Who Is Vasco N Ez De Balboa

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Question: Who is Vasco Núñez de Balboa? Please give a quick overview (around 3-5

paragraphs will do) of his early life, major contributions to explorations and history in general.

Vasco Nuñez de Balboa was a Spanish conqueror who participated in the conquest campaigns

in the American territory in 1501 along Rodrigo de Bastidas. They reached the Caribbean

islands (along with Santa Marta, the Gulf of Uraba and Cartagena) in what is now Colombia.

He was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean in 1513 when he went through the

mountains in the isthmus of Panama after hearing some indigenous people talking about a

great extension of water beyond the mountains that were said to be bathed in gold and silver.

He named the Pacific Ocean as The South Sea. He was involved in several fights and

conspiracies that were in the air between different Spanish conquerors in order to obtain more

lands, titles and wealth from the American conquered lands.

In 1508, Alonso de Ojeda and Diego de Nicuesa created 2 new territories conquered by the

Spanish crown: New Andalucia and Castilla de Oro. As mentioned before, he was involved in

several scandals, one of them led him to embark as a stowaway as he ran from some creditors

in the Santo Domingo islands and went to new Andalucía to join the forces of Francisco

Pizarro.

After he arrived to New Andalucia he became very popular between his peers because of his

knowledge of the land and how to get around. In 1510 he founded the first permanent

establishment in American land called: Santa Maria of Antigua of Darien. He was elected

major of this territory and invited other people to join him in the territory, but this was

considered as an interference in power by another conqueror called Nicuesa who tried to

remove him from power declaring a battle against Nuñes de Balboa. Nicuesa was unsuccessful

and punished for his treason.

In 1511, Balboa was named governor and that was the year he discovered the Pacific Ocean,

one of the most important moments in the Spanish conquest of American territory, he became

the governor of Panama and Coiba for some years, leaving a conqueror called Pedrairas in

charge of his settlement and in 1513 started exploring the Pacific Coast with the idea of reaching

Peru. He had to return to Spain when he heard some news about how his father in law was in

trouble, upon his arrival in Spain he was accused of treason by Pedrarias and, with the help of

Francisco Pizarro, presented false proof. Núñez de Balboa was judged and condemned to

death by decapitation for those imaginary crimes presented by Pedrairas and Pizarro in 1519.

Works Used:

Ash, M. (1991). Vasco Nunez De Balboa (The World's Great Explorers). Scholastic Library

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Question: Who is Vasco Núñez de Balboa? Please give a quick overview (around 3-5 paragraphs will do) of his early life, major contributions to explorations and history in general. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa was a Spanish conqueror who participated in the conquest campaigns in the American territory in ...
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