Читать книгу Ponce de Leon and the Discovery of Florida - Sandra Wallus Sammons - Страница 8

Chapter 1

Young Juan Ponce de Leon

Juan Ponce de Leon lived over 500 years ago, in what we now call the fifteenth century. He was probably born in 1474. We have to guess at some things about his life, because few records are available from that time.

We do know that he was born in what we now call Spain, in the province of Valladolid. His parents were probably influential people in Spanish society, and Juan was educated by a relative, Don Pedro Nunez de Guzman. Guzman was known for his skill at teaching young men the art of warfare. When he was older, Juan joined the many other young men who were defending their country.

Spain in those days was struggling with people who had invaded their land many years before. The Moors ruled the country and spread their own Muslim religion. The Spaniards wanted to rule themselves and to practice their own Catholic religion. For many years, young Spanish men became soldiers, fighting to defeat the Moors and send them out of their land.

Juan Ponce de Leon had been trained well and became a good soldier. The Moors were determined fighters, but finally, when Ponce was almost twenty years old, the war was over. In 1492 in the province of Granada, the Moors finally stopped fighting, and hundreds of years of warfare came to an end. Spain was once again free to have its own religion and its own government.

With no wars to fight, many young, brave Spanish soldiers were out of work. The Spanish government needed gold to fill up its treasury. It was time to look for new places to sell items made by Spaniards. Trade would bring in money and create jobs for the people.

Since ancient times there had been trade with countries in the Far East, sometimes called the East Indies. The Europeans knew that if they traveled east by land, they would reach China, Japan, and India. There they could trade their goods for silks and spices and other exotic items. However, between Europe and the East Indies were dangerously high mountains and miles of deserts. There were also raiders, lying in wait for traders taking that route.

Mapmakers told them the earth was round. Could there possibly be another route to this wonderful land of the East Indies—by sea?

A sailor from Portugal, Bartholemew Diaz, sailed south along the west coast of Africa until in 1488 he reached the continent’s southern tip, the Cape of Good Hope. From there, he would have to sail east to the East Indies. Winds and tides were treacherous, but at least one sea route was possible.

Spanish flag (Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida)

A sailor from Italy, Christopher Columbus, wanted to try a different way. Columbus had been studying maps created by another Italian, Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli. They showed the East Indies on the other side of the ocean that started on Europe’s west coast. The maps helped convince Columbus that these lands could be reached by sailing west. If the earth was round, then why not take the opposite route around the ball? An interesting idea, but he couldn’t find anyone to finance his trip.

After failing to convince the governments of other countries of his idea, this Italian sailor happened to be in Spain when the Moors were defeated in Granada. The long war was over. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were interested in helping Columbus try out his idea.