Spanish Conqueror of the
Chibcha civilization of Columbia
Born: c. 1509
Died: 1579
In 1536 Quesado headed
an expedition to search for the legendary riches of El Dorado. They
traveled up the Magdalena river, and in 1537, after much hardship,
Quesada conquered the Chibcha Indians and called their newly
acquired territory ‘New Granada’. Though he did collect some gold
and Emeralds, he did not come across any great riches or wealth from
the area, compared to that found previously in Mexico and Peru. He
founded Santa Fe de Bogota, which later became the capital of
Columbia. After a dispute with Sebastian de Belalcazar and Nikolaus
Federman in 1539, all three were denied the governorship of New
Granada.
In 1569, still in search of the fabled city of El Dorado, Quesada
found the Guaviare River during an otherwise worthless mission to
explore the upper Orinoco River.
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In 1536 Quesado headed
an expedition to search for the legendary riches of El Dorado. They
traveled up the Magdalena river, and in 1537, after much hardship,
Quesada conquered the Chibcha Indians and called their newly
acquired territory ‘New Granada’. Though he did collect some gold
and Emeralds, he did not come across any great riches or wealth from
the area, compared to that found previously in Mexico and Peru. He
founded Santa Fe de Bogota, which later became the capital of
Columbia. After a dispute with Sebastian de Belalcazar and Nikolaus
Federman in 1539, all three were denied the governorship of New
Granada.
