Las primeras campañas militares en Tierra Firme: Historia de los combates en el Darién (1508-1519)

This work focuses on the tragic history of the initial Spanish operations in the continental territory of the West Indies, near the frontier between Panama and Colombia. It was tragic for the indigenous people, who were victims of a conflict resulting in the depopulation of the area, and for the Europeans too, as their venture failed. Led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the conquerors strengthened friendly relations with some local powers from the Santa María bridgehead, crushing all resistance. The arrival of Pedrarias Dávila marked a significant change in their plans, amidst lawsuits, shipwrecks, illnesses, and starvation. Instead of conquest campaigns, there were numerous raids whose true objective was to plunder the gold of the natives and capture them for enslavement. The enterprise cost thousands of lives and yielded no lasting strategic results; Núñez de Balboa was executed, and the city he helped found was abandoned to the relentless jungle.