Pedro Ruíz Corredor (d. after 1601) was a Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

who participated in the

Spanish conquest of the Muisca The Spanish conquest of the Muisca took place from 1537 to 1540. The Muisca were the inhabitants of the central Andean highlands of Colombia before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. They were organised in a loose confederation of differe ...

. He searched for ''El Dorado'', returned to Spain, was sent back to the new world, helped consolidate newly conquered Peru for Spain, retired to his fiefdom to raise a family, and lived to a ripe old age.

Biography

El Dorado

The origins of Pedro Ruíz Corredor are unknown. He arrived from Spain in

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta ("Touristic, Cultural and Historic District of Santa Marta"), is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena ...

in 1533.Pedro Ruiz Corredor
–

Banco de la República The Bank of the Republic ( es, Banco de la República) is the central bank of Colombia. It was initially established under the regeneration era in 1880. Its main modern functions, under the new Colombian constitution were detailed by Congress a ...

– Soledad Acosta de Samper Ruíz Corredor joined the expedition of

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada y Rivera, also spelled as Ximénez and De Quezada, (;1496 16 February 1579) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in northern South America, territories currently known as Colombia. He explored the territory named ...

in the quest for ''

El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

'', leaving Santa Marta in April 1536.Lista de los que consiguieron el descubrimiento del Reino de Granada con el General don Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, en el año de 1538
–

Ruíz Corredor received the ''

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...

'' of

Oicatá Oicatá is a town and municipality in the Central Boyacá Province, Departments of Colombia, Department of Boyacá Department, Boyacá, Colombia. The urban centre is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at an altitude of and a distance of f ...

and Nemuza.Jaramillo Uribe, 1964, p.287 His brother Miguel was mayor of Tunja in 1591 and 1598.Muñoz Cárdenas, 2014, p.17

Peru

Pedro Ruíz Corredor returned to Spain with the valuables he had obtained in the

New Kingdom of Granada The New Kingdom of Granada ( es, Nuevo Reino de Granada), or Kingdom of the New Granada, was the name given to a group of 16th-century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed by the president of the Royal Audience of Santa ...

. In 1548 he was sent 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 ...

, where he assisted the troops of

Pedro de la Gasca Pedro de la Gasca (June 1485 – 13 November 1567) was a Spanish bishop, diplomat and the second (acting) viceroy of Peru, from 10 April 10 1547 to 27 January 1550. Biography Pedro de la Gasca studied at the University of Salamanca and the Un ...

and

Gonzalo Pizarro Gonzalo Pizarro y Alonso (; 1510 – April 10, 1548) was a Spanish conquistador and younger paternal half-brother of Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of the Inca Empire. Bastard son of Captain Gonzalo Pizarro y Rodríguez de Aguilar (senior) (14 ...

. In June 1570, Ruíz Corredor was back in Oicatá and ordered the Muisca of his ''encomienda'', and the villages of

Chivatá Chivatá is a town and municipality in the Central Boyacá Province, part of the Colombian department of Boyacá. The urban centre is situated at an altitude of on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense at from the department capital Tunja. It borders ...

Motavita Motavita is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Boyacá, part of the subregion of the Central Boyacá Province. It covers approximately .Suta,

Cómbita Cómbita is a town and municipality in the Colombian Departments of Colombia, Department of Boyacá Department, Boyacá, part of the sub region of the Central Boyacá Province. Cómbita is situated on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense and borders Arcab ...

and

Moniquirá Moniquirá is a town and Municipalities of Colombia, municipality in Boyacá Department, Colombia, part of the subregion of the Ricaurte Province. It is known for its "bocadillos" and "panelitas de leche" (both little sweet cakes). Moniquirá borde ...

to construct ''

acequia An acequia () or séquia () is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest particularly n ...

s'', channels for the drainage of the lands.Gaviria Liévano, 2002, p.63 In 1601 Ruíz Corredor is mentioned as he having promised to pay the native people in his ''encomienda'' 200 cotton mantles, but only supplying half of that.Gaviria Liévano, 2002, p.64

Personal life

Pedro Ruíz Corredor married Elvira Pérez de Cuéllar and the couple had one daughter; María Ruíz Corredor.Pedro Ruiz Corredor
– Geni Elvira's sister Isabel was married to Bartolomé Camacho Zambrano, a fellow conquistador in Colombia.Isabel Pérez de Cuéllar
– Geni The place and year of his death are unknown.

Encomienda

References

Bibliography

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