Youth, Fountain of

The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring whose waters are alleged to have the ability to halt the ravages of time or even reverse the aging process. By drinking or bathing in it, one is supposed to experience the erasure of all signs of age. Legends of the magical spring as told to the early Spanish explorers also included tales of vast riches and precious metals lying alongside the pool, awaiting the discoverer.

Some Fountain of Youth fables have placed its location in eastern Asia, where it was sought after by Alexander the Great. According to other stories, the fountain is located in Hawai'i. The best-known location comes from the 15th and 16th centuries, when Spanish explorers first arrived in the New World. They were told by the natives of modern-day Cuba and Puerto Rico that the magical body of water was located in a land to the north, which they called Bimini (Florida). They told the Spanish of an Arawak (natives of current-day Haiti) chief named Sequene, who sailed north with a ship of men and never returned home. Their failure to reappear was seen not as a failure in which they were lost at sea, but rather as a success. It was believed by many that they did in fact find the supernatural water and stayed to enjoy their recaptured youth in a new land.

Spanish Explorer Juan Ponce de León (I460-I52I). This scene depicts his search for the fabulous island of Bimini, where the legendary Fountain of Youth was said to be located

Source: Getty Images.

Juan Ponce de León (1460–1521) traveled with Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. The Spanish settled in the area, and in 1513, after a stint as the governor of Puerto Rico, de Leon financed his own expedition to travel north in search of the Fountain of Youth. The ship supposedly landed in [Page 1451]the vicinity of what is now St. Augustine, and he proposed that this land be called La Florida. It was in this area of St. Augustine where he claimed to have found the Fountain of Youth.

To some residents of this area of Florida, the Fountain of Youth is more than just a legend. The land containing the supposed spring is now a park where visitors can purchase glimpses of what is touted as the true fountain, on the basis of a landmark cross that was found adjacent to the spring. Discovered at the beginning of the 19th century, the cross is made of 27 coquina stones and is believed to have been placed there by Ponce de León. Authenticity of the cross having been laid by de León himself was verified in 1904 with the further discovery of a nearby salt cellar, which contained a signed parchment declaring a statement of witness to the laying of the stones in 1513. As for the local water itself, thorough testing has disclosed no rejuvenating properties.