Juan Tafur
Juan Tafur | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1500 |
| Died | Unknown Unknown, New Kingdom of Granada |
| Nationality | Castilian |
| Occupations | Conquistador |
| Years active | 1518-1541 |
| Employer | Spanish Crown |
| Known for | Spanish conquest of the Muisca Construction of first church of Chipaque |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Isabel Tafur |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Cousins: Martín Yañéz Tafur Hernán Venegas Carrillo Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela |
| Encomendero of Bogotá | |
| In office 1541–1541 | |
| Preceded by | Antonio Díaz de Cardoso |
| Succeeded by | Juan Díaz Hidalgo |
| In office 1546–1547 | |
| Preceded by | Juan de Céspedes |
| Succeeded by | Pedro de Colmenares |
| In office 1552–1552 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Muñoz de Collantes |
| Succeeded by | Gonzalo Rodríguez de Ledesma |
| In office 1554–1554 | |
| Preceded by | Gonzalo García Zorro |
| Succeeded by | Juan Ruiz de Orejuela |
| In office 1559–1559 | |
| Preceded by | Gonzalo Rodríguez de Ledesma |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Bermúdez |
| Notes | |
Juan Tafur (1500, Córdoba, Andalusia, Castile - ?, ?) was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca people. He was a cousin of fellow conquistadors Martín Yañéz Tafur, Hernán Venegas Carrillo and Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela. Juan Tafur was five times encomendero (mayor) of Santa Fe de Bogotá. He also received the encomiendas of Pasca, Chipaque and Usaquén. The encomienda of Suesca was shared between Tafur and Gonzalo García Zorro.
Knowledge of the life of Juan Tafur has been provided by the work El Carnero (1638), by chronicler Juan Rodríguez Freyle.
Biography[edit]
Family[edit]
Juan Tafur was born in the year 1500 in Córdoba, Spain. His parents were Juan Pérez Tubera and Isabel Díaz Tafur. Tafur took the surname of his mother.[1] Other family members were also conquistadors: Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela, Hernán Venegas Carrillo and Martín Yañés Tafur.[3]
American expeditions[edit]
In 1518 he left Spain for the New World under the command of Pedro de los Ríos, governor of Tierra Firme in Panama. De los Ríos sent Tafur with two ships to retrieve the dissatisfied members of the Pizarro expedition. In 1531 or 1533, Tafur left for Santa Marta, where he was sent to the Valle de Upar, together with conquistadors Antonio de Lebrija, Juan de Sanct Martín, Juan Muñoz de Collantes and Juan de Céspedes to force the submission the Chimila people to the Spanish.[4]
In April 1536, Tafur was appointed cavalry leader in the expedition led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada[5] which left the Caribbean city of Santa Marta in search of El Dorado.[6] Tafur participated in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca people and received the encomiendas of Pasca, Usaque, Itaque and Chipaque, where he built the first church in 1538.[7][2] The encomienda of Suesca was shared between Juan Tafur and Gonzalo García Zorro.[8]
Mayoralties[edit]
Juan Tafur was five times encomendero of Santa Fe de Bogotá: in 1541 succeeding Antonio Díaz de Cardoso and preceding Juan Díaz Hidalgo; from 1546 to 1547 succeeding Juan de Céspedes and succeeded by Pedro de Colmenares; in 1552 between the reigns of Juan Muñoz de Collantes and Gonzalo Rodríguez de Ledesma; in 1554 succeeding Gonzalo García Zorro and before Juan Ruiz de Orejuela; and finally in 1559 after the rule of Gonzalo Rodríguez de Ledesma and preceding Antonio Bermúdez.[9] In 1552, he requested 72 emeralds from Diego de Aguilar.[10]
Mistreatment of native Americans[edit]
He committed various atrocities against the indigenous people, including against the Panche people to the west of the Bogotá savanna. He mistreated the Cacique (leader) of Pasca and the Cacique of Chita, whose body he threw at the dogs.[11] In 1543, he was convicted for the mistreatment of the indigenous Muisca of Pasca.[10]
Personal life[edit]
Juan Tafur was married three times: to an unnamed woman; to Antonia Manuel de Hoyos; and to Francisca de Ulloa. He had a daughter named Isabel Tafur.[1]
Encomiendas[edit]
See also[edit]
- List of conquistadors in Colombia
- Spanish conquest of the Muisca
- Hernán Pérez de Quesada, Juan de Céspedes
- Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
References[edit]
- ^ Jump up to: Jump up to: a b c Juan Tafur - Geni
- ^ Jump up to: Jump up to: a b (in Spanish) Juan Tafur - Banco de la República - Soledad Acosta de Samper
- ^ Rodríguez Freyle, 1638, p.62
- ^ Rodríguez Freyle, 1638, p.66
- ^ Acosta, 1848, p.400
- ^ (in Spanish) Lista de los que consiguieron el descubrimiento del Reino de Granada con el General don Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, en el año de 1538 Archived 2016-03-09 at the Wayback Machine - Banco de la República
- ^ (in Spanish) Official website Chipaque Archived 2014-03-10 at archive.today
- ^ Rodríguez Freyle, 1638, p.112
- ^ (in Spanish) List of mayors of Bogotá - 1538-1599
- ^ Jump up to: Jump up to: a b (in Spanish) Los caballeros de la conquista
- ^ Rodríguez Freyle, 1638, p.67
Bibliography[edit]
- Acosta, Joaquín. 1848. Compendio histórico del descubrimiento y colonización de la Nueva Granada en el siglo décimo sexto - Historical overview of discovery and colonization of New Granada in the sixteenth century, 1-460. Beau Press. Accessed 2017-03-06.
- Rodríguez Freyle, Juan, and Darío Achury Valenzuela. 1979 (1859) (1638). El Carnero - Conquista i descubrimiento del nuevo reino de Granada de las Indias Occidentales del mar oceano, i fundacion de la ciudad de Santa Fe de Bogota, 1-592. Fundacion Biblioteca Ayacuch. Accessed 2017-03-06.
Further reading[edit]
- De Castellanos, Juan. 1857 (1589). Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias, 1–567. Accessed 2017-03-01.
- Fernández de Piedrahita, Lucas. 1676. VI. Historia general de las conquistas del Nuevo Reino de Granada. Accessed 2017-03-01.
- Jiménez de Quesada, Gonzalo. 1576. Memoria de los descubridores, que entraron conmigo a descubrir y conquistar el Reino de Granada. Accessed 2017-03-01.
- Ocampo López, Javier. 1996. Leyendas populares colombianas - Popular Colombian legends, 1-384. Plaza y Janes Editores. Accessed 2017-03-01.
- De Plaza, José Antonio. 1810. Memorias para la historia de la Nueva Granada desde su descubrimiento el 20 de julio de 1810, 1-464. Imprenta del Neo-Granadino. Accessed 2017-03-01.
- Simón, Pedro. 1892 (1626). Noticias historiales de las conquistas de Tierra Firme en las Indias occidentales (1882-92) vol.1-5. Accessed 2017-03-01.
- N, N. 1979 (1889) (1539). Epítome de la conquista del Nuevo Reino de Granada, 81-97. Banco de la República. Accessed 2017-03-01.
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