Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1474–January 15, 1519) was
a
Spanish explorer,
governor, and
conquistador.
He is best known for
having crossed the Isthmus of
Panama to the Pacific
Ocean
in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an
expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World.
He
traveled to the New World in 1500 and,
after some exploration, settled on the island of Hispaniola
. He founded the settlement of Santa María la
Antigua del Darién in present-day Colombia
in 1510,
which was the first permanent European
settlement on the mainland of the Americas
(a settlement by Alonso de Ojeda the
previous year at San
Sebastián de Urabá had already been abandoned).
Early life
Balboa was
born in Jerez de los
Caballeros
in Badajoz
, Spain
.
He was a
descendant of the lords of the castle of Balboa, near Villafranca de
los Barros
, in Badajoz; his father
was the hidalgo
(nobleman) Nuño Arias de Balboa, and his mother was a beautiful
lady of Badajoz, which is located in southwestern Spain.
Nothing much is known of his early childhood except that he was the
third of four boys in his family.
During his adolescence, he served as a
page and squire
to Don Pedro de Portocarrero, lord of
Moguer
Early career
In 1500, motivated by his master after the news of
Christopher Columbus' voyages to the
New World became known, he decided to
embark on his first voyage to the
Americas,
along with
Juan de la Cosa, on
Rodrigo de Bastidas' expedition.
Bastidas had a license to bring back treasure for the king and
queen, while keeping four-fifths for himself, under a policy known
as the
Quinto Real, or "royal fifth."
In 1501,
he crossed the Caribbean
coasts from the east of Panama
, along the
Colombian coast, through the Gulf of Urabá toward Cabo de la
Vela
. The expedition continued to explore the north
east of South America, until they realized they did not have enough
men and sailed to Hispaniola.With his share of the earnings from this
campaign, Balboa settled in Hispaniola in 1505, where he resided
for several years as a planter and pig farmer. However, he was not
successful in this enterprise and ended up in debt. Finally, he was
forced to abandon life on the island.
In 1508, the
king of Spain,
Ferdinand II "The Catholic",
launched the
conquest of
Tierra Firme (the area roughly corresponding to
the
Isthmus of Panama).
He created
two new territories in the region between El Cabo de la
Vela (near the eastern border of Colombia) and El
Cabo de
Gracias a Dios
(the border between Honduras
and Nicaragua
). The Gulf of Urabá became the border
between the two territories:
Nueva
Andalucía to the east, governed by
Alonso de Ojeda, and
Veragua to the west, governed by [[Diego de
Nicuesa.
In 1509,
wishing to escape his creditors in Santo Domingo
, Balboa set sail as a stowaway, hiding inside a barrel together with his
dog Leoncico, in the expedition commanded by the
Alcalde Mayor of Nueva Andalucía, Martín Fernández de
Enciso, whose mission it was to aid Alonso de Ojeda, his
superior. De Ojeda, together with seventy men, had
founded the settlement of San Sebastián de Urabá in
Nueva Andalucía, on the location where the city of Cartagena de
Indias
would later be built. However, the settlers
encountered numerous warlike natives living in the area, who used
poisoned weapons, and de Ojeda was injured in the leg. A short time
later, de Ojeda sailed for Hispaniola, leaving the colony under the
supervision of
Francisco Pizarro,
who, at that time, was only a soldier waiting for Enciso's
expedition to arrive. De Ojeda asked Pizarro to leave some men in
the settlement for fifty days and, if no help arrived at the end of
that time, to use all possible means to get back to
Hispaniola.
Before the expedition arrived at San Sebastián de Urabá, Fernández
de Enciso discovered Balboa aboard the ship, and threatened to
leave him at the first uninhabited island they encountered; he
later thought better of this and decided that Balboa's knowledge of
that region, which he had explored eight years before, would be of
great utility. This, in addition to the crew's pleas for his life,
left Fernández de Enciso with no choice but to spare Balboa and
keep him aboard. Moreover, both agreed on removing de Nicuesa as
governor of Veragua.
After the fifty days had passed, Pizarro started preparations for
the return to Hispaniola, when Enciso's ship arrived. Balboa had
gained popularity among the crew because of his charisma and his
knowledge of the region. By contrast Fernández de Enciso was not
well liked by the men: many disapproved of his order to return to
San Sebastián, especially after discovering, once they had arrived,
that the settlement had been completely destroyed and that the
natives were already waiting for them, leading to a series of
relentless attacks.
The founding of Santa María
Balboa
suggested that the settlement of San Sebastián be moved to the
region of Darién
, to the west of the Gulf of Mexico, where the soil
was more fertile and the natives less warlike. Fernández de
Enciso gave serious consideration to this suggestion, and the
regiment later went to Darién, where the native
cacique (chieftain) Cémaco had 500 warriors
waiting, ready for battle.
The Spanish, fearful of the large number of
enemy combatants, made a vow to the Virgen de la Antigua,
venerated in Seville
, that they would name a settlement in the region
after her should they prevail. It was a difficult battle for
both sides, but, by a stroke of luck, the Spanish came out
victorious.
Cémaco, together with his warriors, abandoned the town and headed
for the jungle. The Spanish plundered the houses and gathered a
treasure-trove of golden ornaments. Balboa kept his vow, and, in
September 1510, founded the first permanent settlement on mainland
American soil, and called it
Santa María la
Antigua del Darién.
Mayor of Santa María
The victory of the Spanish over the natives and the founding of
Santa María la Antigua del Darién, now located in a relatively calm
region, earned Balboa authority and respect among his companions.
They were increasingly hostile towards Alcalde Mayor Fernández de
Enciso, whom they considered a greedy despot because of the
restrictions he imposed on their appropriation of the natives'
gold.
Balboa took advantage of the situation, acting as the spokesman for
the disgruntled settlers. He removed Fernández de Enciso from the
position of
alcalde mayor, using the following legal
manoeuvre: de Enciso was now controlling an area in Veragua, to the
west of the Gulf of Urabá; since he was substituting for Alonso de
Ojeda, his mandate was illegitimate, because the governor of
Veragua was Diego de Nicuesa, not de Ojeda; therefore, Fernández de
Enciso should be deposed and arrested. After de Enciso's
ouster, a more open government was
established and a municipal council was elected (the first in the
Americas). Two
alcaldes were appointed: Martín Samudio and
Vasco Núñez de Balboa.
Shortly after this, a
flotilla led by
Rodrigo Enrique de Colmenares arrived in Santa María. His objective
was to find de Nicuesa, who was also facing some difficulties in
the north of Panamá. When de Colmenares learned about the recent
events, he convinced the town's settlers that they should submit to
the authority of de Nicuesa, since their land was under his
jurisdiction. Enrique de Colmenares invited two representatives, to
be named by the local government, to travel with his flotilla and
offer de Nicuesa authority over the city. The two representatives
were Diego de Albites and Diego del Corral.
Governor of Veragua
Enrique
de Colmenares found de Nicuesa near the town of Nombre de
Dios
, badly wounded and with few men remaining, on
account of a skirmish with local natives. After his rescue,
Governor de Nicuesa heard about Balboa's exploits, the chieftain
Cémaco's bounty, and Santa María's prosperity. He vowed that he
would punish Balboa as soon as he gained control of the city, since
he regarded his actions as a challenge to his authority in
Veragua.
A certain
Lope de Olano, who was
jailed together with other malcontents, persuaded Santa María's
representatives that they would make a serious error in handing
control over to de Nicuesa, whom he described as cruel, greedy, and
able to singlehandedly destroy the city's prosperity. With this
evidence, de Albites and del Corral fled to Darién ahead of de
Nicuesa and informed Balboa and the municipal authorities of the
governor's intentions.
When de Nicuesa arrived at the city's port, a mob appeared, and the
ensuing disturbance prevented the governor from disembarking into
the city. De Nicuesa insisted on being received, no longer as
governor, but as a simple soldier, but still the colonists did not
allow him to disembark. He and 17 others were forced to board an
unseaworthy boat with few supplies, and were put out to sea on
March 1 1511. The ship disappeared, leaving
no trace of de Nicuesa and his men. In this way, Balboa became
governor (
gobernador ) of Veragua.
Conquistador
[[Image:Balboamurder.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Balboa setting his dogs
upon
Indianpractitioners of
homosexuality (1594) engraving
from the New York
Public Library
]]With the title of governor came absolute
authority in Santa María and all of Veragua. One of Balboa's first
acts as governor was the trial of Fernández de Enciso, accused of
usurping the governor's authority. De Enciso was sentenced to
prison and his possessions were confiscated. However, he was to
remain imprisoned only for a short time: Balboa set him free under
the condition that he return immediately to Hispaniola and from
there to Spain. With him on the same ship were two representatives
from Balboa, who were to inform the colonial authorities of the
situation, and request more men and supplies to continue the
conquest of Veragua.
Balboa continued defeating various tribes and befriending others,
exploring rivers, mountains, and sickly swamps, while always
searching for gold and
slaves and enlarging
his territory. He was also able to quell revolts among those of his
men who challenged this authority, and, through force, diplomacy,
and negotiation, he earned a certain respect and fear among the
natives. In a letter addressed to the King of Spain, he expressed,
somewhat ironically, that he had to act as a guide and even open
roads by his own hand.
He succeeded in planting
corn, received fresh
supplies from Hispaniola and Spain, and got his men used to life as
explorers in the new territories. Balboa managed to collect a great
deal of gold, much of it from the ornaments worn by the native
women, and the rest obtained by violence. In 1513, he wrote a
lengthy letter to the King of Spain, requesting more men (who were
already acclimatized) from Hispaniola, weapons, supplies,
carpenters versed in shipbuilding, and all the necessary materials
for the building of a
shipyard. In a
subsequent letter, from 1515, he would refer to his humanitarian
policies regarding the natives, while at the same time recommending
extreme severity in dealing with
cannibals and violent tribes.
At the end of 1512 and the first months of 1513, he arrived in a
region dominated by the
cacique Careta,
whom he easily defeated and then befriended. Careta was
baptized and became one of Balboa's chief allies; he
ensured the survival of the settlers by promising to supply the
Spaniards with food. Balboa then proceeded on his journey, arriving
in the lands of Careta's neighbour and rival,
cacique
Ponca, who fled to the mountains with his people, leaving his
village open to the plundering of the Spaniards and Careta's men.
Days later, the expedition arrived in the lands of
cacique
Comagre, fertile but reportedly dangerous terrain. However, Balboa
was received peacefully and even invited to a feast in his honor;
Comagre, like Careta, was then baptized.
When Balboa first saw the
Quarequas many of
them were engaging in homosexual acts. An enraged Balboa had them
killed by his dogs.
Peter
Martyr reported the following about the encounter:
"Vasco discovered that the village of Quarequa was stained by
the foulest vice. The king's brothers and a number of
other courtiers were dressed as women, and according to the
accounts of the neighbours shared the same passion. Vasco
ordered forty of them to be torn to pieces by dogs. The
Spaniards commonly used their dogs in fighting against naked
people, and the dogs threw themselves upon them as though they were
wild boars or timid deer. The Spaniards found these
animals as ready to share their dangers as did the people of
Colophon or Bastabara, who trained cohorts of dogs for war; for the
dogs were always in the lead and never shirked a fight."
(
The Discoverers by
Daniel Boorstin. Pg. 257)
Balboa's travel route to the South
Sea, 1513
It was in Comagre's lands that Balboa first heard of "the other
sea." It started with a squabble among the Spaniards, unsatisfied
by the meager amounts of gold they were being allotted. Comagre's
eldest son, Panquiaco, angered by the Spaniards' avarice, knocked
over the scales used to measure gold and exclaimed: "If you are so
hungry for gold that you leave your lands to cause strife in those
of others, I shall show you a province where you can quell this
hunger". Panquiaco told them of a kingdom to the south, where
people were so rich that they ate and drank from plates and goblets
made of gold, but that the conquerors would need at least a
thousand men to defeat the tribes living inland and those on the
coast of "the other sea".
Discovery of the South Sea
The unexpected news of a new sea, rich in gold, was received by
Balboa with great interest. He returned to Santa María at the
beginning of 1513 to recruit more men from Hispaniola. It was there
that he learned that Fernández de Enciso had told the colonial
authorities what had happened at Santa María. After seeing that
there would be no assistance from Hispaniola, Balboa sent Enrique
de Colmenares directly to Spain to look for help.
While the expedition to the South Sea was being organized in Santa
María, some
conquistadores travelled ten leagues (around
30 miles) up the
Atrato River toward
the interior, but came back empty-handed. Balboa's request for men
and supplies had been denied: Enciso's case was by then widely
known in the
Spanish court.
Therefore, Balboa had no choice but to carry out his expedition
with the few resources that he had on hand in Santa María.
Balboa claiming possession of the
South Sea
Using information given by various friendly
caciques,
Balboa started his journey across the
Isthmus of Panama on
September 1, 1513, together with 190 Spaniards,
a few native guides, and a pack of dogs. Using a small
brigantine and ten native
canoes, they sailed along the coast and made landfall
in
cacique Careta's territory. On
September 6, the expedition continued, now
reinforced with 1,000 of Careta's men, and entered
cacique
Ponca's land. Ponca had reorganized and attacked, but he was
defeated and forced to ally himself with Balboa. After a few days,
and with several of Ponca's men, the expedition entered the dense
jungle on
September 20, and, with some
difficulty, arrived four days later in the lands of
cacique Torecha, who ruled in the village of Cuarecuá. In
this village, a fierce battle took place, during which Torecha was
defeated and killed in battle. His followers decided to join the
expedition. However, the group was by then exhausted and several
men were badly wounded, so many decided to stay in Cuarecuá to
regain their strength.
The few men that continued the journey with Balboa entered the
mountain range along the
Chucunaque
River the next day. According to information from the natives,
the South Sea could be seen from the summit of this range. Balboa
went ahead and, before noon that day,
September 25, he reached the summit and saw,
far away in the horizon, the waters of the undiscovered sea. The
emotions were such that the others eagerly joined in to show their
joy at Balboa's discovery. Andrés de Vera, the expedition's
chaplain, intoned the
Te Deum,
while the men erected stone pyramids, and engraved crosses on the
barks of trees with their swords, to mark the place where the
discovery of the South Sea was made.
Possession and conquest of the South Sea
After the epic moment of discovery, the expedition descended from
the mountain range towards the sea, arriving in the lands of
cacique Chiapes, who was defeated after a brief battle and
invited to join the expedition. From Chiapes' land, three groups
departed in the search for routes to the coast. The group headed by
Alonso Martín reached the shoreline two days later. They took a
canoe for a short reconnaissance trip, thus becoming the first
Europeans to navigate the Pacific Ocean. Back in Chiapes' domain,
Martín informed Balboa, who, with 26 men, marched towards the
coast. Once there, Balboa raised his hands, his sword in one and a
standard with the image of the Virgin Mary in the other, walked
knee-deep into the ocean, and claimed possession of the new sea and
all adjoining lands in the name of the Spanish sovereigns.
After traveling more than , Balboa named the bay where they ended
up
San Miguel, because
they arrived on September 29, the feast day of the
archangel Michael. He named the new sea
Mar del Sur, since they had
traveled south to reach it.
Balboa's main purpose in the expedition was the search for the
gold-rich kingdoms promised by Panquiaco. To this end, he crossed
through the lands of
caciques Coquera and Tumaco,
defeating them easily and taking their riches of gold and
pearls. He then learned that pearls were abundant in
the islands ruled by Terarequí, a powerful and feared
cacique. Balboa set out in several canoes towards these
islands, even though it was the beginning of October and the
weather conditions were not favorable.
He was barely able to
make out the islands, and named the largest one Isla Rica
(Rich Island, today known as Isla del Rey
). He named the entire group Archipiélago de las
Perlas
, which they are still called
today.
In November, Balboa decided to return to Santa María but by a
different route in order to further expand his territory and
procure more gold. He passed through the regions of Teoca, Pacra,
Bugue Bugue, Bononaima, and Chorizo, defeating some by force and
befriending others through diplomacy. A particularly bloody battle
took place against the
cacique Tubanamá, whom Balboa
eventually defeated.
In December, the expedition arrived back in
the Caribbean coast, by the Gulf of San Blas
, a strip of land ruled by cacique
Pocorosa. From there, he headed to the lands of Comagre, to
find that his elderly ally had died. His son, Panquiaco, was now
the new chieftain.
From there, he crossed the lands of Ponca and Careta, to finally
arrive in Santa María on January 19, 1514, with a treasure in
cotton goods, more than 100,000
castellanos worth of gold,
to say nothing of the pearls. All this, however, did not compare to
the magnitude of the discovery of the South Sea on behalf of Spain.
Balboa commanded Pedro de Arbolancha to set sail for Spain with
news of this discovery. He also sent one fifth of the treasure to
the king, as the law required.
Disputes with Pedro Arias
The accusations of Fernández de Enciso, whom Balboa had deposed,
and the removal and disappearance of Governor de Ojeda, forced the
king to name
Pedro Arias de
Ávila as governor of the newly created province of
Castilla de Oro. Arias, better known as
Pedrarias Dávila and who would later become notorious for
his cruelty, took control of Veragua and managed to calm the
situation. Pedrarias arrived from
Arbolancha, Spain with an expedition of 1,500 men
and 17 ships, thereby ensuring that Balboa's requests to the crown
for more men and supplies were met. This would be to that date the
largest and most complete expedition to leave Spain for the
New World.
Pedrarias was accompanied on this expedition by
Gaspar de Espinosa, who held the office
of
alcalde mayor; the very same Martín Fernández de Enciso
whom Balboa had forced into exile, now as Chief Constable
(
Alguacil Mayor) ; the royal officer and chronicler
Gonzalo Fernández de
Oviedo; as well as several captains, among them
Juan de Ayora, Pedrarias' lieutenant. There
were also several clerics, most notably the
Franciscan friar Juan de Quevedo, appointed
bishop of Santa María. There were also women among
the travellers, among them Isabel de Bobadilla, Pedrarias' wife.
More than 500 men died from starvation or due to the inclemencies
of the weather soon after reaching Darién. Fernández de Oviedo was
to note that
knights covered in silk and
brocade, who distinguished themselves valiantly in the
Italian Wars, would die, consumed by hunger and
fever, due to the nature of the tropical jungle.
Balboa received Pedrarias and his representatives in July 1514 and
accepted resignedly his replacement as governor and mayor. The
settlers, however, did not like the change and some were planning
to take up arms against Pedrarias, even as Balboa showed respect to
the new colonial authorities.
As soon as Pedrarias took charge, Gaspar de Espinosa had Balboa
arrested and tried "in absentia", sentencing him to pay reparations
to Fernández de Enciso and others. He was, however, found innocent
of the charge of murdering de Nicuesa, so he was freed shortly
afterwards.
Due to overpopulation in Santa María, Pedrarias called on several
expeditionaries to search for new locations fit for settlement.
Balboa
requested of Pedrarias that he be allowed to explore the Dabaibe
region, along the Atrato
river, for
there was a rumour of the existence of a temple filled with vast
riches there. However, this expedition turned out to be a
failure, leaving Balboa wounded due to constant attacks by the
region's natives.
This setback, however, did not deter Balboa's ambitions of
returning to explore the South Sea.
Secretly, he arranged to recruit a
contingent of men from Cuba
. The
ship carrying them berthed just outside Santa María, and its
caretaker informed Balboa of their arrival, receiving in return 70
gold castellanos. Pedrarias, however, soon found out about the
ship; furious, he had Balboa arrested, took away all his men and
was planning to lock him up in a wooden cage. He was held back from
doing this by Bishop de Quevedo, who appealed to him not to abuse
his power on Balboa.
Luckily for Balboa, around that time the Spanish Crown would
finally recognize his valuable services.
The king bestowed on
him the titles of "Adelantado of
the South Seas" and "Gobernador of Panama and Coiba
". On
top of this, the King instructed Pedrarias to show Balboa the
greatest respect and to consult him on all matters pertaining the
conquest and government of Castilla de Oro. Because of all this,
Pedrarias was to release and exonerate Balboa, lifting all charges
brought up against him in the matter of the clandestine recruitment
of an expeditionary party.
Downfall and death
At that point, rivalry between Balboa and Pedrarias ceased
abruptly, due in large part to the intercession of Bishop de
Quevedo and Isabel de Bobadilla, who arranged for Balboa's marriage
to María de Peñalosa, one of Pedrarias' daughters, who was in
Spain. The marriage took place, and shortly thereafter, the bishop
left for Spain. The friendship between Pedrarias and Balboa lasted
barely two years, but in that time Balboa came to show great
filial affection toward his
father-in-law.
Balboa wished to continue exploring the South Sea, but Pedrarias
did everything possible to delay his departure. However, in light
of the new relationship between them, Pedrarias could not stop him
indefinitely, and he finally consented to let Balboa go on his new
expedition, giving him license to explore for a year and a
half.
in 1519, Balboa moved to
Acla with 300 men and,
using the manpower of the natives and African slaves, managed to
gather the materials necessary to fashion new ships. He traveled up
to the
Balsas river, where he
had four ships built. He travelled through the Pacific, surrounding
the Pearl Islands and the coasts of Darién, up to
Puerto
Piñas, so named because of the large amounts of pineapples
(piñas) he found there. He then returned to Acla, to
continue the construction of sturdier ships.
However, on his return, Pedrarias wrote warm letters urging Balboa
to meet him as soon as possible. Balboa quickly obeyed. Halfway to
Santa María, he encountered a group of soldiers commanded by
Francisco Pizarro, who arrested
him in the name of the governor and accused him of trying to usurp
Pedrarias' power and create a separate government in the South Sea.
Outraged, Balboa denied all charges and demanded that he be taken
to Spain to stand trial; Pedrarias, however, together with Martin
Enciso, ordered that the trial take place without delay.
Balboa's trial began in march 1519, and on the fifteenth of that
month, de Espinosa sentenced him to death by
decapitation. Four of Balboa's friends,
Fernando de Argüello, Luis Botello, Hernán Muñoz, and Andrés
Valderrábano, accused as accomplices, were sentenced to the same
fate. The sentence was to be carried out in Acla, to show that the
conspiracy had its roots in that colony.
As Balboa and his friends were being led to the block, the town
crier announced: "This is the justice that the King and his
lieutenant Pedro Arias de Ávila impose upon these men, traitors and
usurpers of the Crown's territories." Balboa could not restrain his
indignation and replied: "Lies, lies! Never have such crimes held a
place in my heart, I have always loyally served the King, with no
thought in my mind but to increase his dominions." Pedrarias
observed the execution, hidden behind a platform. The executioner
beheaded Balboa and his four friends with an axe. Balboa's head did
not come off clean on the first try; it took three. Their heads
remained in public display for several days, as a sign of
Pedrarias' might.
The final location of Balboa's remains is unknown, partly because
there is no record of what happened in Acla after the
execution.
It was Gaspar de Espinosa, Pedrarias' underling, who sailed the
South Sea aboard the very ships that Balboa had commissioned.
In 1520,
Ferdinand Magellan renamed the
sea the Pacific
Ocean because of its calm waters.
Legacy
Although Balboa suffered a premature death, his actions and deeds
are remembered by history.
Several parks and avenues throughout
Panama bear the
name "Vasco Núñez de Balboa," and a number of monuments honor his
discovery of the South Sea. The Panamanian currency is
called the
Balboa, and his
likeness appears on the obverse of some coins.
His name is also
attached to Panama
City
's main port, Balboa
(the Pacific
entrance to the Panama
Canal
) and the Balboa District within Panamá
Province
to which the Pearl Islands that he discovered belong. In San
Francisco, California
, USA, Balboa's name appears among a row of avenues
which are named after Spanish conquistadors and in a San Francisco
neighborhood Balboa Park
. There is also large park (Balboa
Park
) adjacent to downtown San Diego,
California
named after Balboa, in which there are many
world-class museums. Balboa's name is also honored in Madrid
with a
street and an underground station.
One of the highest
orders granted
by the Panamanian government to distinguished and outstanding
figures, foreign and domestic, is the
Orden Vasco Núñez de
Balboa, in various degrees, as established by Law 27 from 28
January 1933.
The
lunar crater Balboa
was named
after him
References
Notes
- Alcalde Mayor: may be translated as mayor or
chief judge—a position combining judicial, military,
civil, and police powers, that may or may not be held by a person
with legal training.
- Alcalde: judge or quasi-judicial official
- Gobernador: governor of a settled and 'pacified'
territory
- Alguacil: may be translated as constable, bailiff, or
sheriff
- Adelantado: governor of a territory that is still
possibly experiencing hostilities; a position slightly lower than
that of gobernador
External links
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