EXPLORER

Juan Ponce de León

1460 - 1521

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Juan Ponce de León (c. 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first official European expedition to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, in 1474. Though little is known about his family, he was of noble birth and served in the Spanish military from a young age. He first came to the Americas as a "gentleman volunteer" with Christopher Columbus's second expedition in 1493. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Juan Ponce de León is the 40th most popular explorer (down from 37th in 2019), the 119th most popular biography from Spain (down from 116th in 2019) and the 7th most popular Spanish Explorer.

Juan Ponce de León is most famous for being the first European to reach Florida. He was also the first governor of Puerto Rico.

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Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Juan Ponce de León ranks 40 out of 498. Before him are John Cabot, Evliya Çelebi, Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, Pytheas, Francisco de Orellana, and Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. After him are Daniel Boone, Jacob Roggeveen, Ingólfr Arnarson, Ernest Shackleton, Louis Antoine de Bougainville, and Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1460, Juan Ponce de León ranks 2. Before him is Vasco da Gama. After him are Lorenzo Costa, Johann Tetzel, Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, Tristão da Cunha, Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples, Bartholomew Columbus, Juan de la Cosa, Tilman Riemenschneider, Jacopo de' Barbari, and Judah Leon Abravanel. Among people deceased in 1521, Juan Ponce de León ranks 5. Before him are Ferdinand Magellan, Pope Leo X, Manuel I of Portugal, and Josquin des Prez. After him are Sebastian Brant, Zhengde Emperor, Christina of Saxony, Raffaele Riario, Leonardo Loredan, Suzanne, Duchess of Bourbon, and Jorge Álvares.

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In Spain

Among people born in Spain, Juan Ponce de León ranks 119 out of 3,355. Before him are Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona (1913), Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852), Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510), Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (1482), Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (1470), and Vincent Ferrer (1350). After him are Javier Solana (1942), Manuel Azaña (1880), José Echegaray (1832), Antonio Banderas (1960), Miguel de Unamuno (1864), and Pablo de Sarasate (1844).

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Among EXPLORERS In Spain

Among explorers born in Spain, Juan Ponce de León ranks 7. Before him are Hernán Cortés (1485), Francisco Pizarro (1478), Juan Sebastián Elcano (1476), Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475), Francisco de Orellana (1511), and Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510). After him are Diego de Almagro (1475), Hernando de Soto (1500), Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465), Alonso de Ojeda (1466), Juan Díaz de Solís (1470), and Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira (1542).

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