Governorate of New Andalusia (1501–1513)

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Governorate of New Andalusia (and Coquivacoa)
Tierra Firme
1501–1513
Flag
Lesser Royal Coat of Arms of Spain (c.1504-1580) Variant without the Arms of Granada.svg
Coat of arms
Tierra Firme Coquivacoa.PNG
Tierra Firme: Castilla de Oro and New Andalucia (with Coquivacoa)
Status Governorate of Castile (Spanish Empire)
Capital Santa Cruz
Common languages Spanish
Religion
Roman Catholicism
GovernmentMonarchy
List of Castilian monarchs  
Historical era Spanish Empire
 Established
1501
 Creation the Great Governorate of Castilla de Oro.
1513
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blank.png Province of Tierra Firme
Castilla de Oro Blank.png

The Governorate of New Andalusia (Spanish : Gobernación de Nueva Andalucía, pronounced [ɡoβeɾnaˈθjondeˈnweβaandaluˈθi.a] ) was a Spanish colonial entity in what today constitutes the Caribbean coastal territories from Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, and the islands of what today are Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The Government of Nueva Andalucia was set in Venezuela from 1501 to 1513.

History

In 1501, Alonso de Ojeda colonized the mainland of present-day Venezuela, and received the Governorate of New Andalusia (Coquivacoa), between Cabo de la Vela and Isla Margarita (island). This was territory originally seen by Christopher Columbus.

On May 3, 1502 Ojeda founded the town of Santa Cruz in the Guajira Peninsula, the first Spanish colony in the future Province of Tierra Firme. The settlements were later abandoned for new explorations.

In 1509, authority was granted to Alonso de Ojeda to colonize the territories between Cabo de la Vela and the Gulf of Urabá as part of the Governorate of New Andalusia.

The Governorate of New Andalusia territories were further unified in May 1513 with the Governorate of Castilla de Oro.

See also