Pánfilo de Narváez

Pánfilo de Narváez
Born1470 or 1478
Spain
Died1528 (age 50 or 58)
Gulf of Mexico
Cause of deathDrowning
NationalitySpanish
Occupation(s)Spanish conquistador and explorer
EmployerSpain
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Signature

Pánfilo de Narváez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpaɱfilo ðe naɾˈβaeθ]; born 1470 or 1478, died 1528) was a Spanish conquistador and soldier in the Americas. Born in Spain, he first sailed to the island of Jamaica (then Santiago) in 1510 as a soldier. Pánfilo participated in the conquest of Cuba and led an expedition to Camagüey, escorting Bartolomé de las Casas.

He is best remembered as the leader of two failed expeditions, the first of which began in 1519 and ended in 1520 after defeat and capture in battle against Hernán Cortés. Pánfilo's second expedition, the Narváez expedition, began in 1527 and ended for him with his death the following year. Only four men returned from it, reaching present-day Mexico City in 1536. He was named an adelantado by King Carlos V before embarking on that final expedition.