Juan Ponce de León II
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| Juan Ponce de León II | |
 1st Native Governor (temporary) of Puerto Rico |
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Governor
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1579 |
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| Preceded by | Francisco De Obando Y Mexia |
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| Succeeded by | Jerónimo De Agüero Campuzano |
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| Born | ? Puerto Rico |
| Died | 1591 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Juan Ponce de León II was born in Puerto Rico in the early part of the 16th century and was the first Puerto Rican to assume the temporary governorship of Puerto Rico.
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[edit] Early years
Ponce de León II was born Juan Troche Ponce de León and was the son of Juan Garcia "Gracie" Troche and Juana Ponce de León. The Spanish Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon was Juana's father and, consequently, Juan Ponce de León II's maternal grandfather.
[edit] Settlement in Trindad
Ponce de León II was sent by the Spanish Crown to establish a settlement on the island of Trindad in 1569. He built the "town of the Circumcision", probably around modern Laventille. In 1570 this settlement was abandoned, possibly because of the raids by the Caribs which resulted in the death of de Leon's son. According to some historians, Ponce de León II may have been an on and off governor of the island from 1571 to 1591.[1]
[edit] First native-born governor of Puerto Rico
In 1579, the Spanish Crown named Jerónimo De Agüero Campuzano governor of Puerto Rico. He was to replace the then governor Francisco De Obando Y Mexia. Juan Ponce de León II became the first native Puerto Rican to assume, temporarily, the governorship of Puerto Rico until the arrival of Jerónimo De Agüero Campuzano, who assumed the governorship of the island that same year.[2]
[edit] Written work "Melgarejo's Memoirs"
In 1581, at the request of King Phillip II of Spain, Juan Lopez Melgarejo, who served as governor of Puerto Rico from 1581 to 1582, asked Juan Ponce de León II to write a general description of the West Indies with emphasis on the part corresponding to Puerto Rico. He did this with the collaboration of his fellow Puerto Rican Antonio de Santa Clara. Ponce de León II's written work Memorias de Melgarejo (Melgarejo's Memoirs) is one of Puerto Rico's most important historical documents. In 1581, Ponce de León II was able to establish the exact geographical coordinates of San Juan by observing an eclipse.[3]
[edit] Later years
Later in life, after he became a widower, Ponce de León II embraced and lived a religious life. He took it upon himself to transfer the body of his grandfather, Juan Ponce de León from Cuba and had it interred at the San José Church in San Juan, (the remains were moved once again in 1913, when they were placed in the San Juan Cathedral).
Juan Ponce de León II's remains are buried in the Church of San José, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has honored his memory by naming a high school in the town of Florida, Puerto Rico after him.
| Preceded by Francisco De Obando Y Mexia |
Governor of Puerto Rico 1579 |
Succeeded by Jerónimo De Agüero Campuzano |
