Ngokwenganekwane edumile, umhloli wamazwe waseSpain uJuan Ponce de León wathola isifunda saseFlorida sanamuhla ngesikhathi efuna uMthombo Wentsha. Eqinisweni, izindaba ezimayelana namanzi omlingo ezinikeza intsha noma impilo enwetshiwe zisuka kuHerodotus noma ngaphezulu.
Ngokwesibonelo, u-Alexander Omkhulu kuthiwa naye wathola “umfula wepharadesi” ophulukisayo ekhulwini lesine BC, futhi izinganekwane ezifanayo zavela ezindaweni ezihlukene njengaseCanary Islands, eJapane, ePolynesia naseNgilandi. Phakathi neNkathi Ephakathi, abanye abantu baseYurophu baze bakholelwa ngisho nasenkosini yasenganekwaneni uPrester John, okusolakala ukuthi umbuso wayo wawunomthombo wobusha nomfula wegolide.
Nakuba uPonce de León ahlola iFlorida ngo-1515, indaba yoMthombo Wentsha ayizange inamathele ohambweni lwakhe kwaze kwaba ngemva kokufa kwakhe. Kulesi sihloko, sizohlola ukuthi uMthombo Wobusha wahlotshaniswa kanjani nokuba khona kwakhe. Ngaphezu kwalokho, sizophenya ukuthi ngabe ukudalule ngempela yini.
Imithombo yaseSpain yagomela ngokuthi amaNdiya aseTaino aseCaribbean akhuluma ngomthombo womlingo nomfula ovuselelayo owawukhona ndawana thize enyakatho yeCuba. La mahemuhemu afinyelela ezindlebeni zikaPonce de León, okucatshangwa ukuthi wahamba noChristopher Columbus ohambweni lwakhe lwesibili oluya eZweni Elisha ngo-1493.
Ngemva kokusiza ukuqeda ngesihluku ukuhlubuka kweTaino e-Hispaniola ngo-1504, uPonce de León wanikwa isikhundla sombusi wesifundazwe namahektha angamakhulu omhlaba, lapho asebenzisa khona abasebenzi baseNdiya abaphoqelelwe ukukhulisa izitshalo nemfuyo.
Ngo-1508 wathola imvume yasebukhosini yokuba ikoloni iSan Juan Bautista (manje eyiPuerto Rico). Waba umbusi wokuqala walesi siqhingi ngemva konyaka, kodwa ngokushesha waxoshwa embangweni wezikhundla nendodana kaChristopher Columbus u-Diego.
Ngemva kokuhlala ebuhleni beNkosi uFerdinand, uPonce de León wathola inkontileka ngo-1512 ukuze ahlole futhi axazulule isiqhingi esibizwa ngokuthi iBimini. Akukho ndawo kule nkontileka noma enkontilekeni elandelayo lapho okwashiwo khona uMthombo Wentsha.
Ngokuphambene, kwanikezwa iziqondiso eziqondile zokunqoba amaNdiya nokuhlukanisa noma yiliphi igolide elitholakalayo. Nakuba kungenzeka ukuthi wathi wazi “izimfihlo” ezithile, uPonce de León naye akazange aveze lo mthombo lapho ebhalelana khona noFerdinand.
IPonce de León yaqala uhambo ngo-March 1513 ngemikhumbi emithathu. Ngokusho kwezazi-mlando zakuqala, wamisa ihange ogwini olusempumalanga yeFlorida ngo-Ephreli 2 futhi wafika ogwini ngosuku olulandelayo, ekhetha igama elithi "La Florida" ngokwengxenye ngoba kwakuyinkathi yePhasika (Pascua Florida ngeSpanishi).
U-Ponce de León wabe esehamba wehla e-Florida Keys futhi wenyuka ogwini olusentshonalanga, lapho atholana phezulu namaNdiya, ngaphambi kokuqala uhambo lokuzungeza olubuyela e-Puerto Rico. Endleleni kuthiwa wathola i-Gulf Stream, eyaba umzila oshesha kakhulu wokubuyela eYurophu.
Ngemva kweminyaka engu-XNUMX, uPonce de León wabuyela ogwini oluseningizimu-ntshonalanga yeFlorida ezama ukwakha ikoloni, kodwa walinyazwa umcibisholo waseNdiya wafa. Ngaphambi nje kokuba ahambe, wathumela izincwadi enkosini yakhe entsha, uCharles V, nakuPapa wakusasa u-Adrian VI.
Nakulokhu, umhloli wamazwe akazange akhulume ngoMthombo Wobusha, esikhundleni salokho egxile esifisweni sakhe sokuhlalisa izwe, asakaze ubuKristu futhi athole ukuthi iFlorida iyisiqhingi noma inhlonhlo. Alukho umbhalo wanoma yiluphi uhambo oluye lwasinda, futhi akukho mlando wemivubukulo owake watholakala.
Noma kunjalo, izazi-mlando zaqala ukuhlobanisa uPonce de León noMthombo Wobusha ngemva nje kokufa kwakhe. Ngo-1535 uGonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés wamangalela uPonce de León ngokufuna umthombo ukuze aphulukise ukungabi namandla kwakhe ngokobulili.
UHernando de Escalante Fontaneda, owahlala namaNdiya eFlorida iminyaka eminingi ngemva kokusinda ekuphahlazekeni komkhumbi, naye wagcona uPonce de León encwadini yakhe yesikhumbuzo yango-1575, ethi kwakuyisizathu sokujabula ukuthi wafuna uMthombo Wobusha. Omunye wababhali abalandelayo okufanele bahlole kwakungu-Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas, isazi-mlando esikhulu senkosi yaseSpain yase-Indies. Ngo-1601 wabhala ukulandisa okuningiliziwe nokufundwa kabanzi ngohambo lokuqala lukaPonce de León.
Inganekwane ethi Fountain of Youth yayisiphila saka. Nokho, ayizange ithole ukuthandwa okukhulu e-United States kwaze kwaba yilapho abaseSpain bekhipha iFlorida ngo-1819. Ababhali abadumile bangaleso sikhathi abanjengoWashington Irving babe sebeqala ukuveza uPonce de León njengongenanhlekelele noyize.
Amaciko aphinde angenela lo mdlalo, okuhlanganisa noThomas Moran, owapenda iseyili enkulukazi kaPonce de León ehlangana namaNdiya. Ngasekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-20, isithombe somhloli sase sibekwe endaweni emaphakathi yedolobha elidala laseFlorida, iSt. Augustine, futhi indawo eheha izivakashi eseduze yenza sengathi iwuMthombo Wangempela Wentsha. Kodwa ubuqiniso balo mthombo abukakaze buqinisekiswe nakuba amashumi ezinkulungwane zezivakashi eza minyaka yonke ukuzosampula amanzi omthombo anephunga lesulfure.
Ngakho-ke, ingabe uPonce de León wawuthola ngempela lo mthombo wenganekwane wamandla aphakade emhlabathini waseMelika?
Hhayi-ke, ijaji lisaphumile kulokho! Indaba ka-Ponce de León isalokhu igubuzelwe yi-mystique, iphazili ekhangayo ethathe umcabango wosomlando, ababalisi bezindaba, kanye nezihambi ngokufanayo. Ngisho noma intuthuko yesayensi iqhubeka nokuguqula ukuqonda kwethu ukuphila nokuphila isikhathi eside, uMthombo Wentsha uyaqhubeka nokubonakalisa ukulangazelela kwethu sonke isintu ukungafi.
Yize kusengaba yimfihlakalo engaxazululiwe, kunento eyodwa eqinisekile - indaba yokuphishekela kukaPonce de León imele ubufakazi obuhlala njalo bokufuna kwabantu okungaphezi ukutholakala nokungaziwa.
