Pedro de Ursúa
Pedro de Ursúa | |
---|---|
Born | 1526 Baztan, Navarra |
Died | 1561 |
Cause of death | Murder |
Nationality | Navarre |
Occupation | Conquistador |
Years active | 1545–1561 |
Employer | Spanish Crown |
Known for | Co-founder of Pamplona Failed conquest of the Muzo Quest for El Dorado |
Pedro de Ursúa (1526 – 1561) was a Spanish conquistador from Baztan in Navarre.[1][2] In Panama, Ursúa subdued a Cimarron (ex-slave) revolt by tricking Cimarron leader Bayano into coming unprepared to negotiate a truce, but then captured him and sent him back to King Philip II of Spain.
Together with Ortún Velázquez de Velasco, Pedro de Ursúa founded the city of Pamplona, Colombia, on November 1, 1549.[3]
Ursúa later searched the Amazon region for El Dorado with Lope de Aguirre. When Ursúa would not allow Aguirre's mistress on the expedition, Aguirre conspired with another officer, Fernando de Guzman, to use this rejection as a pretext to start a riot in which they assassinated Ursúa and seized power.[4]
Pedro de Ursúa in fiction[]
A fictional version of Ursúa and Aguirre's story is depicted in the Werner Herzog film, Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes and in the Carlos Saura film El Dorado.
The novel Ursúa by William Ospina has become one of the main references concerning Pedro de Ursúa. The book provides details about the life of Ursúa and makes a general account of the events happening in the New World during the mid 16th century.
Gallery[]
Former tower house of the Ursúa in Arizkun, Navarre
See also[]
References[]
- ^ William A. Douglass; Jon Bilbao (2005). Amerikanuak: Basques in the New World. University of Nevada Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-87417-625-4.
- ^ Elena Mampel González; Neus Escandell Tur (1981). Lope de Aguirre: Crónicas, 1559-1561. Edicions Universitat Barcelona. p. 15. ISBN 978-84-85411-51-1.
- ^ (in Spanish) Official website Pamplona
- ^ Descendants of Juan de Ursúa
Further reading[]
- ISBN 3-89354-075-X. . 1996. Aguirre oder Die Willkür der Nachwelt. Die Rebellion des baskischen Konquistadors Lope de Aguirre in Historiographie und Geschichtsfiktion (1561–1992). Vervuert Verlag, Frankfurt am Main,
- Universidad Javeriana and Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, ISBN 978-958-738-204-4. . 2011. Aguirre o La posteridad arbitraria. La rebelión del conquistador vasco Lope de Aguirre en historiografía y ficción histórica (1561-1992).
External links[]
- Translation of Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Basque Country article on Lope de Aguirre - contains large segment on Ursúa's Dorado expedition
- (in Spanish) Pedro de Ursua at Artehistora.com
- (in Spanish) El Asesinato de Pedro de Ursua
- Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes at IMDb
- 1526 births
- 1561 deaths
- Spanish conquistadors
- 16th-century Spanish people
- Explorers of Amazonia
- People from Baztán (comarca)
- History of Colombia
- 16th-century people from the Kingdom of Navarre
- Spanish people stubs