Adelantado Adelantado ( ) was a title held by Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages . It was later used as a military title held by some Spanish " conquistador es " of the 15th , 16th and 17th centuries . " Adelantados " were granted directly by the Monarch the right to become governors and justices of a specific region , which they were charged with conquering , in exchange for funding and organizing the initial explorations , settlements and pacification of the target area on behalf of the Crown of Castile . These areas were usually outside of the jurisdiction of an existing " audiencia " or viceroy , and " adelantados " were authorized to communicate directly with the Council of the Indies . The " reconquista " . The term has its origins in the " reconquista " . The term comes from the phrase " por adelantado " ( Spanish : " in advance " , although translations stating " one who goes before " and " the forward man " are also found ) , which in turn is a calque of the Arabic term " al - muqaddám " . As early as the 11th century a few Castilian and Navarrese documents use the word , but do not specify the powers or duties of the office . The earliest definitely known " adelentado " was appointed by Alfonso X in 1253 in the recently conquered territory of " " La Frontera " " ( Andalusia ) . However the office had precedents in the duties and rights held by some officers of the Navarrese dynasty of Castile and León , and Álvar Fáñez or Fortún Sánchez in the Ebro valley performed similar services in detached territories beyond the frontier . It was during this time that the Siete Partidas , commissioned by Alfonso X , more precisely identified the powers of the office . That law code created the position of an " adelantado mayor " , who was at the same time an intermediary appellate judge , located in the judicial hierarchy between local justices and the king ' s court , and an executive officer , who as a direct representative of the king , was charged with implementing royal orders in his assigned area . Most appointees were from the upper nobility or the royal family . After its success in Andalusia , the institution was introduced in the northern areas of the peninsula , merging with , and becoming indistinguishable from an older judicial office , the Royal " Merinos " . Overseas . Beyond the peninsula the term " adelantado " was granted to Alonso Fernández de Lugo in the conquest of the Canary Islands and was confirmed to members of his family . The term became modified over time . During the colonization of the Americas and Spanish East Indies ( Asia ) , each charter specified different powers to each " adelantado " , sometimes in a vague manner , which often lead to confusion , as in the case between Juan de Oñate and the Viceroy of New Spain . The title was also granted both as an inheritable title and one that lasted for one life only . With the publication of the Ordinances Concerning Discoveries ( " Ordenanzas de descubrimientos , nueva población y pacificación de las Indias " ) in 1573 , the attributes of " adelantados " became regularized , although the title was granted with much less frequency after this date , especially since the institutions of " audiencias " , governors and viceroys had been developed . Nevertheless , the Ordinances are useful because they illustrate the faculties " adelantados " often had . The Ordinances established that " adelantados " , in their capacity as governors and justices of the new territories , had the right to hear civil and criminal cases in appeal , to name the " regidores " and employees of the " cabildos " of any towns founded , to name interim treasury officials , to issue ordinances on the use of land and mines , to establish districts , and to organize militia s and name their captains . The first use of the title " adelantado " in the Americas was by Bartolomeo Columbus , brother of Christopher Columbus , who governed Hispaniola under this title during his brother ' s absence from 1494 to 1498 . It was later inherited by Diego Colón after much litigation . Other conquistadors who were granted the title include :