Ponce De Leon Essay

Ponce De Leon and His Exploration of Florida

Ponce De Leon is mostly known to be the first Spanish explorer to arrive and discover the land we know as Florida. There is more to this explorer than just his discovery, he sailed with Christopher Columbus, discovered Florida, and searched Bimi for gold and riches and is now attached to the tale of the “fountain of youth.” In his early exploration in 1493, after the war ended against the Emirate of Granada, Leon was no longer needed for his military skills at home and he volunteered to sail with Christopher Columbus on his second journey to the West Indies where Leon chose to stay in Santo Domingo. Because of his manner and skills in fighting as a soldier, Leon attracted the attention of King

Leaving from Puerto Rico in 1513, his crew set out with chief pilot Anton de Alaminos sailing northwest following the Bahama Islands. April 2,1513 his ships docked on the land’s east coast near what we know as St. Augustine, at this time he thought he had landed on another island. Leon declared this land in the name of Spain thereby earning the right to name the land. The attractiveness of the beautiful land with lavish greenery and beaches supported florid vegetation making this land available to support many resources and growth. Leon gave the name La Florida or “place of flowers,” to the land not only because of the scenic land but also because they landed close to the time of Easter (Davis 38).

The next day Leon and his crew ventured onto the island to take possession of the new land, however he exact location of this island has been question by many historians for several years. Most historians believe the island to be at St. Augustine, however other speculate it was located further south near what we know as Melbourne Beach (Davis

Augustine a few days later. On April 8th the ships had ventured south where they were met with a strong current casueing the San Cristobal to be carried away and lost for two days (Davis 15). This discovery of the Gulf Stream was almost as important as the finding of Florida itself. The Gulf Stream would then help Spanish ships later on maneuver their way back home from the New World with its warm ocean current. On May 15, they sailed along the Florida Keys leaving Biscayne Bay to seek a passage north and explore the west coast of Florida (Scisco 722). Reaching the mainland on May 23, Leon and his men were met with the Calusa Native Americans who rejected trade. “The Native Americans surrounded the ships with warriors in sea canoes armed with long bows causing the explorers to turn away.” (Davis 20) This claim has also been a source of debate by historians who believe the locations of Leon’s travels “were too great to cover in the available time.” (Spellman 519) Some historians believe he landed in Cape Romano or Cape Sable to repair the ships. The encounter between the Calusa Native Americans is also not completely clear. It is possible the Native Americans could have been firstly interested in trading however then later turned violent. “On June 4th, there was another encounter with the natives near Sanibel Island and the war canoes, with the Spanish sinking four of them, an