Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. He is best  known for exploring the coasts of Florida in search of the  Fountain of Youth. It was believed that if you drank the  water from the Fountain of Youth, you would become  young again or live forever. 

As with many historical events, the story of what  happened changes over time as people retell it. It seems  that this was the case with Ponce de León’s search for  the Fountain of Youth. Both the fountain and his search  for it are a myth. Historians can’t find any evidence that  Ponce de León was searching for the mythical fountain.  They believe the story was made up after his death. 

So what was Ponce de León really searching for? The  next best thing: power, fame, and fortune. 

Ponce de León was born in 1460 in Spain. Historians  believe that he got his start on Christopher Columbus’s  second trip to the West Indies in 1493. 

Fast-Forward 10 Years 

Ponce de León is a governor of the Island of Hispaniola  (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti). He hears  rumors of gold on a nearby island (present-day Puerto  Rico). Ponce de León gets permission from the King of  Spain to explore the island. He sets sail in 1508. He takes  50 soldiers and one ship. There, he founds a settlement  near present-day San Juan. 

Ponce de León had great luck in Puerto Rico. He found  lots of gold. He gave it to the King and Queen of Spain.  The royal couple was so pleased, they made him  governor of Puerto Rico. 

The Spanish crown wanted more gold. They urged  Ponce de León to explore more islands in search of  more gold. 

The Myth Part of the Story 

Ponce de León heard of a magical Fountain of Youth on  nearby Bimini Island. He set sail for the island, but ended  up on the coast of Florida instead. He landed in Charlotte  Harbor near present-day St. Augustine. There he searched  up and down the coast for the mythical fountain. 

The True Part of the Story 

Ponce de León landed on the east coast of Florida in  March of 1513. He landed around the time of the Christian  holiday, Easter. In Spain, Easter was known as the “feast of  Flowers.” In honor of the holiday, Ponce de León named  this new land Florida, which means “Flowery.” 

Ponce de León stayed in Florida for several months.  There is no evidence that he was searching for the  mythical Fountain of Youth. He was most likely searching  for more gold for the Spanish crown. He never found it.  But the Spanish king was pleased and named Ponce de  León governor of Bimini and Florida. 

In February 1521, Ponce  de León returned to  Florida to explore the  western side of the  peninsula. His expedition  spent several months  exploring. In July 1521,  native warriors attacked  the group. Ponce de  León was injured in the  fighting. Many believe he  was shot in the leg with a poison arrow. Shortly after, the  expedition sailed to Cuba, where Ponce de León died  later that month. He was 61 years old.