Vasco Nunez de Balboa was born into a noble family of Spain. Even though he was a noble, his family was not very rich. Balboa went to nautical school and wanted to become an explorer like many other men of his time. On his first voyage, he joined a group of other men hoping to find and explore the New World. Balboa was able to study Colombia, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Vasco Nunez de Balboa and the other men on the voyage were unable to find gold, so they turned to farming. Unsuccessful at this, Balboa stowed away on a ship to San Sebastian to escape his creditors. When he arrived, Balboa saw the disorganization and chaos of the town and took control. He successfully established three provinces by befriending kind natives and destroying the possessions of those who would not submit to him and his officers. By establishing control, he had the natives show him the Atlantic Ocean or the famed South Sea. There, he found an abundance of pearls and claimed the sea for Spain. Pedro Arias de Avila was jealous of Vasco Nunez de Balboa's successes and power over the people. Avila charged Balboa with treason against the Spanish government and had him sent back to Spain and beheaded.
Evan Benbow
Evan Benbow