Product Details

• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: A & E Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 8, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000006QEU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,635 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The life of the ultimate conquistador, July 9, 2004

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Biography - Ponce De Leon [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you're like me, you never could keep all of those New World explorers straight: who discovered what, who killed the most natives, who found tons of gold, who died at the hands of the enemy, etc. You might remember Ponce de Leon, however; he was the guy who went all over the place hunting the fountain of youth - that is how he is best remembered. This video, however, seriously downplays that particular obsession and really speaks little about it. de Leon may have had his eyes out for any fountain of youth he happened to stumble across, but that search, which seems sort of silly when you think about it, is not what this man, the first and quintessential conquistador, should be remembered for.

What did de Leon do? Well, for starters, he lived to be 61 years old - which is pretty impressive given his participation in the campaign to rid his native Spain of the Moors, his transatlantic trip to the New World on Columbus' second voyage, and all of the Indians he fought and killed over the years. When he wasn't killing natives, he was discovering and naming Florida, serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico (where, oddly enough, he is still hailed as a national hero), and making money hand over fist not be mining gold but, rather, by handling the sale of native laborers and selling cassava bread (which could last up to four weeks or so before spoiling) to ships returning to Spain. He built great villas, designed towns, planted colonies, and never stopped pursuing his dreams of more power, more money, and a greater legacy - all the things any conquistador of the time pined for. He even succeeded in winning a coat of arms from his king, which was basically the highest reward a Spaniard could earn in his life. de Leon really made his mark and established himself in the New World as the ultimate enforcer. Whenever natives rebelled or caused trouble, de Leon was the guy the authorities sent in to take care of business.

The discovery of Florida was de Leon's final accomplishment. It was a mission he funded himself, and even though he thought Florida was just a really big island, he was determined to establish a colony there. He may have officially discovered Florida, but the natives there had already been in contact with slave traders, and they didn't want any part of this settlement business. Forced out initially, he returned to a spot on the western Florida coast with 200 settlers, spent five months establishing a base there, and then faced a new Indian attack. Hit in the leg with a poisoned arrow, de Leon soon succumbed to his injuries and died. His accomplishments, however, assured him a place in history, and this video introduces you to the real explorer, not the old codger wasting half his life in search of liquid immortality.