Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada Jiménez de Quesada, Gonzalo
(gōnthäˈlō hēmāˈnĕth dā kāsäˈħä) [key], c.1499–1579, Spanish
conquistador in Colombia. Chief magistrate of Santa Marta, he
was commissioned to explore the Magdalena in search of El
Dorado. He set out in 1536, and after incredible hardships he
defeated the Chibcha and founded (1538) Bogotá as capital of the
New Kingdom of Granada (see New Granada). A hard taskmaster but
an able leader, Quesada wavered between humane and brutal
treatment of the native population. He obtained fabulous amounts
of emeralds and gold. Meeting Federmann and Benalcázar, who
claimed the same territory, Quesada persuaded them to return
with him to Spain, where settlement could be made. There he was
ignored until 1550, when he was appointed marshal of New Granada
and councilor of Bogotá for life. In 1569, still seeking El
Dorado, he led a lavishly equipped expedition to the confluence
of the Guaviare and Orinoco; he and what remained of his company
returned wasted and penniless after