Juan de Ayolas (died c. 1537) was a
conquistador born in
Briviesca
Briviesca is a municipality and a Spanish city located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, head of the judicial district of Briviesca, capital of the comarca of La Bureba and province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. Ac ...
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 fo ...
for the
Spanish Crown. He accompanied
Pedro de Mendoza
Pedro de Mendoza () (c. 1499 – June 23, 1537) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', soldier and explorer, and the first ''adelantado'' of New Andalusia.
Setting sail
Pedro de Mendoza was born in Guadix, Grenada, part of a large noble family that ...
on his 1534 expedition to colonize the region between the Río de la Plata and the
Strait of Magellan 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 and founded a fort called Corpus Christi, as
Sebastian Cabot had before him. Leaving
Domingo Martínez de Irala
Domingo Martínez de Irala (; c. 1509 Bergara, Gipuzkoa – c. 1556 Asunción, Paraguay) was a Spanish Basque people, Basque conquistador.
He headed for America in 1535 enrolled in the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza and participated in the foundi ...
at Puerto la Candelaria (modern
Fuerte Olimpo
Fuerte Olimpo () is a city in Paraguay. It is the capital of the department of Alto Paraguay. Straddling the river Paraguay which forms the border with Brazil, Fuerte Olimpo is Paraguay's northernmost departmental capital, located over 830 ...
), 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 i ...
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 = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. He fought with the
Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to
Ethnography
* Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia)
* Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay
* ...
, 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 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