Origins & Early Life

Vasco Núñez de Balboa (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbasko ˈnuɲeθ ðe βalˈβo.a]; c. 1475 – around January 12–21, 1519) was a Spanish explorer, governor, conquistador, adelantado, and a pirate. He is best known for being the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean while crossing the Isthmus of Panama in 1513. He traveled to the New World in 1500 and, after some exploration, settled on the island of Hispaniola.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He founded the settlement of Santa María la Antigua del Darién in present-day Colombia in 1510, which was the first permanent European settlement on the mainland of the Americas (a settlement by Alonso de Ojeda the previous year at San Sebastián de Urabá had already been abandoned). Balboa was born in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain. He was a descendant of the Lord mason of the castle of Balboa, on the borders of León and Galicia. His mother was the Lady de Badajoz, and his father was the hidalgo (nobleman) Nuño Arias de Balboa. Little is known of Vasco's early childhood except that he was the third of four boys in his family.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

During his adolescence, he served as a page and squire to Don Pedro de Portocarrero, lord of Moguer. In 1500, motivated...

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