1475-1519

Spanish Conquistador

Vasco Núñez de Balboa was a Spanish conquistador who explored Central America, was the first to establish a permanent settlement in Central America, and was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean.

Balboa was a descendent of the Galician family of nobles in Castile; he began his life at Jerez de los Caballeros in the province of Estremadura. He grew up in a time when many from his social class were sailing to the New World to seek their fortune; he set out on his own in 1500. He sailed to present-day Colombia with Rodrigo de Bastidas (b. 1460?) but eventually moved to Hispaniola (present-day Haiti) to try his hand at pioneer farming. Unfortunately, Balboa experienced financial troubles, and in an effort to evade his creditors, he stowed away in a provisions cask...