Gonzalo García Zorro
Gonzalo García Zorro (c. 1500 – 1566) was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca people. García Zorro was encomendero (mayor) of Santa Fe de Bogotá for seven terms, and received the encomiendas of Fusagasugá and Fosca.
Gonzalo García Zorro | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1500 Guadalcanal, Extremadura, Spain |
| Died | 1566 (aged 65–66) Santa Fe de Bogotá, New Kingdom of Granada |
| Cause of death | Duel with Alonso Venegas Carrillo |
| Nationality | Castilian |
| Occupations | Conquistador |
| Years active | 1536–1544 |
| Employer | Spanish Crown |
| Known for | Spanish conquest of the Muisca |
| Spouse(s) | Luisa (indigenous) Margarita (indigenous from Tunja) Francisca Pimentel Treceno |
| Children | Francisca García Zorro (daughter) Gonzalo and Diego García Zorro (sons) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Antonio García Zorro (brother) Unnamed (sister) |
| Encomendero of Bogotá | |
| In office 1544–1545 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Ruiz de Orejuela |
| Succeeded by | Juan Ruiz de Orejuela |
| In office 1545–1546 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Ruiz de Orejuela |
| Succeeded by | Juan de Céspedes |
| In office 1548–1548 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Muñoz de Collantes |
| Succeeded by | Juan Ruiz de Orejuela |
| In office 1550–1551 | |
| Preceded by | Juan de Avellaneda |
| Succeeded by | Juan de Avellaneda |
| In office 1553–1554 | |
| Preceded by | Juan de Rivera |
| Succeeded by | Juan Tafur |
| In office 1556–1556 | |
| Preceded by | Antonio Ruiz |
| Succeeded by | Domingo Lozano |
| In office 1564–1564 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Ruiz de Orejuela |
| Succeeded by | Andrés de Molina |
| Notes | |
He married three times, twice with Muisca women, and had one daughter, Francisca, and a son, Diego. García Zorro died of wounds he suffered in a duel with Alonso Venegas. Venegas was the son of fellow conquistador Hernán Venegas Carrillo and the grandson through his mother of Sagipa, the last zipa (leader) of the Muisca, whom García Zorro had helped to kill.
Knowledge of the life of García Zorro comes from the works Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias (1589) and El Carnero (1638), by Juan de Castellanos and Juan Rodríguez Freyle respectively.