Sebastián de Belalcázar was a Spanish conquistador. He was born Sebastián Moyano in the province of Córdoba, Spain in 1479 (1480?). Took the name Belalcázar or Benalcázar as that was the name of castle-town nearest to his birthplace in Córdoba. According to various sources, he may have left for the New World with Columbus as early as 1498, but José de Castellanos wrote that he killed a mule in 1507, and fled Spain for the West Indies due to fear of punishment, and as a chance to escape the poverty in which he lived. Conquistador (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas and Asia Pacific under Spanish rule between the 15th and 17th centuries. ... Córdoba most commonly means Córdoba, Spain, a famous city in Spain inhabited since the time of ancient Rome, and the seat of the Emir of Córdoba and the Caliph of Córdoba. ... Events January 20 - Ferdinand II ascends the throne of Aragon and rules together with his wife Isabella, queen of Castile over most of the Iberian peninsula. ... Events The western continent is named America on the maps of Martin Waldseemüller. ...

What is known for certain is that he entered Nicaragua with Hernandez de Córdoba in 1524, and became the first mayor of the city of León. He remained there until 1527, when he left for Honduras as a result of internal dispute among the Spanish governors. Briefly returning to León, he sailed to the coast of Peru, where he united with the expedition of Francisco Pizarro in 1532. In 1534, after having helped Pizarro battle native tribes, he set off to conquer the valley of Quito in Ecuador, using funds obtained as compensation from his previous campaigns. He founded the city of Quito with Diego de Almagro, honoring Pizarro by naming it in full San Francisco de Quito. Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ... Events January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat River in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... Events May 16 - Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England. ...

Moving northward into present day Colombia in search of El Dorado in 1535, entered the Cauca River Valley, founding the southwestern Colombian cities of Pasto, Popayán (next in importance after Quito) and Santiago de Cali in 1536 and 1537. El Dorado is the name of a mythical country of gold which was supposedly in South America. ... Events January 18 - Lima, Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro April - Jacques Cartier discovers the Iroquois city of Stadacona, Canada (now Quebec) and in May, the even greater Huron city of Hochelaga (now Montreal) June 24 - The Anabaptist state of Münster (see Münster Rebellion) is conquered and disbanded. ... Pasto is a city of about 450,000 people and the capital of the department of Nariño, located in southwest Colombia. ... Popayán is the capital of the Colombian Department of Cauca, with a population of about 215,000 people. ... Quito is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. ... Santiago de Cali, the citys complete name, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca, department in Colombia. ... Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... 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. ...

Crossing overland to the Magdalena River Valley, he entered the highlands of central Colombia with Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and Nicolas Federmann, a German, in 1539. Carlos the Fifth granted Belalcázar the governorshiop of Popayán and an honorary title (adelantado) in May 1540. As so often happened amongst the conquistadores, land squabbles developed between Belalcazár and a neighboring province governed by Pascual de Andagoya. Belalcázar successfully defended his lands, and took over some of Andagoya. He then intervined in a disagreement between supporters of the families of Pizarro and Almagro in Peru. In 1546, he ordered the execution of Jorge Robledo, who governed a neighboring province in yet another land vendetta. He was put to trial in abesentia in 1550, convicted and condemned to death for the death of Robledo, and other offenses pertaining to his constant involvement in the various wars between conquistadores. A victim of his own ambition, he died before he could begin the voyage back to Spain to appeal the decision, in Cartagena, Colombia. Events May 30 - In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers with the goal to find gold. ... Popayán is the capital of the Colombian Department of Cauca, with a population of about 215,000 people. ... Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ...