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Founding of Santa María la Antigua del Darién (1510)

Type Event Region Central America Time 1510

In 1510, Balboa founded Santa María la Antigua del Darién in present-day Darién, Panama, the first permanent European settlement on the mainland of t…

Timeline

  1. 1509–1510Isthmus of Darién · Darién ProvinceBalboa led his men through the Darién jungle, breaking free from the control of Enciso and Arias, and selected a defensible river mouth along the Gulf of Urabá to prepare for founding the town.
  2. 1510Santa María la Antigua del Darién · Darién ProvinceThe colonists named the new town after the Virgin Mary, built a church, plaza, and fortifications, and used it as a base to collect tribute from inland indigenous tribes and expand their sphere of influence.

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