Christopher Columbus bumped into Puerto Rico on his second voyage to the new world. He sailed along the Caribbean Sea on the islands southern coast and went ashore on November 19, 1493 somewhere on the western shore. He and his men rested for a few days to supply themselves with fresh drinking water, fruit and fish. The island was named San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). After this brief stay, Columbus sailed the Mona Passage west in search of other lands. The island was left unvisited by the Europeans for 15 years.
On August 12, 1508 Juan Ponce de Leon, a soldier who had traveled with Columbus in 1493, invaded Puerto Rico with a small army of soldiers and became Puerto Rico's first governor. The first town established was Caparra, located near the south shore of what is today the San Juan Bay.
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