Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown. He led the first known European expedition to La Florida, which he named during his first voyage to the area in 1513. Though in popular culture, he was supposedly searching for the Fountain of Youth, there is no contemporary evidence to support the story, which all modern historians call a myth.

Ponce de León returned to southwest Florida in 1521 to lead the first large-scale attempt to establish a Spanish colony in what is now the continental United States. However, the native Calusa people fiercely resisted the incursion, and de León was seriously wounded in a skirmish. The colonization attempt was abandoned, and its leader died from his wounds soon after returning to Cuba. He was interred in Puerto Rico, and his tomb is located inside of the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista in San Juan.... More • http://en.wikipedia. ... _Le%C3%B3n View • Books • Images • Videos • Search Related • Conquistadors • Explorers • Sailors • April 08 • Aries • Caribbean • Colonialism • Florida • Hispaniola • New Spain • Puerto Rico • Spain • USA • 16th Century • Icons • People