An introduction to the Age of Exploration covers the nautical practices of fifteenth-century Europe, Henry the Navigator's fateful new sea routes, and the impact of European advancement on ancient civilizations.

"In the early 1500s, Ponce de Leon was one of the most important Spanish military figures in the Caribbean. He made his first voyage across the Atlantic with Christopher Columbus and then, after years of battle with the native Taino, became the first governor of Puerto Rico. Although the story of his search for the Fountain of Youth is entirely fictional, his noteworthy expedition to - and naming of - Florida is one of his greatest legacies"--