island, and eventually Ponce de Leon won out. Columbus’s son then returned to Spain.

Sailing to Florida

13. The Spanish country was interested in learning more about this New World and stories were circulating about the land that was north of the island of Puerto Rico. Some even said that the lands held a fountain of youth, or waters that would make people young again.

14. In the year 1512 the government of Spain told Ponce de Leon that he should sail to the north and see if he could find this land and anything of value there. He set out to do that and eventually arrived in the area that is now known as Florida. Even though he had to pay for the trip himself, he was excited about going and took some 200 people with him. Some say that he landed in the city known as St. Augustine but others say it may have been even more south.

15. Wherever he landed, Ponce de Leon had called the area La Florida, or The Flowers, because it was spring and the land had many flowers that he could see from his ships. It’s believed that Ponce de Leon thought he was looking at another island in the ocean but it was actually the landscape of Florida, which is how the state got its name.

Returning to Puerto Rico

16. Ponce de Leon and his sailors explored the coast of Florida for quite some time, discovering the giant sea turtles and other wildlife. However, they didn’t realize how strong the waters off the coast could be and they didn’t make it back to Puerto Rico right away. Instead, they were thrown off course and landed in Cuba, at first confused about their landing spot.

17. Eventually Ponce de Leon and his crew retraced their voyage along the coast of Florida and made it home to Puerto Rico, some eight months after they left. He wanted to travel again however and made plans for another trip.

18. In 1521 Ponce de Leon had another crew ready and they returned to the coast of Florida. This journey was not so easy however, as they encountered people who already lived there and who were not happy to see the invaders. Ponce de Leon and his sailors were attacked and he was shot with an arrow with a poison tip.

19. The people with Ponce de Leon returned to Cuba as it was closer for them, and he died of his injuries while in that country. His sailors took his body to Puerto Rico and it was stored in a crypt on the island. In 1836 however his body was moved to another area of Puerto Rico, and placed in The Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico. This is the second oldest cathedral in the Americas, and his body still stays there today.

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