After the west Indies were discovered by Columbus, some Spanish explorers began searching for legendary places and things. As governor of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de Leon heard stories of a magical fountain. According to the stories, anyone who drank from this fountain would remain young forever. De Leon spent five years trying to find the island of Bimini, where the fountain was said to be. Whether de Leon was actually trying to find the fountain is disputable. Some claim that de Leon's quest for the Fountain of Youth was nothing more than a story perpetuated by those trying to discredit him. Although he never found Bimini, his travels resulted in the discovery of Florida and the first European settlement in the new world - St. Augustine.