Juan de Castellanos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan de Castellanos
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Portrait of Juan de Castellanos (1589)
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| Born | March 9, 1522 Alanís, Sevilla, Spain |
| Died | November 1606 Tunja, New Kingdom of Granada |
| Language | Spanish |
| Notable work | Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias |
Juan de Castellanos (born March 9, 1522 – died November 1606) was a Spanish poet, soldier, and Catholic priest. He lived in a place called the New Kingdom of Granada, which is now part of Colombia. He was one of the first Spanish historians, or chroniclers, to write about the native people of the Americas, especially the Muisca.
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Who Was Juan de Castellanos?
Juan de Castellanos was born in Alanís, a town in Sevilla, Spain. Before 1545, he traveled to the Americas as a soldier who rode horses, known as a cavalry soldier. He even owned some land on Cubagua island, which was famous for its pearls.
From Soldier to Priest
Later, Juan de Castellanos decided to leave his life as a soldier. He became a priest in Cartagena. He was offered important jobs in the church, like being a canon or a treasurer, but he turned them down. Instead, he chose to become a curate, which is a priest who helps in a parish, and moved to Tunja.
His Famous Poem
While living in Tunja, Juan de Castellanos wrote his very long poem called Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias. The first part of this poem was published in Madrid in 1588. It is the longest poem ever written in the Spanish language, with 113,609 lines!
This epic poem tells the stories of important Spanish people in the Americas. It starts with Christopher Columbus. The poem is a great source of information about the early history of northern South America. It also shares many details about the native cultures and their ways of life.
Meeting Important People
Juan de Castellanos was one of the first conquistadores, or Spanish explorers and conquerors. He knew almost all the important leaders of his time. He also used information from other historians, like Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, who told him about the settlement in Cartagena.
Juan de Castellanos's poem was one of the first epic poems in Spanish about the early colonization of America. Another famous one was La Araucana by Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga.
Juan de Castellanos passed away in Tunja, Boyacá, in the New Kingdom of Granada, in 1606.
Did You Know?
- A university in Tunja, called the Fundación Universitaria Juan de Castellanos, is named in honor of Juan de Castellanos.
See also
In Spanish: Juan de Castellanos para niños
- Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias
