Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Vasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who is best known for being the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the New World. He was also the founder of the first permanent European settlement on the mainland of the Americas, Santa María la Antigua del Darién, and the governor of Panama. Balboa was born around 1475 in Jerez de los Caballeros, a town in the province of Extremadura, Spain. He came from a noble but impoverished family and served as a page and squire to Don Pedro de Portocarrero, lord of Moguer. In 1500, he joined Rodrigo de Bastidas on an expedition to explore the Caribbean coast of South America, from Panama to Colombia. He settled in Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) but failed as a farmer and became indebted. In 1510, he escaped his creditors by hiding as a stowaway on a ship that was sent to aid Alonso de Ojeda, who had founded a colony on the coast of Urabá (now Colombia). The ship arrived at Ojeda's colony, but found it abandoned and under attack by the local Indians. Balboa suggested that they move to the other side of the Gulf of Urabá, where he had seen a more favorable site for a settlement. There, they founded Santa María la Antigua del Darién, the first stable European colony on the mainland. Balboa soon became the leader of the colony, after deposing Martín Fernández de Enciso, Ojeda's second in command. He established friendly relations with some of the native tribes and obtained gold and slaves from them. He also explored the surrounding region and heard rumors of a great sea and rich kingdoms to the south. In 1511, he received royal orders that named him interim governor and captain general of Darién. In 1513, Balboa decided to pursue his ambition of finding the sea that he believed lay beyond the mountains of Panama. He gathered a force of about 190 Spaniards and several hundred Indian allies and set out from Darién in September. After a difficult journey through dense forests and steep slopes, he reached a summit on September 25 (or 27) and became the first European to behold the Pacific Ocean from the New World. He named it Mar del Sur (South Sea) and claimed it and all its shores for Spain. Balboa then descended to the coast and reached the bay of San Miguel (now Gulf of Panama). He sailed along the coast for some distance and encountered several Indian villages and pearls. He also learned of another sea to the north (the Caribbean Sea) and a powerful empire to the south (the Inca Empire). He returned to Darién in January 1514 with much wealth and fame. Balboa's discovery aroused great interest in Spain and Europe. He was rewarded by King Ferdinand II with the title of adelantado (governor) of the South Sea and governor of Panama. He also received permission to continue his explorations and conquests along the Pacific coast. However, Balboa's success also aroused jealousy and hostility from his rivals, especially Pedro Arias Dávila (known as Pedrarias), who had been appointed governor of Darién in 1514. Pedrarias arrived in Darién in June 1514 with a large force of men and supplies. He soon clashed with Balboa over authority and policy. Pedrarias tried to undermine Balboa's achievements and accused him of treason and rebellion. In 1516, Pedrarias agreed to marry his daughter María to Balboa, in an attempt to reconcile with him. He also allowed Balboa to resume his expedition to the Pacific coast. Balboa set out in 1518 with four ships and 300 men, but was delayed by storms and shipwrecks. He managed to reach the Pearl Islands (now Las Perlas Archipelago) and established a settlement there. Meanwhile, Pedrarias had moved the capital of Panama from Darién to a new site on the Pacific coast, near the mouth of the Chagres River. He also received orders from the king to arrest Balboa and send him back to Spain for trial. Pedrarias summoned Balboa back to Panama and had him arrested and tried for treason and other charges. The trial was biased and unfair, and Balboa was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was beheaded, along with four of his alleged accomplices, in January 1519. Balboa's death was a tragic end to a remarkable career. He was one of the most daring and visionary explorers of his time. He opened the way for the exploration and colonization of the Pacific coast of the Americas, and paved the way for the discovery of Peru and the circumnavigation of the world by Ferdinand Magellan.