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Gil González Dávila or Gil González de Ávila was a Spanish Conquistador and the first European to arrive in present-day Nicaragua. González Dávila first appears in historical records in 1508, when he received a royal commission to examine accounts and tax records of estates. He probably traveled soon afterward to Santo Domingo for his assignment, and to establish himself. In 1511, from Valladolid, Spain, he was given the title of Accountant of Hispaniola, replacing Cristóbal de Cuéllar. His enhanced position enabled him to become a landowner and he soon had an estate with over 200 Indian slaves. In 1518, González delivered a report to King Carlos which was highly critical of the colonial management of Hispaniola. He was at Ávila in Spain when he was approached by Andrés Niño. Niño was an expert pilot and resident of the Spanish Main. He had come to Spain to seek Court support for an exploration of the Pacific Coast. His first attempts had failed, but then he encountered González, a retainer of the bishop of Palencia. The bishop, Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, was president of the Council of the Indies. With his help, González and Niño obtained approval for the venture from King Carlos. An expedition was planned, with González as captain, Niño as pilot, and Andrés de Cereceda as treasurer. ==Arrival in and conquest of Costa Rica and Nicaragua== In June 1519, King Carlos gave his consent to the expedition. González and Niño immediately departed for the Indies, and then proceeded to Acla in Panama, arriving in January 1520. González presented his royal commission to the governor of Panama, authorizing him to examine the tax records of the colony of Panama and prepare the expedition for exploration of the Pacific coast of Central America. The governor, known as Pedrarias, resented this scrutiny of his taxing authority and encroachment on territory for which he had his own plans. He blocked investigation of the taxes, and inhibited Gonzalez's efforts to obtain seaworthy ships, supplies, and men for the expedition. Unable to acquire ships, González and Niño began construction of four brigantines on Terarequi in the Pearl Islands, in the gulf of Panama. On January 26, 1522, the expedition left from Terarequi but was forced to land in western Panama after four days because of leaking ships. González disembarked with the main body of the army, and marched northwest along the coast and into southern Nicaragua. Niño, after making repairs, sailed along the coast until he reached a gulf along the Nicaraguan coast, where the army and fleet were reunited. It was agreed that Niño would leave two ships there and continue north along the coast with the other two to search for a strait or channel that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. While González continued by land, Niño sailed by the coast "in sight" of the landed party. Cereceda´s records indicate they baptized hundreds of natives and obtained a substantial amount of gold, and pearls. They arrived at a pleasant bay that they named San Vicente (current Caldera) in Costa Rica. The continue North to the territories of Nicoya where they found the largest concentration of native Americans. From Cereceda's account, the Nicoyans did not put any resistance and more than 6000 people were baptized, and more gold and pearls were obtained. González continued North and would eventually discover and take formal possession of the bay of Corinto, and then the Gulf of Fonseca, which he named in honor of their patron, bishop Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca. González proceeded to explore the fertile western valleys and was impressed with the Indian civilization he found there. He discovered the lakes later named Nicaragua and Managua. He and his small army gathered gold and baptized Indians along the way. Eventually, they so imposed upon the Indians that they were attacked and threatened with annihilation. Nevertheless, González managed to extricate his force and retreat to the gulf where his ships were anchored. They boarded the ships and headed south. In June 1523, González returned to Panama with 3 leaky ships, 100 exhausted men, and considerable gold. He told of his "discovery" of "Nicaragua" and its people, cities, and wealth. He named the territory after an Indian king "Nic-atl-nauac", which was rendered in Spanish as "Nicarao". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gil González Dávila」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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