Balboa Crosses Darién and Sights the Pacific
On 25 September 1513 Vasco Núñez de Balboa led a party of Spaniards and indigenous guides across the Isthmus of Darién and became the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean from the Americas. Balboa waded into the waters in full armour, claiming the 'South Sea' and all lands it touched for the Castilian Crown. The crossing proved that a vast ocean separated America from Asia, finally disproving Columbus's belief that the two were connected, and pointed toward the possibility of a circumnavigation. Balboa was subsequently executed for treason by his rival Pedrarias Dávila.
- Year: 1513 CE
- Category: Political
