What was vasco nunez de balboa looking for

In , while leading an expedition in search of gold, he sighted the Pacific Ocean. Balboa claimed the ocean and all of its shores for Spain, opening the way for later Spanish exploration and conquest along the western coast of South America. Balboa was born in in Jerez de los Caballeros, a town in the impoverished Extremadura region of Spain. His father was believed to be a nobleman, but the family was not wealthy; like many of his class, Balboa decided to seek his fortune in the New World.

Around , he joined a Spanish expedition that explored the coast of present-day Colombia, then returned to the island of Hispaniola present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic and sought to make his living as a farmer.

The colony had been largely abandoned by the time they arrived, after local natives killed many of the colonists. Under his authority, the Spaniards dealt harshly with native inhabitants of the region in order to get gold and other riches; from some of these Indians, they learned that a wealthy empire lay to the south possibly a reference to the Incas.

In September , Balboa led an expedition of some Spaniards and a number of Indians southward across the Isthmus of Panama. He also reluctantly gave him permission to mount another expedition to explore and conquer the Mar del Sur and its surrounding lands.

Balboa began these explorations in , after having a fleet of ships painstakingly built and transported in pieces over the mountains to the Pacific. Suspecting Balboa would speak against him, and fearing his influence and popularity, Pedrarias summoned the explorer home and had him arrested and tried for rebellion and high treason, among other charges.

He was beheaded, along with four alleged accomplices, in But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. He was born in in a poor region of Spain known as Extremadura, which was also the home of conquistadors Hernan Cortes, Francisco Pizarro, Hernando de Soto, and Francisco de Orellana.

Sometime around the year , Balboa joined a Spanish expedition to what is now Colombia. After returning to the island of Hispaniola which is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic , he attempted to raise pigs but was unsuccessful and accrued significant debt. In , he, along with his dog, Leoncico, stowed away on a supply boat headed for the San Sebastian colony, on the coast of Colombia, in an attempt to escape his creditors.

Balboa arrived and found the colony almost abandoned because most of the colonists had been killed by natives. Balboa suggested they move to the western side of the isthmus of Panama, where the natives were more peaceful and the soil was more fertile.

Upon their arrival on the isthmus, however, native warriors engaged them in battle. In , Balboa led an expedition to search for gold across the isthmus of Panama, based on information obtained from local natives. Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquests of Central America and Peru and discovered the Mississippi River.

Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was commissioned by the Portuguese king to find a maritime route to the East.

He was the first person to sail directly from Europe to India. Sometimes called the father of modern art, Spanish artist Francisco de Goya painted royal portraits as well as more subversive works in late s and early s. Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes created one of the world's greatest literary masterpieces, 'Don Quixote,' in the early s. Olivia Rodrigo —.