Which explorer had the greatest impact? Juan Ponce de Leon because he accompanied Christopher Columbus on his 1493 voyage Ponce de León was a member of this expedition, one of 200 "gentleman volunteers." They took the second voyage to America He and his family settled on an island in the Caribbean named Hispaniola (Dominican Republic). De Leon A decade later, he was serving as governor of the eastern province of Hispaniola when he decided to explore a nearby island, which became Puerto Rico. First governor of Puerto Rico by the appointed by the crown. He was also the first Spanish explorer to explore Florida he was known as a conquistador or conquerors. Believed to be born 1460 san Tervas de compos, Spain but there are no records of it. 1506
