Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar

Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465 - 1524), Spanish Conquistador, conqueror and governor of Cuba for Spain. Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar should not be confused with the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez. Diego Velázquez was born in Cuéllar, in the Segovia region of Spain. He first visited the New World with the crew of Christopher Columbus in 1493. He settled in Hispaniola, then was active in leading the conquest of Cuba in 1511. He founded a number of new Spanish settlements and cities on the island, most notably Santiago de Cuba in 1514 and Havana in 1515. Velázquez was appointed governor of Cuba. He authorized various expeditions to explore lands further west, including the 1517 Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba expedition to Yucatán (see: Spanish Conquest of Yucatan). He initially backed Hernán Cortés's famous expedition to Mexico, but when Cortés tried to seize and claim Mexico for himself, Velázquez charged Cortés with exceeding his authority and ordered his arrest. Those sent to arrest Cortés were either defeated or persuaded to join Cortés, so Velázquez saw none of the riches which came from Mexico. Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar died in Santiago de Cuba in 1524. Cuéllar, Diego Velázquez de