Gonzalo Jiménez 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 Fernández 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 Hernán Pérez de Quesada (his brother), Juan San Martín, Juan del Junco (as second in command) and Lázaro 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 Vélez) (March 1537) and the valley of the Suárez River. Passing Lake Fúquene and Lake Suesca, they reached Nemoncón and Zipaquirá, 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 Bogotá). They renamed Bacata (the major city) as Santa Maria de Bogotá, and attacked Tunja. Quesada remained in the region until the arrival of the expeditions of Sebastián de Belalcázar 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 Popayán being awarded to Belalcázar, but Quesada did return (in 1549) with the honorific title of governor of El Dorado. Events February 2 - Battle of Diu took place near Diu, India. ... Events January 6 - The Union of Atrecht united the southern Netherlands under the Duke of Parma, governor in the name of king Philip II of Spain. ... For information on the type of fish called Lawyer, see the article on Burbot. ... Santa Marta was the first city to be founded in Colombia and South America. ... The Republic of Colombia is a country in north-western South America. ... Events January 18 - Lima, Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro June 24 - The Anabaptist state of Münster is conquered and disbanded. ... Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Argentina. ... Categories: Stub | South American rivers ... The Cordillera is a massive mountain range situated in the northern central part of the Philippines. ... Chipata, population 75,000, is the capital of the Eastern Province of Zambia. ... Events January 6 - Alessandro de Medici assassinated August 25 - The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, was formed. ... Bogota is also a city in New Jersey, see Bogota, New Jersey. ... Tunja is a city in Colombia. ... The Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. ... Nikolaus Federmann (1501–1542) was a German adventurer in Venezuela and Colombia. ... The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela)1 is a country in northern South America. ... Events May 30 - In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers with the goal to find gold. ... For other places of the same name, see Cartagena Bocagrande Cartagena San Pedro Square,Old City Cartagena Cartagena, Colombia, also known as Cartagena de Indias or La Heroica (The Heroic), is a large seaport on the north coast of Colombia. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... Popayán is the capital of the Colombian Department of Cauca, with a population of about 215,000 people. ... Events July - Ketts Rebellion Francis Xavier arrives in Japan. ... El Dorado is the name of a mythical country of gold which was supposedly in South America. ...

In 1568, at the age of 60, Quesada received a commission to conquer Los Llanos to the east of the Colombian cordillera. From Bogotá 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 Bogotá, 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 Bogotá. Events March 23 - Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. ... The Llanos (Los Llanos) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated at the east of the Andes in northwestern South America (Colombia and Venezuela). ... Events January 11 - First recorded lottery in England. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... This page is about the Orinoco River, for the Aphra Behn novel see Oroonoko With a length of 2140 km, the Orinoco is one of the largest rivers of South America. ... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ... Events January 16 - The Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England. ... Huesca (Aragonese Uesca, Catalan Osca) is a city in Aragon, Spain. ...