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Gonzalo Jimnez De QuesadaGonzalo Jimnez de Quesada (1509–1579) was a lawyer by training. He was appointed chief justice of Santa Marta colony (on the north coast of Colombia), where he arrived in 1535 with the fleet of Pedro Fernndez de Lugo. In 1536 he was commissioned by de Lugo to command an expedition to explore southwards into the interior of Colombia. A land party under Quesada, with Hernn Prez de Quesada (his brother), Juan San Martn, Juan del Junco (as second in command) and Lzaro Fonte, struck south from Santa Marta, crossed the Cesar River, and arrived at Tamalameque on the Magdalena River. A support fleet of 6 (or 5) ships had also sailed from Santa Marta with 800 men to navigate the Magdalena. Only two of the vessels actually arrived at Tamalameque, and subsequently returned to Santa Marta with many of Quesada's men. Continuing up the Magdalena as far as La Tora (=Barrancabermeja), Quesada and his men ascended the Opon River into the cordillera, reaching the Opon hills, Chipata (near Vlez) (March 1537) and the valley of the Surez River. Passing Lake Fquene and Lake Suesca, they reached Nemoncn and Zipaquir, but with only 166 men left alive (600 had perished en route). From there they entered the lands of the King Bocota (at the site of present day Bogot). They renamed Bacata (the major city) as Santa Maria de Bogot, and attacked Tunja. Quesada remained in the region until the arrival of the expeditions of Sebastin de Belalczar from Ecuador and Nikolaus Federmann from Venezuela in 1539. The three generals then agreed on the refoundation of the capital and promptly decided to submit their rival territorial claims to the arbitration of the crown. From Cartagena they sailed for Spain, where Quesada pressed his claim as governor. In this he was unsuccessful, the governorship of Popayn being awarded to Belalczar, but Quesada did return (in 1549) with the honorific title of governor of El Dorado. In 1568, at the age of 60, Quesada received a commission to conquer Los Llanos to the east of the Colombian cordillera. From Bogot in April 1569 with 400 Spaniards, 1500 natives, 1100 horses and 8 priests, he first descended to Mesetas on the upper Guejar River. There most of the livestock was destroyed by a grass fire. Quesada's expedition then moved to nearby San Juan de los Lllanos, where a course was set for east-southeast (by the guide Pedro Soleto), and maintained for the following two years. After a year or so some men returned with Juan Maldonado, reaching San Juan after six months with few survivors. Quesada eventually reached (San Fernando de) Atabapo at the confluence of the Guaviare and the Orinoco (in December 1571), any further movement requiring the construction of ships. He therefore dejectedly returned to Bogot, arriving in December 1572 with only 64 Spaniards, 4 natives, 18 horses and 2 priests. The expedition had been one of the most expensive disasters on record, and after a brief period of service in a frontier command Quesada retired to Huesca with what he could salvage of his fortune. He died in Mariquita in 1579, and his remains were taken to the cathedral at Bogot. Quesada, Gonzalo Quesada, Gonzalo Quesada, Gonzalo Quesada, Gonzalo
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