Vasco Nunez de Balboa

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 Vasco Nuñez de Balboa

 The day he died, one of the last hopes for peace between natives and Spain was gone. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa was one of the few men who befriended natives while exploring the land instead of murdering anyone in the way of gold. From his first voyage, Balboa studied native culture, so that he would gain great amounts of gold and learn of mighty civilizations and new areas for exploration. He was one of the world’s greatest explorers and this is the story of his life.

             In the late 1400’s in Spain there were two kingdoms, Aragon and Castille. When King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile married, they united them into one kingdom of Spain. Now combined, they fought the Muslim Moors who had control of much of Spain. Men were trained to fight, so that they would rid Spain of non-Christians. In 1492, the Spanish soldiers finally defeated the last Moorish stronghold and the war was over.

 Christopher Columbus was an explorer who believed he could reach China by sailing west. When he first went to the Spanish royalty they were busy fighting the Moors and rejected him. After the Moors were defeated, they reconsidered his idea and sent him on a voyage. He discovered what he called the West Indies believing he had found Asia. Actually, he had found the Americas, an entirely new continent. Now young men who had trained to fight the Moors were excited to explore and conquer new lands.

             One of these young men was Vasco Nuñez de Balboa. He was born circa 1475 in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain. His father, Don Nuño Arias de Balboa, was poor and his mother was a lady of Badajoz, Spain. Balboa was the third eldest of four boys. He was curious, brave, and honest, as well as a talented swordsman. In 1500, Don Rodrigo de Bastidas was allowed to sail to the New World and Balboa was given a spot on his crew. They sailed to the Coast of Pearls in search of pearls to sell in Europe, but encountered a problem. Tiny broma worms ate the wood in their ships, which was a huge problem for European explorers. They were forced to land on Hispaniola, an island controlled by Spain. While many men returned to Spain, Balboa stayed on Hispaniola and was given a farm. When his farm failed, he went into debt which would keep him on Hispaniola for eight years.

             At this time Alonso de Ojeda and Rodrigo de Nicuesa were allowed to explore the Gulf of Uraba. To gain more supplies Ojeda partnered with Martin Fernandez de Enciso. To escape his debts, Balboa stowed away on Enciso’s ship. When he revealed himself he was kept aboard because Enciso needed a skilled swordsman. Meanwhile, Ojeda had reached the mainland and began killing natives. When Ojeda set up a settlement called San Sebastian, the natives quickly began killing the Spanish. They dipped arrows in poison that was untreatable. The men who survived could not leave the fort without being shot. When Ojeda left for help, he left Francisco Pizarro in charge, but he soon left as well. When Enciso reached the settlement, he also was attacked, so he asked the men what to do. Balboa told them of a place where the natives did not have poison on their arrows, and they agreed to go.

             When they got there, the natives attacked but Balboa defeated them and made peace. This is how Balboa treated natives; if they were peaceful, he was friendly. On the other hand, if they fought him, he would defeat them and then make peace. Soon, Balboa and Martin de Zamudio would become co-mayors of the settlement, called Darién. Not long after, two ships commanded by Rodrigo Enriquez de Colmenares, Nicuesa’s lieutenant, landed in Darién. Colmenares was excited by the settlement and went to find Nicuesa. When Colmenares returned with Nicuesa, the men had heard of Nicusea’s poor leadership and would not let him govern the settlement. He was sent away on a ship with seventeen men. Balboa now explored his territory and made treaties with natives. One of these chiefs, Chima, would become Balboa’s close friend and gave Balboa his daughter to marry. From other chiefs he gained gold and learned about a great sea and a rich people called the Inca.

             To make sure he stayed mayor of Darién, Balboa wanted to make a great discovery or gain riches. He decided to search for the sea he had heard about from the natives. In September 1513, Balboa set out to find the ocean. Balboa traveled through swamps and forests using native guides. He was the first to do so. Finally, they reached a peak on September 25th where they first saw the ocean. Then they traveled down the mountain and made peace with a tribe ruled by Chapes. Then they continued and reached the shore. Balboa claimed the ocean for Spain and named it the South Sea. While he rested, Chapes told Balboa about islands rich in pearls and again told him about the mighty Inca of Peru. Then Balboa returned to Darién making alliances and gaining gold. When Balboa’s men returned they had more gold than anyone had ever seen.

             Pedro de Arbolancha was a spy from King Ferdinand. Since the king had heard good and bad reports, he wanted to know what Balboa was like. Arbolancha was impressed and planned to give a good report to the King. Unfortunately, no ships were ready and the king sent a new governor, Pedrarias Davila, before Arbolancha returned. Balboa was respectful to Pedrarias, but he was still arrested. Balboa was charged with Nicuesa’s death and poor leadership from Enciso. The trial ended when the king sent letters of praise to Balboa, saying,” …I am pleased with the way you behaved to the chiefs on that march, with kindness and forbearance…” (Ash pg. 113) He gave Balboa the title of Admiral of the Sea, which was only given to Columbus before him. Balboa was also given control of Panama, the South Sea, and Cuba. Still, the arriving Spaniards began killing natives and breaking Balboa’s treaties. The Indians fought back and also killed many Spanish.

             Now Balboa wanted to return to the South Sea and find the Inca of Peru. The biggest problem was having strong ships for the journey. His friend Chima told him about trees that prevented broma from eating them. Balboa had men cut trees and take them to the South Sea. Unfortunately, the broma did eat the wood, so two smaller ships had to be made. Then on the trip south a pod of whales forced them to head back. Meanwhile in Spain, King Ferdinand died, and Cardinal Ximinex temporarily ruled. Ximinex had Lope de Sosa replace Pedrarias because of Pedrarias’ bad treatment of Indians. When Balboa heard, he sent five men towards Darién to get supplies. One would go to Acla to see if Sosa arrived, and tell the others. However, the man Balboa sent was arrested by a man in Acla who informed Pedrarias. Pedrarias had managed to stay governor after Sosa died the night he arrived. Next, Pedrarias sent supplies to Acla to gain friends. Then Pedrarias asked Balboa to meet him there. Pedrarias had Francisco Pizarro arrest him and try Balboa for attempting to take over Peru and killing Nicuesa. The judge was bribed to find Balboa guilty and have him beheaded between January 10 and 20, 1519.

             Balboa has left a legacy to the area he explored. He wrote in his journal that it would be easier to travel through Panama if there was a waterway. That idea eventually became the Panama Canal which has made travel from ocean to ocean quicker. Now residents in Panama use money called a balboa named after the great explorer, and a city called Balboa is next to the Panama Canal. All these honors show how great Balboa was.







 Annotated Works Cited



<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Ash, Maureen. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa. New York: Benchmark Books, 2005.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 200%;">  This book gave me a detailed look at Balboa’s life, and accomplishments 

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Molzahn, Arlene B. Vasco Nuñez De Balboa. Chicago: Children’s Press, 1990.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 200%;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 200%;"> '' This source gave me more information on Balboa’s childhood, as well as life. ''

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Otfinoski, Steven. Vasco Nuñez de Balboa. United Kingdom: Enslow Publishers, Inc.,

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 200%;"> 2004.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 200%;"> '' This book gave me a straightforward and different view of his life. ''

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