Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León was the first European to reach Florida, landing there in April 1513 and naming it La Florida. He had earlier been governor of Puerto Rico, the first of the Greater Antilles to be settled. He attempted to colonise Florida in 1521 but was mortally wounded by a Calusa arrow during an indigenous counterattack.
- Lived: 1474 CE – 1521 CE
- Nationality: spanish
- Roles: explorer, conquistador, governor
