Juan Ponce de Leon Spotted Florida on This Day in 1513

Over 500 years ago, Spanish explorerJuan Ponce de Le and his expedition spotted Florida.

At noon on April 2, 1513, Ponce de Les navigator, Anton de Alaminos, recorded their location just south of present-day Ponte Vedra Beach.Other explorers may have sighted Florida beforePonce de Le, but the Spanish explorer is the first to have documented his location in Florida.

Some historians say Ponce de Le came ashore on April 2, while others say the landing actually occurred the following day.Ponce de Le claimedLa Florida for Spain and became credited with being the first explorer to discover mainland America.