Juan Ponce De Leon is a Spanish conqueror and explorer who was born in 1460. Even though he was born into a dignified family he was deprived. He sought fortune and fame as a soldier. While serving Pedro Nunez de Guzman he learned fighting skills, religion and manners. Later he helped in the conquest of Granada kingdom in Southern Spain. After he heard the stories of Columbus and his detection of new world he volunteered to go on the return trip. He was one among 1200 men who reach the Hispaniola Island in the year 1493. This is one of the Juan ponce de Leon facts in the history. He was able to survive the bad weather, disease and shortage of drink and food to help in colonizing the lands by forcing the people of India into slavery.
Involvement in conquering and governing lands
He spent early 1500s in the Hispaniola Island to establish farms, distribute land rights, aid construction buildings to support in defense and work to set up a system of goods production and distribution. He is also the father of four children. Governor Nicolas de Ovando named him as the deputy governor of that island after his involvement in the uprising of Indians in the province of this island. The Indians told him that he would discover gold on the neighboring island called boriquien. He conquered this island after four years. During this conquest he received the honor with a greyhound dog Bercerillo. There was a fact that the Indian people were more scared of ten Spaniards along with a dog than 100 Spaniards without him. King of Spain Ferdinand appointed him Puerto Rico’s governor and he was the governor for a period between 1452 and 1516. As the island was run by him well it became popular and it had huge slaves and natural resources. He was also known for his non violent handling of the Indians that was rare in that time.
His important discoveries
He sailed from the island Puerto Rico in March 1513 and anchored near the river or St John one month later of his travel over sea. Impressed with the beautiful flowers of the land and having reached on the day of Easter, he named this land as Florida. It is derived from the Spanish term Pascua Florida meaning flowery Easter. When he travels southward he faced the sturdy current of Gulf Stream pouring through the channel. Thus, he found the Bahamas channel and this became the sea route of the ships carrying treasure to Spain. Another in the list of Juan ponce de Leon facts is he never quit exploring the world. He persisted to explore the east coast. He sailed to Pensacola bay through the gulf coast. During his return trip to his island, he saw several small islands that are crowded with tortoises. He named these small islands as Tortugas. In the year 1521 he tried to expand his colony on the coast of Florida but he was attacked by Americans. He got wounded and died few days after he returned to Cuba.