Sebastián de Belalcázar (Benalcázar)

Sebastián de Belalcázar (Benalcázar) (1495?-1551), Spanish conquistador. Born in Belalcázar, he dropped his real name, Sebastián Moyano, for that of his birthplace. In 1511 Belalcázar went to Seville, where he joined an expedition to Panama led by Pedrarias Dávila. Belalcázar then served Francisco Pizarro in the early stages of the conquest of Peru. In 1533 Pizarro made Belalcázar leader of an expedition to the north, where he defeated the Inca chief Rumiñahui and founded the cities of Quito and Guayaquil.

As governor of Quito, Belalcázar pursued an independent search for El Dorado, the legendary city of gold. From 1535 to 1538 he explored and occupied the district of Popayán, Colombia. Marching to the north, he entered the country of the Chibcha, an important native confederation. During his absence, unrest developed among his troops, which Belalcázar tried to quiet by executing Jorge Robledo, one of his lieutenants. Belalcázar was brought to trial and convicted. The king refused his appeal, and he died of fever in 1551, at the start of his journey home to Spain. Belalcázar was buried in Cartagena, Colombia.