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Born in 1460 into a noble family in León, Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in the royal court of Aragon.
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Ponce de León sailed with Christopher Columbus on Columbus' second ride to America. He and his family stayed on an island in the Caribbean named Hispaniola (Dominican Republic). He became a military captian at this post and was declard deputy governor.
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Ponce de León discovered a close island named Borinquen. While he was there he found large things of gold.
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his ships landed on Florida's east coast near present-day St. Augustine. He said this beautiful land for Spain. Since he had discovered this country of lavish landscape and beautiful beaches, he dicided to name it. He named it La Florida.
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The Spanish crown also made him to organize an army to subdue a native up start on Puerto Rico, and he sailed in mid-1515.
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He landed on the gulf beaches between Charlotte Harbor and Estero Bay with over 200 settlers, horses, tools, and seeds. The decidment was to set up a farming govrment. As they went inland for fresh water, the Calusa hunted them down. Ponce de León was shot in the thigh by an arrow and was really wounded. The people that settled there decided to leave and never come back and sail back to Cuba.