death_date death_place birth_place birth_date article_title name occupation
1560 asunción , paraguay espinosa de los monteros , spain 1508 juan de salazar de espinosa
 juan de salazar y espinosa spanish soldier
juan de salazar de espinosa

juan de salazar y espinosa -lrb- 1508 -- 1560 -rrb- was a spanish explorer , founder of the paraguayan city of asunción .
born in the city of espinosa de los monteros in burgos , spain , not much is known about his early life .
on august 1535 he set sail from the spanish port of sanlúcar de barrameda -lrb- cadiz -rrb- as a member of the expeditionary pedro de mendoza , who set sail towards the region of the río de la plata , arriving to the estuary of the rio de la plata in january 1536 .
after assisting pedro de mendoza in the first foundation of buenos aires , juan de salazar y espinoza was then sent to look for juan de ayolas , who had been sent earlier by pedro de mendoza to explore the northern rivers of the paraná and paraguay river .
he managed to find another member of ayolas ' party , domingo martínez de irala , holed up in the puerto de la candelaria , which was founded by ayolas earlier in february 1537 .
while continuing his trip in the search of ayolas , he founded a fort on the eastern banks of the paraguay river which he named `` our lady of asunción '' , due to coincidence of that day , august 15 , being the christian celebration of the assumption of mary .
he then traveled as far as san pedro to look for ayolas , only to find that he had been killed by the chaco indians .
juan de salazar y espinosa is credited for having founded the first permanent european settlement in this region of the río de la plata : asunción , which would become the capital of paraguay .
in 1544 , he was expelled to spain for having taken sides along the disgraced former governor of the río de la plata , Álvar núñez cabeza de vaca .
he returned to the region three years later , this time around as a treasurer to the vice-royalty , undertaking a distinguished public career in the region known as paraguay .
he died in the 1560 in the city he had founded , asunción .
