Juan Ponce de Leon is most recognized as the Spanish explorer who discovered Florida. However this was not his only achievement or contribution to the Spanish empire. Prior to discovering Florida he helped fight off the last of the Moors in Granada, he prevented the Indians from attacking the Spaniards in Hispaniola, he served as the first governor of Puerto Rico, discovered other geographical features off of Florida’s coast all while never giving up on his quest for gold or to gain the same recognition as Christopher Columbus.
Different sources cite the year of Leon’s birth as either 1460 or 1474. It is decided he was born in San Tervas de Campos, Spain. He received his education by serving as a page for Pedro Nunez de Guzman. The education of a page began at the age of seven. This is when a young boy would be taught how to hunt, fight, read, and write and about religion. Once seven years passed and the young boy mastered these things then he moved up to the rank of squire. As a squire Leon served Guzman who in return taught him the responsibilities of being a knight. The lessons of a squire lasted for another seven years. All of this training led up to Leon participating in the battle that forced the Moors out of Granada. This battle was Leon’s first test of his soldier skills, it helped prove his loyalty to the Crown and was the start of his quest to gain some recognition.
After becoming educated in the ways of a page and squire and helping his country rid itself of the Moors, Leon became restless and searched for his next adventure. His next adventure came when Christopher Columbus needed volunteers to outfit his second expedition to the New World. Leon had heard the stories Columbus brought back with him and saw the a...
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Edward W. Lawson, The Discovery of Florida and Its Discoverer (St. Augustine: Edward W. Lawson, 1946) , accessed March 15, 2014, http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00026726/00001/2j
“Becoming a Knight”, Howstuffworks.com website, http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/knight2.htm, accessed March 15, 2014.
“Juan Ponce de Leon,” History.com website, http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/juan-ponce-de-leon, accessed March 15, 2014.
Washington Irving, Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus (New York: Frederick Unger Publishing Company,) 323.
Washington Irving, Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus (New York: Frederick Unger Publishing Company,)
Washington Irving, Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus (New York: Frederick Unger Publishing Company,)
www.americanjourneys.org/aj-095/
Juan Ponce De Leon was born in a poor and noble family in Santervás de Campos, Spain, in 1460. He served as a page at the court of Aragon, where he learned social skills, religion and military tactics. He eventually became a soldier and fought against the the Moors in Granada. Juan ponce de León soon sought fame and fortune through exploration, and it is believed he began his quest as part of Christopher Columbus's second expedition in 1493. During his later explorations, he employed the skills and tactics he’d learned in the military to subdue and control the native peoples of the Caribbean.
Web. 19 Aug 2013.Holmgren, Virginia C. "The Unheralded Story of Columbus." Sea Frontiers. Feb. 1992: 34-41. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Aug 2013.
In 1474, years after Prince Henry the Navigator’s death, Juan Ponce de Leon was born to a noble, yet poor, family in Santervás de Campos, Spain. Although early historians placed his birth in 1460, more recent evidence shows he was likely born in 1474. Juan Ponce de Leon wanted what everyone wanted, fame and fortune. So as a young man, Juan Ponce de Leon would deliver messages to the royal court. Once he had finished doing this, he met up with Pedro Nunez de Guzman, Knight Commander of the Order of Calatrava., who was well known to train young boys to become knights. Ponce de Leon served as a squire with him. Guzman not only taught Leon important fighting skills, but the importance of religion and manners along with other traits. As Leon grew
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. However, even after centuries later, little is truly known of the mysterious voyage and findings of the new world.1 By examining “Letter from Columbus to Luis Santangel”, one can further contextualize the events of Columbus' exploration of the New World. The letter uncovers Columbus' subtle hints of his true intentions and exposes his exaggerated tone that catered to his lavish demands with Spain. Likewise, The Columbian Voyage Map read in accordance with the letter helps the reader track Columbus' first, second, third, and fourth voyage to the New World carefully and conveniently. Thus, the letter and map's rarity and description render invaluable insight into Columbus' intentionality of the New World and its indigenous inhabitants.
Finally, Juan Ponce de Leon discovered and explored many other places such as the Florida Keys, beaches, islands, currents, and Indian tribes. He once experienced Cape Canaveral, an area filled with rough currents. He even explored the east coast, along the Florida Keys, and he named an island, Dry Tortugas, for it's turtles. He finally discovered the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current that would later help future spanish ships maneuver their way back to their
The recognizable accomplishment's Juan Ponce de León has done are that he founded Florida and was the first governor of Puerto Rico. Juan was only leading a gold mining expedition on the southeast coast of America when he claimed Florida in 1460. When he wanted glory and gold, claiming Florida was the right thing to do. It got him all the glory he could get. How he became a governor of Puerto Rico, however is another story. We have no idea what Juan was thinking when saw the island of Borinquén or San Juan Bautista when he was with Christopher Colombus's second expedition. Colombus found Puerto Rico and they made a few settlements there. As Puerto Rico progressed in its colonization, Juan Ponce de León was appointed by the Spanish crown its first governor in some time between 1460 and 1521.
Then, during the early 16th century, Juan Ponce de Leon, a spanish explorer, sailed to the peninsula searching for the Fountain of Youth. He never discovered it, but he did establish a new territory for Spain, naming it Florida, which translates to “Flowery Land”(Christian 21).
Reading both passages of the two explorers, Christopher Columbus and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, gives a great description of how the world was back in the 1500s. Now, although both were Spaniard explorers, each had different experiences and discoveries. One of the differences is how they approached exploring the new world. For instance, Columbus went to find new land in the west, while Cabeza de Vaca went as an expedition to already found lands. In addition, Columbus had a lot of success, while Cabeza de Vaca since the beginning, because of Narváez, “endured many disasters” (Baym, et al., 2013, p. 28). Furthermore, Christopher Columbus considered most important to find more land, and especially the route to reach Asia.
Sensenig, Pearl L. "Marco Polo: An Inspiration to Christopher Columbus and The Age of Discovery". Sensen01.cwk@millersv.edu
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.”
propaganda to persuade people to migrate to the New World. In Columbus’s Letter Describing the His First Voyage by Columbus, he states, “there are many harbors on the coast of the sea, beyond comparison with others which I know in Christendom, and many rivers, good and large, which is marvelous” (16). By inserting the appealing descriptions, like beyond comparison, marvelous, good and large, Columbus captivates and pleases the reader. During this time period that was particularly important because the readers were the men funding his excursion across the sea. He could not write anything less than spectacular descriptions of the New World or he could risk losing his funding. This type of
For my research topic, I have chosen to explore the life and accomplishment of the great Spaniard conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon. There is a lot about the well-known explorer to research and report on. De Leon was one of the most remembered and accomplished of the conquistadors to ever set sail. Ponce himself has left his mark on the world and I am going to dive into his life’s journey. Ponce’s early life starts in Santervás de Campos in the now northern part of Valladolid, a Spanish province. Experts are not quite sure the exact year he was born but they estimate that de Leon was born in 1474. The identity of his parents is still unknown, but he appears to have been a member of a distinguished and influential noble family. His relatives
The Spanish had great expectations of Florida despite disastrous results from expeditions such as Ponce de Leon and Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon's. In a description of the panhandle region from Hernando de Soto's campaigns, Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo wrote, “The Province of Apalache is very fertile and abundantly provided with much corn, kidney beans, pumpkins, various fruits, much venison, many varieties of birds and excellent fishing near the sea.” Notwithstanding the environmental benefits, the Spanish were ultimately unsuccessful in establishing a plantation economy in Florida. Both the British and the proto-Seminoles achieved greater success in establishing a plantation economy after the failure of the Spanish. Many factors contributed to the success of the proto-Seminoles and British in Florida including increased population, choice of economy, and African presence in Florida.
The main sources used in this investigation are Christopher Columbus: The Master of the Atlantic written by David A.Thomas, which goes extensively into the facts about Christopher Columbus’ life and accomplishments and the website History, which has an abundance of information and videos on the exploration and discovery of the Americas.
This is a very interesting take on the story of Christopher Columbus and His voyage.