# List of conquistadors in Colombia

This is a list of conquistadors who were active in the conquest of terrains that presently belong to Colombia. The nationalities listed refer to the state the conquistador was born into. Granada and Castile are currently part of Spain, but were separate states at the time of birth of the early conquistadors.
Important conquistadors and explorers were Alonso de Ojeda, who landed first at Colombian soil and founded the first settlement Santa Cruz, Rodrigo de Bastidas, who founded the oldest still remaining city Santa Marta, Pedro de Heredia, who founded the important city of Cartagena in 1533, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, who was the leader of the first and main expedition into the Andes (1536–1538), with his brother second in command and many other conquistadors, 80% of whom who didn't survive, and Nikolaus Federmann and Sebastián de Belalcázar who entered the Colombian interior from the northwest and south respectively.

## Conquistadors in Colombia

| Name leader in bold | Nationality | Years active | Indigenous people encountered bold is conquered conquest failed | Year of death |
| Alonso de Ojeda | Castilian | 1499–1502 1509–10 | Wayuu Kuna (2) | 1515 |
| Christopher Columbus | Genovese | 1502–1504 | Kuna (1) | 1506 |
| Francisco Pizarro | Extremaduran | 1509–10 1513 1515–29 | Kuna (2, 3, 4) Inca | 1541 |
| Martín Fernández de Enciso | Castilian | 1509–10 1513–17 | Kuna (2, 3) | 1528 |
| Vasco Núñez de Balboa | Extremaduran | 1513–19 | Kuna (3) | 1519 |
| Pedro Arias Dávila | Castilian | 1513–19 | Kuna (3) | 1531 |
| Pascual de Andagoya | Basque | 1515–29 | Kuna (4), Inca | 1548 |
| Diego de Almagro | Castilian | 1515–29 | Kuna (4) Inca | 1538 |
| Bartolomé Ruiz | Castilian | 1515–29 | Kuna (4) | 1532 |
| Sebastián de Belalcázar | Castilian | 1514–39 | Paez Pijao (1) Sutagao (1) Muisca | 1551 |
| Jorge Robledo | Castilian | 1514–46 | Paez Pijao (1) Nutabe | 1546 |
| Juan de Ampudia | Castilian | 1514–41 | Paez, Pijao (1), Nutabe | 1541 |
| Pedro de Añasco | Castilian | 1514–41 | Paez, Pijao (1) | |
| Baltasar Maldonado | Castilian | 1534–52 | Inca, Paez, Pijao (1), Quimbaya, Pantágora, Muisca, Choque, Inga, Kamëntsá | 1552 |
| Rodrigo de Bastidas | Castilian | 1524–25 | Tairona | 1527 |
| Juan de Céspedes | Castilian | 1525–43 | Tairona, Chimila (1, 2) Muisca Panche (1), Sutagao (1) | 1573 or 1576 |
| Ambrosius Ehinger | Bavarian | 1529–33 | Tairona, Wayuu Chimila (1), Motilon (1), Chitarero (1) | 1533 |
| Pedro de Heredia | Castilian | 1532–38 | Zenú | 1554 |
| Alonso de Heredia | Castilian | 1532–38 | Zenú | |
| Alonso de Cáceres | Extremaduran | 1532–38 | Zenú | |
| Georg von Speyer | Palatinatian | 1535–38 | Motilon (2) Chitarero (1) | 1540 |
| Nikolaus Federmann | Bavarian | 1535–39 | Motilon (2), Chitarero (1) U'wa, Lache (1) Muisca | 1542 |
| Miguel Holguín y Figueroa | Extremaduran | 1535–39 | Motilon (2), Chitarero (1), U'wa, Lache (1), Muisca | 1576> |
| Luis Lanchero | Castilian | 1533–39 1541–1559 | Muzo | 1562 |
| Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada | Granadian | 1536–39 1569–72 | Tairona, Chimila (2) zipa zaque Panche Pijao (2) | 1579 |
| Juan Maldonado | Castilian | 1536–39 1569–72 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Panche, Pijao (2) | |
| Pedro Ruíz Corredor | Castilian | 1533–1601 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Inca | 1601+ |
| Juan de Albarracín | Castilian | 1536–1539 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Panche | |
| Juan Tafur | Castilian | 1518–1541 | Tairona, Chimila (1,2), Muisca, Panche | |
| Martín Yañéz Tafur | Castilian | 1520–1544 | Zenú, Kuna, Panche | |
| Antonio Díaz de Cardoso | Portuguese | 1526–41 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Panche | |
| Gonzalo García Zorro | Extremaduran | 1536–1544 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Panche | 1566 |
| Gonzalo Macías | Extremaduran | 1536–39 1569–71 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Panche, Pijao (2) | 1571~ |
| Hernán Pérez de Quesada | Granadian | 1536–39 1540–42 | Tairona, Chimila (2) Muisca, Panche Lache (2), Chitarero (3) Achagua, Guayupe, Choque, Inga, Kamëntsá | 1544 |
| Gonzalo Suárez Rendón | Castilian | 1536–39 | Tairona, Chimila (2) zipa, Panche zaque | 1590 |
| Juan del Junco | Asturian | 1536–41 | Tairona, Chimila (2) Muisca | 15?? |
| Martín Galeano | Extremaduran | 1536–39 1540–45 | Tairona, Chimila (2) Muisca, Panche Muzo | 1554~ |
| Lázaro Fonte | Castilian | 1536–39 1540–42 | Tairona, Chimila (2) Muisca, Panche Lache (2), Guayupe | 1542 |
| Juan de Sanct Martín | Castilian | 1536–39 1540–45 | Tairona, Chimila (2) Muisca, Panche Guane Achagua | |
| Hernán Venegas Carrillo | Castilian | 1536–47 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Panche | 1583 |
| Ortún Velázquez de Velasco | Castilian | 1536–39 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Panche, Chitarero (2) | 1584 |
| Bartolomé Camacho Zambrano | Extremaduran | 1536–39 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Panche | |
| Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela | Castilian | 1536–39 | Tairona, Chimila (2), Muisca, Panche | |
| 640+ conquistadors ~80% | mostly Castilian | April 1536 - April 1537 | Diseases, jaguars, crocodiles, climate, various indigenous warfare | 1536 1537 |
| Gaspar de Rodas | Extremaduran | 1539–81 | Paez Pijao Nutabe | 1607 |
| Juan Maldonado | Castilian | 1543–72 | Chitarero (4) | 1572 |
| Pedro de Ursúa | Navarran | 1545–61 | Panche Muzo Chitarero (5) Tairona | 1561 |
| Juan Taborda | Extremaduran | 1545–69 | Nutabe | 1569 |
| Juan Freyle | Castilian | | Panche Muzo Chitarero (5) Tairona | |