Juan de Ayolas (died c. 1537) was a conquistador born in Briviesca who explored the watershed of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and f ...

for the

Spanish Crown , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

. He accompanied Pedro de Mendoza on his 1534 expedition to colonize the region between the Río de la Plata and the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pa ...

and briefly succeeded him as the second governor of the region after Mendoza returned home in 1537. Seeking supplies, he sailed up the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...

and founded a fort called Corpus Christi, as Sebastian Cabot had before him. Leaving Domingo Martínez de Irala at Puerto la Candelaria (modern Fuerte Olimpo), he sailed up the

Paraguay River The Paraguay River (Río Paraguay in Spanish, Rio Paraguai in Portuguese, Ysyry Paraguái in Guarani) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. It flows about from its headwaters in ...

seeking a connection to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. He fought with the Guaraní, crossed the Chaco to the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, and seized some loot there but, when he returned, was killed with every man of his company by the Payagua. The city of

Ayolas Ayolas is a city in the department of Misiones, Paraguay, located at 310 km southeast of Asunción, on the banks of the Paraná River. It is, also, the name of the district within which the city is located. Toponymy The city takes its name o ...

in Paraguay, and its

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

(IATA: AYO; ICAO: SGAY) are named for him.

Sources

''Britannica Online Encyclopedia''
* *MAURA, Juan Francisco
Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: el gran burlador de América
Parnaseo/Lemir. Valencia: Universidad de Valencia, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayolas, Juan De Spanish conquistadors Explorers of Argentina Explorers of South America Year of birth unknown 15th-century births 1537 deaths People from the Province of Burgos Castilian conquistadors Castilian-Leonese conquistadors 16th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru 16th-century explorers 16th-century Spanish people