Spanish navigator, born at Lebrija, Asturias, in 1470; died in 1516. Little is known of his earlier voyages, but it is probable that he was with Gonçalo Coelho in his explorations of the Brazilian coast in 1503. Three years after, he accompanied Pinzon in an exploration of the coasts of Central America, and in 1508, again with Pinzon, he coasted along South America and entered the bay of Rio Janeiro. In 1512, after the death of Vespucci, he was appointed chief pilot of Spain, and sent upon an expedition to seek a southwestern passage to the Indies. He entered the Plata River, but, landing on an island, was killed by the Charruas Indians. The Plata was for some time called Rio de Solís, though it is probable that he was not its first discoverer.
