Why did ponce de leon go to florida

He renamed the island Puerto Rico. He was the island's governor for two years until the king replaced him with Columbus' son. He was in search of new lands and treasures. He had also heard of a mythical fountain of youth. Indians spoke of a legendary, magical spring whose water was believed to make older people young again.

In late March of , his ships landed on Florida's east coast near present-day St. He claimed this beautiful land for Spain.

Since he had discovered this country of lavish landscape and beautiful beaches, he was entitled to name it. But new scholarship contradicts the old fable and suggests that Ponce was interested not in longevity but political gain. The real story goes something like this: In , messy political squabbling forced Ponce to surrender the governorship of Puerto Rico, an appointment he had held since As a consolation prize, King Ferdinand offered him Bimini, assuming the stalwart conquistador could finance an expedition and actually find it.

In , the king encouraged him to continue searching for new lands, in hopes of finding yet more gold and expanding the Spanish empire. He would hold exclusive rights and be declared governor for life of any lands he came across. In a month's time, he and his men landed on the east coast of Florida. Not realizing he was on the mainland of North America, he thought he had landed on another island. He named the region Florida meaning "flowery" , in reference to its lush floral vegetation and because he discovered it at Easter time, which Spaniards referred to as Pascua Florida "feast of flowers".

In addition, he was not the first European to explore the area. Spanish expeditions had raided the Bahamas on a regular basis for years prior, and there is evidence that some made it as far as the east coast of Florida. A neighboring tribe of Caribs had burned the settlement to the ground and killed several Spaniards.

His own house was destroyed and his family had narrowly escaped death. The Spanish crown also ordered him to organize a small army to subdue a native uprising on Puerto Rico that had continued in his absence. He left Spain with a small fleet in May Historical accounts of his encounters with the Caribs on Puerto Rico are vague, but it seems there was a series of military engagements with no clear outcome.

He stayed there for two years, until he finally received assurances that his financial empire was secure and returned to Puerto Rico.