Exploration

Vasco Núñez de Balboa

alboa was born in 1475 in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain. At the age of 25 he visited South America's northern coast as part of a trading expedition organized by Rodrigo de Bastidas, a Spanish explorer. Thereafter, travelling to the Dominican Republic, he settled in Santo Domingo. He ran into debt when he attempted farming, and fled his creditors by joining an expedition led by Martin Fernendez de Encisco. In 1510 the expedition encamped in Darien (today known as Panama) and became the first group of Europeans to settle in the America n Mainland. Shortly hereafter, Encisco was removed from office, and in 1513 Balboa led an exploratory group to the Pacific Coast. This group became the first Europeans to reach the Pacific from the east, and Balboa consequently laid claim on the ocean and its islands as Spanish property. Due to underhand complications with the Spanish monarchs, Pedrarias Davila (a Spanish soldier) replaced Balboa as Darien's governor.

Hereafter, Balboa led numerous important missions. In 1519 Pedrarias accused him of treason, and Balboa was beheaded.