Tierra Firma

Province of Tierra Firme
Provincia de Tierra Firme
Spanish colony
1510–1537
Cross of Burgundy
Spanish map of the Tierra Firme
Capital		Santa María la Antigua del Darién Panama City
Languages		Spanish
Religion		Roman Catholicism
Government		Monarchy
King
•	1516–1556	Charles I
Historical era		Spanish Empire
•	Established	1510
•	Creation of the Viceroyalty of Peru	1537
Currency		Peso
Preceded by Succeeded by Indigenous peoples of the Americas Viceroyalty of Peru Captaincy General of Venezuela

Cross of Burgundy

During Spain's New World Empire, its mainland coastal possessions surrounding the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico were referred to collectively as the Spanish Main. The southern portion of these coastal possessions were known as the Province of Tierra Firme, or the "Mainland province" (as contrasted with Spain's nearby insular colonies).

In 1509, authority was granted to Alonso de Ojeda and Diego de Nicuesa to colonize the territories between the west side of the Gulf of Urabá and Cabo de la Vela, and Urabá westward to Cabo Gracias a Dios in present-day Honduras. The westernmost portion was given the name Tierra Firme. Other provinces of this region during this era were Nueva Andalucia and Veragua or Castilla del Oro; the main city in Tierra Firme was Santa Maria La Antigua del Darién, now Darién, Panama, near at mouth of the Tarena river. The idea was to create a unitary administrative organization similar to Nueva España (now Mexico), near the Captaincy General of Guatemala.