This is the story that kick starts the study of Florida History. Every school kid is taught that Ponce de Leon discovered Florida in his search for the Fountain of Youth. It's the tale they're told when they visit St. Augustine, the Oldest City in America.

Just one problem, everything above is wrong...

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This is the REAL story of Ponce!

How Did the Legend of the Fountain of Youth Get Started?
Legend has it that The Fountain of Youth was a spring that Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon, and this is all according to legend, went looking for in Florida in 1513. It was said that anyone who drinks from the Fountain would have his or her youth restored. Florida was thought to be the site of the Fountain of Youth because of native stories in the Caribbean of a restorative spring located north of the Bahamas. These native legends were combined with a popular story in Europe about a quest for a "Fountain of Life".

Why did Ponce think the Fountain of Youth would be found in Florida?
Even though Ponce had traveled extensively around the Caribbean he'd never met natives like he'd met in Florida. The Indians were tall, muscular, and had little facial or body hair--it was as though they kept their youth well into adulthood. Ponce may have made a flaw in his reasoning and assumed the reason for the natives' physical attributes were related to the water they drank, not their genes, diet, and the environment in which they existed.

So he never Did find It?
No, and he may have never gone looking for it. Accounts of his searching for the Fountain of Youth come to us many years after Ponce de Leon's death and may have been romantic additions to his story of exploration. This is one of those myths that can't be substantiated by historical research.

Why a Fountain?
Legends about healing waters abound in cultures around the world. From the Biblical stories of Jesus healing a man with water to legends in the Middle East and Asia of various healing springs, it seems that people have always talked about and searched for water that will restore youth and health. There's even a story that Alexander the Great went in search of a Fountain of Youth! These legends were taken to a peak in 16th century Europe as the tales of the exploration of the " New World" entered into the popular culture of the time.

Are people still looking for a Fountain of Youth?
You bet! Potions, creams, injections, drugs, and even surgery are used by people to turn back time. The search for the Fountain of Youth continues. Researchers and drug companies are searching for medications to make us live longer. Fad diets, supplements, and exercise routines all claim to extend life. In the end, a healthy lifestyle, positive thinking, and good relationships are our best bet for a long and happy life.

So why did Juan Ponce de Leon come to Florida at all?
Ponce came to La Florida in the spring of 1513 looking for what he had when he was governor of Puerto Rico: Land, Power, and Prestige. Diego Columbus had been appointed to the post of governor formerly held by Ponce. Diego Columbus claimed that he should be the governor of Puerto Rico based on an agreement that his father, Christopher Columbus, had with the King and Queen of Spain. That agreement, made before Columbus' first voyage in 1492, stated that Columbus and his heirs would be entitled to be the governor of all lands claimed for Spain by Columbus. The Spanish court agreed with Diego and made him governor.

Ponce asked the royalty what he was supposed to do? They told him to go out, find new lands, conquer the natives, and he could be a governor again.

So he really wasn't out to find a Fountain of Youth?
Nope.