Francisco de Garay facts for kids
Francisco de Garay (born in 1475 in Sopuerta, Biscay; died in 1523) was a Spanish Basque explorer and leader. He traveled with Christopher Columbus on his second trip to the New World in 1493. When he arrived in Hispaniola, he became known for finding a very large piece of gold nugget. In 1496, he and Miguel Diaz discovered more gold along the Haina River.
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Early Life of Francisco de Garay
Garay was born in the Garay tower in Sopuerta. This area is in the Encartaciones region of Biscay, Spain.
Governor of Jamaica
From 1514 to 1523, Garay served as the Royal Governor of Santiago. This island is known today as Jamaica. During his time as governor, the number of native people on the island greatly decreased. Many were forced to work in difficult conditions. By 1519, most of the original population of Jamaica was gone. Garay also raised many pigs during his time as governor. He even had thousands of native people helping to herd his swine.
Exploring New Lands
Garay sent several groups to explore and map the coastlines of what is now the Gulf of Mexico. These expeditions covered areas from modern-day Florida to Mexico.
Mapping the Coast
In 1519, Garay sent an expedition led by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda. Their mission was to map the coast between Florida and the lands explored by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. The Mississippi River was shown on their maps. They called it Rio del Espiritu Santo, which means River of the Holy Spirit.
Journey to the Panuco River
In 1523, Garay led an expedition of 600 men. He planned to start a new settlement on the Panuco River, near what is now Tampico. However, he accidentally landed about 100 miles north. This was at the mouth of the Soto La Marina River, which he named the River of Palms (Rio de las Palmas).
He sent a small boat up the river for about 25 miles. They likely reached the area of the present-day city of Soto la Marina. The explorers found 40 native camps along the river. This showed that many people lived there. The native people used canoes on the river. They were friendly at first but later became hostile. When Garay realized this was not the Panuco River, he ordered his men to march south by land.
Conflict and Death
Garay's efforts to start a colony led to disagreements with Hernán Cortés. While in Mexico City to talk with Cortés, Garay became sick. He died on December 27, 1523.
See also
In Spanish: Francisco de Garay para niños
