Ponce de León, JuanPonce de Le‧ón, Juan /ˌpɒns də ˈliːən $ ˌpɑːns-, wɑːn $ hwɑːn/(1460–1521) a Spanish explorer who took control of Puerto Rico for Spain in 1508 and discovered florida in 1513, when he was searching for the fountain of youth, a flow of water coming from the ground which was supposed to make anyone who drank it stay young for ever