Juan Garrido facts for kids

Juan Garrido (born around 1487 – died around 1550) was an important African conquistador. He was born in the Kingdom of Kongo in Africa. When he was young, he moved to Portugal. He became a Catholic and chose the Spanish name Juan Garrido, which means "Handsome John."

Juan Garrido joined a Spanish journey and arrived in Santo Domingo (which is now part of Hispaniola) around 1502. He helped in the invasion of what is now Puerto Rico and Cuba in 1508. In 1513, he was with Juan Ponce de León's group, who were looking for gold. This group landed in Florida. Juan Garrido is known as the first African to arrive in North America. By 1519, he had joined Hernán Cortés's army and invaded what is now Mexico. He was part of the attack on Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. He later married and lived in Mexico City. He was the first known farmer to plant wheat in the Americas. He continued to serve with Spanish forces for over 30 years, including trips to western Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.

Early Life and Journeys

Juan Garrido was born in the Kingdom of Kongo, also known as "Kongo dia Ntotila" in the Kikongo language. As a young person, he moved to Portugal. When he was baptized, he took the name Juan Garrido. He then went to Seville, Spain, and joined a trip to the New World (the Americas). He arrived in Santo Domingo in 1502 or 1503. This made him one of the first Africans to reach the Americas.

Many Africans, some of whom were free, joined these Spanish trips from Seville. From the very beginning of Spanish presence in the Americas, Africans took part as volunteers, soldiers, and helpers.

Life in New Spain

By 1519, Garrido was part of the journey led by Hernán Cortés to Mexico. They attacked and took over Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the Aztec Empire. In 1520, he helped build a small church to remember the many Spanish soldiers killed by the Aztecs that year.

Juan Garrido married and settled in Mexico City. He and his wife had three children. He is known for being the first person to plant and harvest wheat in New Spain, which was the name for Mexico at that time.

Garrido and other black soldiers also joined trips to Michoacán in the 1520s. Nuño de Guzmán traveled through that area in 1529-1530 with the help of black soldiers.

In 1538, Juan Garrido gave a statement about his 30 years of service as a conquistador. He said he served the king in the conquest of New Spain. He was with Cortés in all the battles and peaceful settlements. He paid for his own expenses and did not receive a salary or land. He also went with Cortés to explore islands in the Pacific Ocean, where they faced hunger. He also helped conquer the islands of San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Cuba. He was very proud to say that he was the first to think of planting wheat in New Spain and to see if it would grow. He did this experiment at his own cost.

Images for kids

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  A black conquistador in the Codex Azcatitlan, possibly Juan Garrido.

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  A drawing of a black conquistador with Cortés's group.

See also

In Spanish: Juan Garrido para niños