Arrival in the New World
Like many of his contemporaries, Ponce de Leon went overseas for his next opportunity once the war against the Emirate of Granada came to an end because there appeared to be no need for his military services at home.
Around 1200 sailors, settlers, and soldiers embarked on Christopher Columbus' second expedition to the New World in September 1493. One of the 200 "gentleman volunteers" on this voyage was Ponce de Leon. In November 1493, the fleet arrived in the Caribbean. Before reaching Hispaniola, their principal target, they stopped at a number of other islands. They specifically anchored off the shore of a sizable island known to the locals as Borinquen but afterwards known as Puerto Rico. This was Ponce de León's first look at the location that would have a significant impact on his life.
Although historians disagree on what he did during the ensuing years, it's conceivable that he eventually went back to Spain and traveled to Hispaniola with Nicolás de Ovando.
