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Baltasar Maldonado
Baltasar Maldonado, also written as Baltazar Maldonado, (c.1510, Salamanca, Castile – 1552, Santafé de Bogotá, New Kingdom of Granada) was a Spanish conquistador who first served under Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, and later in the army of Hernán Pérez de Quesada in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca.
In 1539, Maldonado defeated the last ruling Cacique (chieftain) of the Muisca, Saymoso (called "Tundama" by the Spaniards). Maldonado took part in a quest for El Dorado led by Hernán Pérez de Quesada in the southern regions of present-day Colombia. After this failed expedition, Maldonado went to Popayán and Cali and traveled back to Santafé de Bogotá, the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada where he died in 1552.
The adventures of Maldonado during the first half of the 16th century have been described by scholars Juan de Castellanos, and Juan Rodríguez Freyle in his work El Carnero.
Maldonado was born in Salamanca in a family of hidalgos, the son of Francisco Maldonado, who served under the Duke of Alba. He married Leonor de Carvajal y Mendoza, and the couple had four children; two sons: Alfonso Maldonado y Carvajal and Alonso Maldonado; and two daughters: María Maldonado y Carvajal and Ana Maldonado de Carvajal. The sister of Leonor de Carvajal married successively Jorge Robledo, Pedro Briceño, and president of Audiencia Francisco Briceño.
In 1535, Maldonado traveled from Spain to Santo Domingo and then to Santa Marta., accompanying Santa Marta's interim governor, Rodrigo Infante. The army of the new governor, Pedro Fernández de Lugo, arrived on January 2, 1536, and punitive expeditions against the rebel natives of the area were conducted. Maldonado then joined the expedition led by Fernandez's de Lugo lieutenant, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, whose purpose was to explore the Magdalena River and to find a land path to Peru. The expedition discovered toward the Eastern Ranges where later they encountered two other expeditions: an eastern expedition led by Nikolaus Federmann, and another one led by Sebastián de Belalcázar. Immediately after Bogotá was established (August 6, 1538), the soldiers participated in the Battle of Tocarema in late August to over-power the Panche who lived to the west of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense.
The Muisca Confederation was separated into federations: The Zipa of Bacatá (the central federation), the Zaque of Hunza (the southern federation), and the Iraca Sugamuxi in Suamox (the northern-most group). Before Fall 1537, the first two had submitted to Spanish rule: Bacatá in April 1537; and then Hunza four months later. The northernmost territories of Suamox were still controlled by the Cacique (or 'King') Tundama, whose bohío was built on an island in the lake of the settlement with the same name, today known as Duitama. Tundama was the last cacique of Duitama and the caciques of Cerinza, Chitagoto, Icabuco, Lupacoche, Sátiva, Soatá and Susacón were loyal to him. Tundama, other than the earlier caciques of the Muisca resisted heavily against the European invaders and punished one of his people who suggested to surrender by cutting off their ears and left hand. Tundama declared a "death war" against the Spanish soldiers and gathered an army of 10,000 guecha warriors.
Maldonado defeated Tundama and 4000 other Muisca in a December 1539 battle, a struggle that took two weeks, culminating in the Battle of Vargas Swamp, close to Paipa, where 280 years later the famous Battle of Vargas Swamp by Simón Bolívar would be fought. Tundama was killed by Maldonado wielding a large hammer.
The mythical city of gold El Dorado was a common legend in the early days of the conquest of what later would become Colombia; the troops of Gonzalo de Quesada were drawn from the relative safety of the Caribbean coast in Santa Marta towards the heart of the Andes, while around the same time the southern expedition led by De Belalcázar heard similar stories in Quito. After the establishment of the New Kingdom of Granada, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada left for Spain with De Belalcázar and other soldiers who participated in the conquest and left the reign of the new colony in the hands of his brother, Hernán Pérez de Quesada. Hernán organised an expedition to search for the mythical lands of gold towards the southeast of the Cundiboyacense; the vast flatlands of the Llanos Orientales. The troops left Bogotá in September 1540 and passed through Pasca, that had been founded by fellow conquistador Juan de Céspedes three years earlier.
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Baltasar Maldonado
Baltasar Maldonado, also written as Baltazar Maldonado, (c.1510, Salamanca, Castile – 1552, Santafé de Bogotá, New Kingdom of Granada) was a Spanish conquistador who first served under Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, and later in the army of Hernán Pérez de Quesada in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca.
In 1539, Maldonado defeated the last ruling Cacique (chieftain) of the Muisca, Saymoso (called "Tundama" by the Spaniards). Maldonado took part in a quest for El Dorado led by Hernán Pérez de Quesada in the southern regions of present-day Colombia. After this failed expedition, Maldonado went to Popayán and Cali and traveled back to Santafé de Bogotá, the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada where he died in 1552.
The adventures of Maldonado during the first half of the 16th century have been described by scholars Juan de Castellanos, and Juan Rodríguez Freyle in his work El Carnero.
Maldonado was born in Salamanca in a family of hidalgos, the son of Francisco Maldonado, who served under the Duke of Alba. He married Leonor de Carvajal y Mendoza, and the couple had four children; two sons: Alfonso Maldonado y Carvajal and Alonso Maldonado; and two daughters: María Maldonado y Carvajal and Ana Maldonado de Carvajal. The sister of Leonor de Carvajal married successively Jorge Robledo, Pedro Briceño, and president of Audiencia Francisco Briceño.
In 1535, Maldonado traveled from Spain to Santo Domingo and then to Santa Marta., accompanying Santa Marta's interim governor, Rodrigo Infante. The army of the new governor, Pedro Fernández de Lugo, arrived on January 2, 1536, and punitive expeditions against the rebel natives of the area were conducted. Maldonado then joined the expedition led by Fernandez's de Lugo lieutenant, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, whose purpose was to explore the Magdalena River and to find a land path to Peru. The expedition discovered toward the Eastern Ranges where later they encountered two other expeditions: an eastern expedition led by Nikolaus Federmann, and another one led by Sebastián de Belalcázar. Immediately after Bogotá was established (August 6, 1538), the soldiers participated in the Battle of Tocarema in late August to over-power the Panche who lived to the west of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense.
The Muisca Confederation was separated into federations: The Zipa of Bacatá (the central federation), the Zaque of Hunza (the southern federation), and the Iraca Sugamuxi in Suamox (the northern-most group). Before Fall 1537, the first two had submitted to Spanish rule: Bacatá in April 1537; and then Hunza four months later. The northernmost territories of Suamox were still controlled by the Cacique (or 'King') Tundama, whose bohío was built on an island in the lake of the settlement with the same name, today known as Duitama. Tundama was the last cacique of Duitama and the caciques of Cerinza, Chitagoto, Icabuco, Lupacoche, Sátiva, Soatá and Susacón were loyal to him. Tundama, other than the earlier caciques of the Muisca resisted heavily against the European invaders and punished one of his people who suggested to surrender by cutting off their ears and left hand. Tundama declared a "death war" against the Spanish soldiers and gathered an army of 10,000 guecha warriors.
Maldonado defeated Tundama and 4000 other Muisca in a December 1539 battle, a struggle that took two weeks, culminating in the Battle of Vargas Swamp, close to Paipa, where 280 years later the famous Battle of Vargas Swamp by Simón Bolívar would be fought. Tundama was killed by Maldonado wielding a large hammer.
The mythical city of gold El Dorado was a common legend in the early days of the conquest of what later would become Colombia; the troops of Gonzalo de Quesada were drawn from the relative safety of the Caribbean coast in Santa Marta towards the heart of the Andes, while around the same time the southern expedition led by De Belalcázar heard similar stories in Quito. After the establishment of the New Kingdom of Granada, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada left for Spain with De Belalcázar and other soldiers who participated in the conquest and left the reign of the new colony in the hands of his brother, Hernán Pérez de Quesada. Hernán organised an expedition to search for the mythical lands of gold towards the southeast of the Cundiboyacense; the vast flatlands of the Llanos Orientales. The troops left Bogotá in September 1540 and passed through Pasca, that had been founded by fellow conquistador Juan de Céspedes three years earlier.