a judge in Hispianola, was sent by the Spanish administration to succor the San Sebastian settlement on the coast of the Gulf of Darien. The explorer Alonso de Ojeda had founded the colony earlier that year. However, Encisco was unable to bring order to the fledgling colony’s colonists, who had been ravaged by attacks from native Indians and hunger. Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who arrived as a stowaway on Encisco’s ship, turned out to be a dynamic and charismatic leader.
