Ponce

PETER FIRST LANDS ON THE SHIP OF PONCE DE LEON.

I found a letter written by a passenger of a transatlantic crossing on a 15th century sailing ship. It poetically described a miserable experience, making it feel like a magical adventure. Today we find so many negative ways to see our world. This letter lead meto my story.

I researched the explorers of this century. Ponce de Leon was the closest to my protagonist. Conquistadors were brutal, ruthless adventurers who would stop at nothing to carve out wealth and fame for themselves and an empire for Spain, but Ponce was different. One reference claimed he was misunderstood, that his logs were lost and his character was then built by the words of everyone else. I found that on the internet, so I can’t preach it as fact, but it thematically resonated with so much that I wanted to say.

What I discovered through research that Ponce De Leon was not like the other conquistadors. He was a good man who built fine cities. Even his search for the fountain of youth was mischaracterized. It was not his driving force in life. The king was getting old. Crazy Juania was in like for the throne. The fountain of youth sounded like a good solution to a looming national problem. I thought this “bad history” to be such a great driving force for a character. Ponce was perfect for my story!