Ponce de León Lands in Florida: Spain Claims New World
Juan Ponce de Leon made landfall near present-day St. Augustine on April 2, 1513, naming the land "La Florida" because he arrived during Pascua Florida, the Spanish Feast of Flowers celebrated at Easter. The fountain of youth legend was attached to his name only after his death, by a rival chronicler named Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo. Ponce de Leon was actually seeking new lands to govern and exploit after being removed as governor of Puerto Rico. The Timucua and Calusa peoples he encountered were sophisticated coastal societies with complex trade networks. His second expedition in 1521 ended when Calusa warriors wounded him with a poison arrow near Charlotte Harbor. He died in Havana shortly after.
April 2, 1513
513 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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