Alonso de Ojeda
Spanish explorer who named Venezuela and led early expeditions.
Alonso de Ojeda (c. 1466 – c. 1515) was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is known for naming Venezuela during his first two expeditions, and for being the first European to visit Guyana, Curaçao, Colombia (La Guajira), and Lake Maracaibo. He later founded Santa Cruz (La Guairita) and also traveled to Trinidad, Tobago, and Aruba. On some of his voyages, he traveled with Amerigo Vespucci and Juan de la Cosa. Ojeda belonged to the early wave of Spanish conquistadors in the Americas.
Ojeda was born in Torrejoncillo del Rey, New Castile, around 1466. His father, Rodrigo de Huete, was a minor noble who fought for Isabel during the War of the Castilian Succession in 1474. Grateful for his support, Isabel placed Alonso under her protection. As a young man, he served the Duke of Medinaceli, Luis de la Cerda, and distinguished himself in the conquest of Granada through his military skill, swordsmanship, and bravery. He was small in stature, clever, and handsome. It was said he was always the first to draw blood in a fight. According to Bartolomé de las Casas, Ojeda combined in his person all the bodily perfections a man could have, despite his small size.
After Columbus’s first voyage, a second, larger fleet was organized by Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca. Medinaceli had been a patron of both Columbus and Ojeda, so it is not surprising that Ojeda, still relatively young, was chosen to captain one of the ships. Fonseca was also impressed with Ojeda and later became his most important patron. The fleet sailed for Hispaniola in September 1493 and reached the Caribbean in November. At Guadalupe, a landing party went missing. Suspecting the islanders were cannibals, Columbus sent Ojeda ashore with armed men to search. The missing group eventually returned on their own, but Ojeda’s search uncovered further evidence that the Caribs practiced cannibalism.
They reached Hispaniola at the end of November and found the fort Navidad in ruins, with all Spaniards left behind dead. Local natives blamed a cacique named Caonabo. The Spanish began exploring and built a settlement called Isabela. In January 1494, Columbus sent a small armed party led by Ojeda to search for gold in the mountainous Cibao region. Ojeda returned two weeks later with several substantial gold nuggets and reported that much gold was there. In March 1494, Columbus led nearly 500 men to explore Ci
- born
- c. 1466, Torrejoncillo del Rey, New Castile
- died
- c. 1515
- field
- Exploration, conquest, governance
- nationality
- Spanish
- known_for
- Naming Venezuela; first European to visit Guyana, Curaçao, Colombia (La Guajira) and Lake Maracaibo; founding Santa Cruz (La Guairita)
Lore & Background
Alonso de Ojeda was born in Torrejoncillo del Rey, New Castile around 1466. His father, Rodrigo de Huete, was a minor noble who fought for Isabel during the War of the Castilian Succession. Isabel put young Alonso under her protection. In his youth, he served the Duke of Medinaceli, Luis de la Cerda, and distinguished himself in the conquest of Granada with his military abilities, skill as a swordsman and bravery. According to Bartolomé de las Casas, he combined 'in his person all the bodily perfections that man could have, despite his small size.'
Ojeda sailed with Columbus's second fleet to Hispaniola in 1493. There he led searches for missing men and for gold, and captured the cacique Caonabo using a ruse with polished brass manacles. He also took part in the battle of Vega Real, where under his command the Spanish were victorious against a much larger native force. After returning to Spain in 1496, he was commissioned by the Catholic Monarchs to sail again, without Columbus's permission. On 18 May 1499 he left with three caravels, accompanied by Juan de la Cosa and Amerigo Vespucci. During this voyage he explored the coast of Venezuela, entered the Gulf of Venezuela, and named the region Venezuela—either because palafito houses reminded Vespucci of Venice, or from a local term 'Veneciuela.' He also reached Lake Maracaibo and Cabo de la Vela.
Reader's Guide
Alonso de Ojeda's significance lies in his role as one of the earliest Spanish explorers to systematically reconnoiter the northern coast of South America. His 1499 voyage, the first of the so-called 'minor journeys' or 'Andalusian journeys,' established sustained contact with indigenous peoples along the Venezuelan coast and gave Juan de la Cosa the chance to draw the first known map of that area. Ojeda is credited with leading the second European expedition to visit Venezuela and the first to visit Colombia. His naming of Venezuela—whether inspired by Venice or derived from a local term—has endured as the country's name. However, his legacy is also marked by brutality: his punishment of a local cacique by cutting off his ears turned friendly tribes against the Spanish, and he participated in the enslavement of some 1500 natives after a rebellion. His expeditions often yielded poor economic returns, but they expanded geographic knowledge and paved the way for later Spanish colonization. The disputes his voyages caused with Columbus's followers highlight the competitive and often violent nature of early Spanish exploration.
Did You Know?
- Ojeda was reputed to be always the first to draw blood in any fight.
- He captured the cacique Caonabo by convincing him to wear polished brass manacles as a symbol of royalty.
- The name 'Venezuela' may derive from a local population calling themselves 'Veneciuela' according to Martín Fernández de Enciso.
- Ojeda's 1499 expedition gave Juan de la Cosa the chance to draw the first known map of the area now known as Venezuela.
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