USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -He is known for being the first European to set foot on Florida in 1513. Ponce de León led an expedition to claim the land for Spain and named it “La Florida", meaning “land of flowers"He also played a role in the colonization of Puerto Rico, serving as the island’s first Governor.

Detailed explanation-2: -De Leon initially believed he had discovered a large island but later learned it something more. Due to the landscape’s lush vegetation and the Catholic holiday Pascua Florida (Feast of Flowers) during which it was “discovered, ” Ponce de León named the region La Florida.

Detailed explanation-3: -Did you know? Juan Ponce de León died in Cuba, but his remains were later transferred to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they were put to rest in San Juan Cathedral. Puerto Rico’s third-largest city, Ponce, bears the explorer’s name.

Detailed explanation-4: -Ponce de Leon claimed the land for Spain, calling it La Florida, the Spanish name for flowery, covered with flowers, or abounding in flowers.

Detailed explanation-5: -The next day Ponce de León and his men came ashore and claimed La Florida for Spain, becoming the first documented visitors of European culture to Florida’s coast. By stepping foot in Florida, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, by many accounts, discovered mainland America.