Lope de Aguirre

Timeline

1. c. 1510–1550Oñati · Basque CountryBorn in the Basque region, he arrived in Peru around the 1540s and served in the silver mines of Potosí and in campaigns against indigenous peoples. Known for his violent temper and harsh treatment of subordinates, he was repeatedly flogged and imprisoned for disciplinary offenses, yet survived the brutal environment and accumulated a small band of followers.
2. 1551–1559Lima · CoastIn the 1550s he took part in campaigns and plundering against indigenous tribes on Peru's eastern frontier, drawing official attention for his cruelty. During this period he was active around Lima and Cusco, maintaining tense relations with the colonial authorities, who regarded him as a dangerous but still usable armed man.
3. 1560–1561Amazon River basin · Peru–Brazil borderIn 1560 he joined Pedro de Orellana's expedition in search of El Dorado. Amid shortages of supplies and conflicts of authority, Aguirre launched a mutiny, successively killing Orellana and his successor, proclaiming himself king, and drifting with the remnants down the Amazon to the Atlantic, then north to Venezuela; after taking Barquisimeto in October 1561 he was suppressed and executed by Spanish forces.