Royal Veragua facts for kids
Royal Veragua (which means Royal Veragua in Spanish) was a territory in Central America. It belonged to the Crown of Castile (the Spanish monarchy) starting in 1537.
This area covered the western part of an older region called Gobernación de Veragua. It stretched from the Caribbean coast, from the Río Sixaola (which is now the border with Costa Rica) all the way to Escudo de Veraguas island in what is now Panama.
The eastern part of the old Gobernación de Veragua was called the Duchy of Veragua. This area was controlled by the family of Christopher Columbus.
Royal Veragua only existed for three years. In November 1540, it became part of a new province called Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica. The Duchy of Veragua was later sold back to the Spanish Crown by Columbus's family in 1556. It then became Veraguas Province in 1560.
A Short History
Before Royal Veragua and the Duchy of Veragua were created, both areas were part of a larger territory. This territory was known as Gobernación de Veragua, or sometimes Veragua colombina (meaning "Columbus's Veragua").
In 1537, there were long legal battles between Christopher Columbus's family and the Spanish Crown. After these lawsuits ended, the Duchy of Veragua was created. Luis Colón, Christopher Columbus's grandson, became its first Duke.
The rest of the Gobernación territory, which Columbus's family had also claimed, stayed under the control of the Spanish King. This area stretched along the Caribbean coast from Escudo de Veraguas to Cabo Gracias a Dios. It was renamed Royal Veragua.
People started to settle in Royal Veragua in 1540. Its first and only Governor was Hernán Sánchez de Badajoz. In April 1540, he founded a town called Badajoz. He named it after his hometown of Badajoz, Spain.
Both the town of Badajoz and Royal Veragua itself did not last long. In 1540, Royal Veragua was joined with other lands on the Pacific side. These lands belonged to a region called Castilla de Oro. Together, they formed the new Province of Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica.
See also
In Spanish: Veragua Real para niños
