Spanish Explorations

Explorers are people who search for new places and new things. Some of the early explorers discovered great things about the world. Some of these fearless explorers were Columbus, Cabot, Magellan, Verrazano, and Cartier. But none of these men actually had much interest in the Americas. They were all trying to find the route to the East Indies and Asia. They found gold and other precious items in Asia. America was just a stop along the way.

The Spanish soon realized that America might have even greater riches than the Indies. Conquistadors, another name for conquerors, set out to discover what America had in store. One of these great Conquistadors was Ponce de Leon. He had sailed with Columbus on his second voyage. He was also a soldier on Hispaniola. He went to Puerto Rico to look for gold. He found some and he also found some native Indians. He conquered the land and set up Spanish rule.

In the year 1513, he set off again in search of gold, but some say he was searching for the fountain of youth. He never found the fountain of youth, but he traveled to a beautiful peninsula filled with flowers. Ponce de Leon named this peninsula “Florida.” Years later, the first European colony was established in what is now known as the United States at St. Augustine.