Juan Vásquez de Coronado

Juan Vásquez de Coronado y Anaya (Salamanca, 1523 – Sanlúcar de Barrameda, 1565) was a Spanish conquistador, remembered especially for his role in the colonization of Costa Rica, in Central America, where he gained a reputation for fairness, effective administration, and good relationships with the native population. He was a nephew of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado y Luján, who explored the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542.

By a decree given at Aranjuez by King Philip II of Spain on April 8, 1565, Juan Vásquez de Coronado was appointed as the first royal governor and first Adelantado (a hereditary title) of the province of Costa Rica, but his ship disappeared in a storm off the coast of southern Spain while he was on his way to receive his appointments from the monarch. He was married to Isabel, a daughter of Pedro Arias Dávila, the principal conqueror of Panamá. The Vásquez de Coronado Canton, one of the administrative divisions of the Province of San José, in the Republic Costa Rica, was named in his honor.

Juan Vásquez de Coronado was born in Salamanca, Spain, the bastard son of a prominent nobleman, Gonzalo Vásquez de Coronado y Luján (c. 1500 – Valladolid, 1540), sixth Lord of Coquilla and la Torre de Juan Vásquez, perpetual Alguacil-Mayor of the Royal Audiencia (i.e., appellate court) of Valladolid, by an extramatrimonial relationship with Catalina de Anaya, from whom there are no further details but undoubtedly belonged to one of the most principal families of Salamanca.

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