Why did Ponce de León think there was a Fountain of Youth?

In 1535 Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, a Spanish historian and writer, accused Ponce de León of seeking the fountain in order to cure his sexual impotence. This, however, was highly unlikely as de Leon had fathered several children and was under 40 years old at the time of his first expedition.

What is the legend of the Fountain of Youth?

The myth of the Fountain of Youth is actually a Taino Indian legend about a spring that was said to exist on the island of Bimini and a river, in what became known as Florida that would restore youth to those who bathed in their waters.

Who looked for the Fountain of Youth?

explorer Juan Ponce de Leon
But the name linked most closely to the search for a fountain of youth is 16th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, who allegedly thought it would be found in Florida.

How old was Ponce de Leon when he died?

47 years (1474–1521)
Juan Ponce de León/Age at death

Oviedo’s satiric version of Ponce’s travels stuck. “You’ve got this incredible story that started out as an invention,” Francis says, “and by the 17th century, it has become history.” (For what it’s worth, Ponce died at age 47 after being wounded by an arrow in a fight with an Indian tribe in Florida.)

When did Ponce de Leon find the fountain of youth?

1513
In St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., there’s a tourist attraction dating back a century that purports—albeit in a tongue-in-cheek way—to be the fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon discovered soon after he arrived in what is now Florida in 1513.

What did Ponce de Leon discover?

What did Juan Ponce de León discover? Juan Ponce de León is credited with being the first European to reach Florida. In April 1513 he landed on the coast of Florida at a site between Saint Augustine and Melbourne Beach. He named the region Florida because it was discovered at Easter time (Spanish: Pascua Florida).

Did Ponce de Leon discover the fountain of youth?

In St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., there’s a tourist attraction dating back a century that purports—albeit in a tongue-in-cheek way—to be the fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon discovered soon after he arrived in what is now Florida in 1513.