While many of associate Juan Ponce de León with the search for the Fountain of Youth, his real contributions were as a conquistador and explorer. As a conquistador, Juan Ponce de León was important in the subjugation of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. He founded the first European settlement on the latter. He then conducted two voyages of exploration – becoming the first European to reach Florida.
Episodes
Juan Ponce de León – Part 1 – Conquistador
In part one of our story, we look at Ponce de León’s life as a conquistador – including his part in the subjugation of Hispaniola, then his exploration, conquest, and settlement of Puerto Rico, and finally his preparations to find the mysterious island of Beniny – aka – Florida.
Download this episode or listen online.
Juan Ponce de León – Part 2 – Explorer
Ponce de León’s goes from conquistador to explorer in the second part of our series. This time, he conducts two expeditions of exploration in search of the island of Beniny – which turns out to be Florida. We also talk about Ponce de León’s connection to the Fountain of Youth.
Download this episode or listen online.
Maps
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Note: the route of Ponce de León’s second voyage is unknown. He landed on the western coast of Florida – probably not far from his most northerly advance on his first voyage.
Explorers Podcast 