Where did Balboa sail to?

Answer 1

Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475-1519) travelled to Hispaniola (Santo Domingo) in 1502, but his farming venture failed, and in 1509 he stowed away on an expedition to the Spanish settlement of San Sebastian in Panama. The settlement was abandoned after natives attacked, and a new colony was established at Santa Maria in the province of Darien (now eastern Panama) in 1510. Defeating hostile tribes and gaining popularity in the colony, Balboa extended his authority to the colony of Veragua by 1512. In 1513, after reports of "another sea" with fabled riches, Balboa and his men fought their way through the Panamanian natives to reach the Pacific Ocean, which he claimed for Spain as "the South Sea". He found only a fraction of the expected riches, still a substantial treasure. However, he was replaced as governor in 1514 and later jailed for attempting an unsanctioned expedition. But lauded by the King for his service, Balboa became married to the daughter of the new governor, and mounted a second expedition among the Pacific Islands in 1517-1518. The governor, Pedrarias Dávila, however, had more treachery in mind for his son-in-law, eventually having him arrested, tried on spurious charges, and executed by beheading in January, 1519.