Fountain of Youth

A depiction of the Fountain on the Mao Kun map from Pirates of the Caribbean

**The Fountain of Youth** is a legendary structure from real-world history and mythology. In the Jungle Cruise's lore, there are multiple asserted fountains of youth across the world.

## Description

The Fountain of Youth is a water-source which can grant (alleged) eternal life with everlasting youth. The fountain was most famously sought after by Spanish colonist Juan Ponce de Léon in the early 16th century.

### Asserted fountains

* **Caribbean**: An unidentified island in the Caribbean held a mystical stone grotto which contained a naturally occurring fountain of youth. This fountain worked by having two individuals drink from specific silver chalices containing with one containing the tear of a mermaid so that whoever drank the mermaid tear would absorb the years of the other who was killed. The fountain was destroyed by the Spanish Empire around 1730.
* **La Florida**: Florida is the most commonly asserted site for the Fountain of Youth, having been searched by colonist Ponce de Léon.
	+ **St. Augustine**: This was a tourist-trap which claimed to be the site where Ponce de Léon searched for the fountain of youth.
* **Temple of the Crystal Skull**: This temple in the Lost River Delta of Cusco, Peru contained a fountain connected to the, "Crystal Skull" spirit of the temple.
* **Temple of the Forbidden Eye**: The Temple of the Forbidden Eye in the Lost Delta of India contained, the, "**Fountain of Eternal Youth**" which was one of three gifts of the goddess Mara.

## Jungle Cruise appearances

### Attractions

#### Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye

One of the three Chambers of Destiny contains a fountain of youth created by Mara. There are depictions of the fountain in the architecture throughout the queue. In the Eye on the Globe newsreel, a Hollywood actress is shown having been turned young again by the fountain of eternal youth.

#### Skipper Canteen

One of the books in the Skipper Canteen is titled *The Fountain of Youth* by Diego, alluding to the historic rival of Ponce de Léon, Diego Colón. There is another book by Paco titled *The Chamber of Purity*, referencing the structure of the Temple of the Crystal Skull which held the fountain of youth.

#### Trader Sam's

One of the drinks in this bar is called, "La Florida" and has a description which suggests the ancient Trader Sam might have found the fountain. In *Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar*, Sam is also referenced as having been famililar with Captain Jack Sparrow, Blackbeard and Angelica Teach who were all invovled with the Caribbean's fountain.

### Film

#### Jungle Cruise

On his charlatanized Jungle Cruise tours in Porto Velho, Frank Wolff attributes the Fountain of Youth as being a sought after feature of South America resulting in the explorers' skeletons in the Amazon.

### Other connections

#### Indiana Jones

The Fountain of Youth is a recurring motif in this franchise. Jones sought after the fountain in 1931 within the Temple of the Crystal Skull, in 1936 on the Lost Delta Archaeological Expedition, in 1938 Florida with Jock Lindsey, and by 1933 believed it to be a, "Universal myth".

#### Pirates of the Caribbean

The Fountain of Youth of, "La Florida" was on the Mao Kun Map which Captain Jack Sparrow stole from Barbossa and set out for. The film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides revolved around Jack, Blackbeard, the Spanish Empire and Barbossa competing for the fountain of youth on a Caribbean island. Ultimately, the fountain was destroyed with Angelica Teach taking on the years while her father Blackbeard was killed by drinking from the wrong chalice.

## Other appearances

### Castaway Cay

In the backstory of this resort, "Doc" E'Lan Vital came to the island on a failed mission to find the Fountain of Youth in the Caribbean.

## Trivia

* Ponce de Léon's corpse on the Caribbean island of the Fountain of Youth imitates the captain of the Wicked Wench from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. This pose is also imitated by one of the chimpanzees in Disneyland's Jungle Cruise.
* Due to its connection to the Crystal Skull, the Peruvian fountain might be connected to the interdimensional beings from *Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull*.

## Gallery

The Caribbean fountainA mural depicting Mara's Fountain of Eternal Youth
## References

1. ↑ https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/disney-trader-sams-menu-christmas-1903061121