born Feb. 15, 1519, Avilés, Spain
died Sept. 17, 1574, Santander
Spanish conquistador.
He ran away to sea at 14 and rose to captain of the Indies fleet (155463). He was sent to Florida to establish a colony and remove a potential threat to Spain's American possessions posed by a French settlement on the St. Johns River. In 1565 he entered the bay of St. Augustine, where he built a fort. He attacked the French colony at Fort Caroline and massacred its entire population, calling its members heretics. He then explored the Atlantic coast and built a string of forts, firmly establishing Spain's control of Florida.