Bartolomé Ruiz (c. 1482 in

Moguer Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 22,623. Its surface area is , and its population density is . The present site of Moguer had been ho ...

, Spain – c. 1532 in

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru ...

, Peru) 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 ...

. He started his career as

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

's pilot, before joining

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of Peru. Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose ...

and

Diego de Almagro Diego de Almagro (; – July 8, 1538), also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo, was a Spanish conquistador known for his exploits in western South America. He participated with Francisco Pizarro in the Spanish conquest of Peru. While sub ...

on their conquest of

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 ...

. Ruiz was a member of the

Famous Thirteen The Famous Thirteen (Spanish ''Los trece de la fama'', "the thirteen of the fame", or ''Los trece de Gallo'', "the thirteen of sla delGallo") were a group of 16th century Spanish conquistadors that participated in the Spanish conquest of Peru (sec ...

. He is also the first European to see

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, and the first to land and begin European exploration there.Prescott, W.H., 2011, The History of the Conquest of Peru, Digireads.com Publishing,

Career

Ruiz's first known job in the Americas was piloting for Lorenzo de Aldana, exploring the coastal regions of Panama. In 1524 he piloted for Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro and their army of 160 men, invading

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. Ruiz fought Indians alongside Almagro when Almagro lost his eye to an arrow.Hemming, J., 1970, The Conquest of the Incas, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., Ruiz next sailed to Ecuador, becoming the first European to explore the Santiago River, Puma Lagartos, Point Oysters, the islands of Corcovado, and Cape San Francisco – named in honor of Pizarro. He continued on to the nose of Jamaica, the tip Palmar, and the town of San Juan de Coaques. When Pizarro drew his famous line in the sand at Isla del Gallo, Bartolomé Ruiz was the first of the

famous thirteen The Famous Thirteen (Spanish ''Los trece de la fama'', "the thirteen of the fame", or ''Los trece de Gallo'', "the thirteen of sla delGallo") were a group of 16th century Spanish conquistadors that participated in the Spanish conquest of Peru (sec ...

to cross the line. He piloted the expedition that established the "Nueva Valencia" fort in September 1527 at Tumbes. On July 26, 1529, Pizarro signed the capitulation with the

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fro ...

in Toledo. It awarded Bartolomé Ruiz the title and honors, "Hidalgo, Knight of the Golden Spur, Pilot of the South Sea," and a salary of 75,000 maravedis per year, and perpetual Regent of Tumbes. He also won the title of Clerk of Tumbes for his children. After the Incan Emperor

Atahualpa Atahualpa (), also Atawallpa (Quechua), Atabalica, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa (c. 1502 – 26-29 July 1533) was the last Inca Emperor. After defeating his brother, Atahualpa became very briefly the last Sapa Inca (sovereign emperor) of the Inca Empir ...

was captured at Cajamarca in 1532, Ruiz arrived with three ships to reinforce the Spanish. In Cajamarca he caught fever and died quickly at the age of 50.

References

1482 births 1532 deaths Spanish conquistadors Explorers of Chile Explorers of South America People from Huelva {{Spain-bio-stub