Lucas Vázquez De Ayllón
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Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón ( – 18 October 1526) was a Spanish magistrate and explorer who in 1526 established the short-lived San Miguel de Gualdape colony, one of the first European attempts at a settlement in what is now the United States. Ayllón's account of the region inspired a number of later attempts by the Spanish and French governments to colonize the southeastern United States.


Early life and education

Ayllón was born in Toledo around 1480, the younger son of a prominent family whose roots traced back to a high-ranking '' mozarab'' judge in Islamic Spain. His parents were city councilman Juan Vázquez de Ayllón and Inés de Villalobos. Ayllón received a good education in law and his father's position gave him valuable insights into the practice of politics.


In Hispaniola

In 1502, the Spanish Monarchs sent
Nicolás de Ovando Frey Nicolás de Ovando (c. 1460 – 29 May 1511Some sources place his death in 1518.) was a Spanish soldier from a noble family and a Knight of the Order of Alcántara, a military order of Spain. He was Governor of the Indies in the Columbian ...
to serve as governor of
Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...
in the Indies. Ayllón accompanied Ovando's flotilla and arrived at the capital,
Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...
, in April 1502. In 1504, Ayllón was appointed '' alcalde mayor'', the chief magistrate and administrative officer, of Concepción. Ayllón was expected to establish order in the turbulent gold-mining districts in the hinterlands of the island. In 1509, Ovando and his lieutenants, including Ayllón, were recalled to Spain and subjected to a ''residencia'', a review or audit of their term in office. Ayllón faced charges that he enriched himself unjustly but apparently was able to defend himself successfully with no harm to his career or his wealth. After his return to Spain he undertook additional studies in law and earned the equivalent of a master's degree from the
University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...
. Meanwhile,
Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
was concerned by his lack of control in the Indies and the growing influence of the new governor, Diego Colón. In 1511 Ferdinand established a royal appeals court, the ''
Real Audiencia A ''Real Audiencia'' (), or simply an ''Audiencia'' (), was an appellate court in Spain and its empire. The name of the institution literally translates as Royal Audience. The additional designation ''chancillería'' (or ''cancillería'', Catala ...
'' in Hispaniola. The king demonstrated considerable faith in Ayllón when he appointed him as one of three judges of this court, intended to assert royal power in the colonies. Ayllón reached Hispaniola in May 1512 and quickly became an influential figure in the politics of the island. Around 1514, Ayllón married Ana de Bezerra, daughter of a wealthy miner, thus gaining wealth and prestige to add to his political power. He also acquired a
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
plantation and funded various slave-trading ventures. Some colonists complained that Ayllón and the other judges were unfairly dominating the slave-market and driving up the price of slaves. When Ferdinand died in 1516, Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros became regent for the young King Charles V. Cisneros was determined to end the abuse of the Indians. He had Ayllón and the other judges of the ''audencia'' suspended in 1517 and investigated for alleged abuses. However, when Cisneros was removed from the regency, the ''residencia'' was cut short, and the judges were restored to office in 1520.


Narváez expedition

Even during his suspension, Ayllón remained an influential figure in the Indies. In 1519, after
Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...
began his conquest of Mexico, Cortés declared his independence from Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, the governor of Cuba and sponsor of the expedition. Fearful that the dispute between Cortés and Velázquez would escalate into open warfare, Crown authorities sent Ayllón first to Cuba to confer with Velázquez and then to Mexico in Pánfilo de Narváez's expedition in an attempt to convince both sides to settle their differences in court. When Ayllón reached Mexico, he was forcibly detained by Narváez and sent back to Santo Domingo with nothing to show for his efforts.


Exploration

After Ayllón's reinstatement to the ''audiencia'', a ship arrived at Santo Domingo sometime around August 1521. The pilot, Francisco Gordillo, had been hired by Ayllón to lead a slaving expedition to the
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
. Finding the islands completely depopulated, Gordillo and Pedro de Quexos, pilot of another slaving ship, sailed northwest in search of land rumored to be found in that direction. On June 24, 1521, they made landfall at Winyah Bay on the coast of present-day
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
. After some preliminary exploration of the region, they kidnapped sixty Indians and took them back to Hispaniola. In addition to the Indian slaves, Gordillo and Quexos brought back glowing reports of the land they had found. They said it would not require military conquest and once settled the area would become a rich and prosperous colony. Ayllón was apparently inspired by these reports and soon wrote to the Spanish crown requesting permission to explore and settle the region. Later that same year he traveled to Spain on business for the ''audencia'' but used the opportunity to personally press his case for the new land. Ayllón took with him one of the captured Indians, who had recently been baptized as Francisco de Chicora. In Spain they met the court chronicler, Peter Martyr, with whom Chicora spoke at length about his people and homeland, and about neighboring provinces. Ayllón signed a contract with the crown on June 12, 1523, allowing him to establish a settlement on the eastern seaboard and conduct trade with the local natives. He was appointed as governor for life and the title ''alguacil mayor'' (high sheriff) would be held by him and his heirs forever. In return for these and numerous other privileges, Ayllón was required to perform a more detailed exploration of the region, establish missions, churches, and a Franciscan monastery to support conversion of the native population. He was restrained from implementing an ''
encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...
'' or other means of forcing Indian labor. While still in Spain, Ayllón was also named a ''comendador'' in the military
order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; ) is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the patron saint of Spain, ''Santiago'' ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of S ...
. Before returning to Hispaniola, Ayllón was ordered to Puerto Rico. There he was required to complete a number of pending investigations and audits of current and former government officials. From the Crown's viewpoint, his efforts were successful in bringing some order to the government on the island and helped put an end to Diego Colón's independent authority in the islands. After an absence of three years, Ayllón returned to Santo Domingo around December 1524 and, per his contract, began organizing an expedition to explore the southeastern coast of North America. He hired Quexos to lead a voyage consisting of two caravels and about sixty crewmen. They set sail in early April 1525, with instructions to explore 200 leagues (640 nautical miles) of coastline, record necessary bearings and soundings, erect stone markers bearing the name of Charles V, and obtain Indians who might serve as guides and interpreters for future voyages. They made their first landfall on May 3, 1525, likely at the
Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...
. From there they continued north until reaching Winyah Bay, the site of their original landing in 1521. It is not clear how much further north Quexos traveled, perhaps as far as
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
. He reported that the coast beyond Winyah Bay was mostly sand dunes and pine scrub. The expedition returned to Santo Domingo in July 1525.


Establishment of San Miguel de Gualdape and death

After Quexos' return, Ayllón began preparation for a voyage of settlement that he would lead personally. He spent his considerable fortune and incurred debt to outfit the expedition. He assembled a fleet of six vessels carrying about 600-700 passengers and crew. Some women, children and black enslaved people were included among the settlers. Supplies and livestock, including cows, sheep, pigs and a hundred horses, were loaded and the fleet departed in mid-July 1526. The large colonizing group landed in Winyah Bay on August 9, 1526. Their largest ship struck a sandbar and sank. There was no loss of life but a major portion of their supplies was lost. Ayllón ordered a replacement vessel to be built, probably the earliest example of European-style boat building in what is now the United States. Ayllón looked for a suitable site to establish a settlement at nearby Pawleys Island, but the soil was poor and a sparse Indian population offered little chance for profitable trade. Several reconnaissance parties were sent out to search for better opportunities. Based on their reports, Ayllón decided to move about 200 miles south to a "powerful river", probably Sapelo Sound in present-day Georgia. Early in September, the healthy men rode to the new site on horseback while the rest traveled by ship. When they reached Sapelo Sound, they began immediately to construct houses and a church. The short-lived colony of San Miguel de Gualdape was formally established on the festival of
Saint Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...
, September 29, 1526. It was the first European settlement in the present-day United States. Ayllón's rough-hewn town survived less than three months, with settlers enduring exhaustion, cold, hunger, disease, and troubles with the local natives. When Ayllón died on October 18, 1526, from an unnamed illness, the entire enterprise fell apart. The surviving colonists broke into warring factions and by mid-November decided to give up and sail back to Hispaniola. Of the 600-700 people whom Ayllón had brought with him, only 150 survivors reached Hispaniola that winter. San Miguel de Gualdape was the first European colony in what is now the United States, preceding the unsuccessful colony at
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
, by 33 years, St. Augustine, Florida (the first successful colony) by 39 years, the
Roanoke Colony The Roanoke Colony ( ) refers to two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. ...
by 61 years, and
Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent British colonization of the Americas, English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James River, about southwest of present-day Willia ...
, by 81 years. Despite repeated attempts, archaeologists have been unable to locate the site of the town or the shipwreck in Winyah Bay.


Legacy

Peter Martyr's ''
Decades of the New World ''Decades of the New World'' ( ''De orbe novo decades''; ''Décadas del nuevo mundo''), by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, is a collection of eight narrative tracts recounting early Spanish exploration, conquest and colonization of the New World, e ...
'' (1530) and especially Francisco Lopez de Gomara's '' Historia general de las Indias'' (1552) helped spread the story of Ayllón's new
Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
into European lore about exploration. His explorations also contributed to Alonso de Chaves's ''Espejo de Navegantes'' (), Giovanni Vespucci's 1526 map and other future Spanish maps.


See also

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Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...
*
Tristán de Luna Tristan, Tristram or Tristen is a given name derived from Welsh language, Welsh ''drust'' (meaning "noise", "tumult"), influenced by the French language, French word ''wikt:triste, triste'' and Welsh language, Welsh/Cornish language, Cornish/Bret ...


Notes


References


Sources

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Further reading

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External links


Short biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasquez de Ayllon, Lucas Spanish explorers of North America 1480s births 1526 deaths People from Toledo, Spain 16th-century Spanish explorers 16th-century people from the Colony of Santo Domingo Explorers of the United States