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Vasco Núñez de Balboa

Type Figure Region Europe Time 1475–1519 Also known as Balboa

Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475–1519) was a Spanish explorer and colonial official who in 1513 led his men across the Isthmus of Panama, becoming the fir…

Timeline

  1. 1475–1510Jerez de los Caballeros · ExtremaduraBorn in the Extremadura region of Spain, he fled his homeland over debts and in 1500 reached the island of Haiti, where Santo Domingo is located, as a stowaway, later participating in colonial settlement and indigenous trade around the Isthmus of Panama.
  2. 1510–1513Darién (present-day Panama–Colombia border area) · PanamaHe established the Darién settlement on the Isthmus of Panama and served as its de facto leader, organizing expeditions deep inland. On September 25, 1513 he climbed a height to gaze upon the sea to the south, confirming the discovery of a passage to the Pacific, then personally went to the coast to proclaim sovereignty.
  3. 1513–1519Acla · PanamaAfter discovering the Pacific he was appointed by the Spanish crown as governor of Antioquia, Darién and other regions, continuing to amass gold and planning a Pacific crossing. In 1517 the new governor of Panama, Pedrarias, took office and their power conflict intensified; in 1519 Balboa was arrested and executed on charges of treason.

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