He then convinced the remaining colonists to move to the western side of the Gulf of Uraba. Once he arrived at the settlement, Balboa discovered that most of the colonists had been killed by nearby ingenious people. While there, he got into debt and fled, hiding away on a ship headed for the fledgling colony of San Sebastian. After exploring the coast of present-day Colombia, Balboa stayed on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Early Life and Explorationīorn in 1475 in Jerez de los Caballeros, in the province of Extremadura in Castile, Spain, Balboa went on to become the first European to see the Pacific Ocean.Īt a time when many people in Spain were seeking their fortunes in the New World, Balboa joined an expedition to South America. Ávila, reportedly jealous of Balboa, had him beheaded for treason in 1519. In 1513, he led the first European expedition to the Pacific Ocean, but news of the discovery arrived after the king had sent Pedro Arias de Ávila to serve as the new governor of Darién.
(1475-1519) Who Was Vasco Núñez de Balboa?Įxplorer and conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa helped establish the town of Darién on the Isthmus of Panama, becoming interim governor.
