View source for Castilla de Oro

{{short description|Name given by the Spanish settlers to Central American territories}}
[[File:Castilla del Oro.jpg|thumb|290px|Castilla del Oro mapped in 1550 by [[Amerigo Vespucci]]]]

'''Castilla de Oro''' or '''del Oro''' ({{IPA|es|kasˈtiʎa ðe ˈoɾo|lang}}) was the name given by the [[Spaniards|Spanish]] settlers at the beginning of the 16th century to the [[Central America]]n territories from the [[Gulf of Urabá]], near today's [[Colombia]]n-[[Panama]]nian [[Colombia–Panama border|border]], to the [[Belén River]] in Panama. Beyond that river, the region was known as [[Veragua]], and was disputed by the Spanish crown along with the [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]] family. The name "Castilla de Oro" was made official in May 1513 by King [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]], then regent of the [[Crown of Castile]].

After [[Vasco Núñez de Balboa]]'s discovery of the [[Pacific Ocean]], Castilla de Oro's jurisdiction was broadened to include the Pacific coasts of Panama, [[Costa Rica]], and [[Nicaragua]].

With the creation, in 1527, of the {{ill|Province of Nicaragua|es|Provincia de Nicaragua}}, which included today's Nicaragua as well as the [[Nicoya Peninsula]], Castilla de Oro's jurisdiction was reduced. In 1537, once the conflict between the crown and the Columbus family was settled, Castilla de Oro was split up, divided by the [[Duchy of Veragua]].

The western portion, which comprised most of Panama's and Costa Rica's Pacific coasts, was merged in 1540 with [[Royal Veragua]], to create the Province of [[Nuevo Cartago y Costa Rica]].

The eastern part, the last remnant of Castilla de Oro, in time became known as the '''Realm of Tierra Firme''', or '''Panamá''', especially after the creation of the Royal Academy of Panamá in 1538.  In 1560, the new Province of Veragua, created by [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] out of the now defunct Duchy of Veragua, was merged with Castilla de Oro.

== Governors of Castilla del Oro, 1514–1540 ==
*1514–1526 [[Pedrarias Dávila|Pedro Arias Dávila]], Governor<ref name="Andagoya">{{cite book|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Narrative_of_the_Proceedings_of_Pedrarias_Davila/Narrative_of_Pascual_de_Andagoya|title=Narrative of the Proceedings of Pedrarias Davila|first=Pascual de|last=Andagoya|publisher=The Hakluyt Society|page=38 |access-date=21 June 2019|via=Wikisource}}</ref>
*1526–1529 [[Pedro de los Ríos y Gutiérrez de Aguayo]], Governor<ref name="Andagoya" />
*1529–1532 [[Antonio de la Gama]], Interim Governor
*1533–1536 [[Francisco de Barrionuevo]], Governor
*1536–1539 [[Pedro Vázquez de Acuña]], Governor
*1539 [[Francisco Pérez de Robles]], President of the [[Royal Audiencia of Panama|Audiencia of Panama]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Spanish Empire}}
{{coord missing|Nicaragua}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castilla De Oro}}
[[Category:Colonial Central America]]
[[Category:History of Central America]]
[[Category:History of Nicaragua]]
[[Category:Colonial Panama]]
[[Category:Audencia of Guatemala]]
[[Category:Spanish colonization of the Americas]]
[[Category:1513 establishments in the Spanish Empire]]

{{CostaRica-geo-stub}}
{{Nicaragua-geo-stub}}
{{Panama-geo-stub}}