Gil González Dávila

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 or contador.

By 1514, the Hispaniola treasury staff put in place by Ferdinand, included Gil, who had replaced Cristóbal de Cuéllar as contador, Miguel de Pasamonte, who had been named treasurer general of the Indies in April 1508, and Juan Martinez de Ampies as factor.

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.

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.

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