juan ponce de león, the spanish explorer, hears of the fountain from the people of puerto rico when he conquers the island of bimini. dissatisfied with his material wealth, he launches an expedition to locate it, and in the process discovers florida. though he is one of the first europeans to set foot on the american mainland, he never actually locates the fountain of youth.
there are many legends associated with the quest for the restorative powers of waters which can bring about eternal youth, an elusive principal which our society struggles with constantly - both cosmetically as well as physically ... endured good health. ponce de león hears of the fountain and believes in it, although his name is not associated with the legend in writing until after his death.
gonzalo fernandez de oviedo writes in his historia heneral y natural de las indias (1535) that ponce de león searches for the waters of bimini to cure his sexual impotence; others doubt that de león is actually looking for the fabled stream itself when he comes to florida. it is noted that ponce does not specifically mention the fountain in his writings throughout the course of his expedition.
in various accounts, it is stated that local men pay regular visits to the fountain. a frail old man could become so completely restored that he could resume "all manly exercises… take a new wife and beget more children." spaniards unsuccessfully search every babbling brook along the florida coast for the legendary fountain.
the last excursion of ponce de león ends in the vicinity of the modern port charlotte; within a very short distance from the site of his last battle lies warm mineral springs, which has been in use for thousands of years. it is, therefore, conceivable that his last action is an attempt to reach this artesian well, and to ascertain whether, for once and for all, if it is the mysterious elixir of life.
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