Ponce de Leon
and
The Fountain of Youth
Juan Ponce de Leon was born in San Tervas de Campos, Spain, in "about" 1474. Strangely, that is about all that is known of his early years... There is no record of his birth, of parent's names, or of his preteen years. In his younger years it is said that he served as a squire and earned the nickname "the poor knight." This would indicate that his family was of the nobility... although not a significant or particularly influential one...
It is known, however, that almost from childhood, he trained himself in the arts of war and survival to prepare himself for future of daring and unimaginable adventures to the unknown. It was the opening of the "age of exploration", and the "Conquistadores" of Spain were leaving the shores of their homeland poor but courageous "knights errant" and returning... those lucky few who did return... with the ransom of kings...
In 1493 yond Ponce de Leon joined Columbus on his 2nd voyage to the Americas. After that he settled on a Caribbean island named Hispaniola to improve his fortunes and start a warlike career. He shortly rose to the position of Hispaniola's Military Commander and Deputy Governor. In 1506, at the age of 28, he discovered a close-by island named Borinquen which was later renamed Puerto Rico. Two years later, he became Governor of the fledgling Spanish Colony on that Island. Still, not completely satisfied... wanting more wealth, power, and glory, Ponce de Leon begged and persuaded the king to grant him men and ships to search for the infamous "fountain of youth".
The opening of the New World was also a re-opening, of sorts, of a far older one... Generations after Europe and most of the Orient had been completely explored, the opening of a vast new domain, completely unknown to Europeans, rekindled many of the myths and legends which had circulated in Europe since the days of Greece and Rome. Among these was the fabled "Fountain of Youth", a spring from which flowed the water of healing and eternal youth. Many scholars claim that De Leon heard the tale of the miraculous fountain from the natives of Hispaniola or Puerto Rico... this is both unlikely, in one regard, and highly likely in another. It is unlikely that the native population of either island had ever heard the tale before being questioned about it by de Leon and other newcomers... it is likely, in that the natives were likely to tell the Spaniards almost anything to get them... or at least a significant number of them... to go elsewhere.
In any case, the legend of the fabulous Fountain of Youth was old even when Ponce de Leon sailed for Florida on his quest to find it. Both the Greeks and the Romans spoke and sang of this spring and it's wonderful elixir. Undoubtedly, the tale was old, even then. Marco Polo heard the story in China...
In 1513 Juan Ponce de Leon set sail from Puerto Rico, bound for the mainland, which had been discovered some 15 years before, but not, to that point, much explored. His fruitless quest for the Fountain of Youth inadvertently made him the first European to set foot in what is now Florida, which he named "Pascua de Florida" (feast of flowers) after a Spanish Easter holiday, since he landed there on Easter Sunday.
De Leon explored the Florida coast, and parts of the interior, between 1513 and 1521, and founding the city of St. Augustine, the oldest permanently settled city in the United States. It is this, the discovery of Florida for which he is most famous today.
A rather popular figure, and well thought of, which is a rarity among the ranks of the "Conquistador"... the inhabitants of Hispanola and Puerto Rico were overwhelmed by the news of his death in battle against the Calusa Indians in Central Florida. He did not die in the battle, itself, but was severely wounded, and most likely died from infection, which, given the primitive medical treatment of the day, killed far more soldiers than ever did sword, shot or shell.
Although, he never found the "Fountain of Youth" Ponce de Leon's grand voyage over to the Americas left history rich with countless stories of his adventures. Is the Fountain of Youth a reality? Is is "out there" somewhere, still waiting to be found, or is it yet another glorious myth... a fanciful dream from the realm of folklore and legend?
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The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Florida is said to be its location, and stories of the fountain are some of the most persistent stories associated with the state.
