On the Bridge of the Lions spanning the Portugués River are two sculptures. This one is named El Leon Joven (The Young Lion) representing the city’s glorious future. Since 1844, Ponce’s coat of arms has displayed a lion standing on a bridge. The symbol is a tribute to Juan Ponce de León y Loayza. His grandfather was a Spanish conquistador who landed in the region with Christopher Columbus in 1493. In 1508, Juan Ponce de León became the first governor of San Juan Bautista (present day Puerto Rico) while mining its gold.
