Juan Ponce de León

Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World, later he helped conquering eastern Hispaniola and was appointed governor of the province of Higuey. He conquered Puerto Rico and was appointed it's first governor. In 1512 he removed from office and started an expedition to the lands north of Cuba. In 1513 he discovered Florida and the Fountain of Youth. He returned to Spain, later he tried to conquer Guadeloupe and was re-appointed Governor of Puerto Rico. In 1521 he organized another expedition to Florida, during which he was wounded with a poisoned arrow. He aborted the expedition and returned to Havanna where soon died of the wound.

Behind the scenes

 * In the first screenplay draft of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Barbossa starts to search the Fountain of Youth using Juan Ponce de León's journal given to him by a mermaid.
 * Sao Feng’s map shows the location of the Fountain of Youth and his route, but strangely the note on the map says “Ponce de León 1523” giving a date 10 years after the actual expedition and 2 years after his death. It is unknown whether it has a deeper sense or is just a mistake.
 * Juan Ponce de León is a minor character in the novel On Stranger Tides, which was used as the basis for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End