Spanish soldier and traveler, born in the province of Alava, Spain, about 1495. He went to Darien when very young, and in 1522 became inspector-general of the Indians on the isthmus. The same year he heard of a province farther south, called Peru, and he set out for that place; but before he reached the empire of the Incas, a serious illness forced him to return to Panama. It was through the information received from him that Francisco Pizarro was sent to conquer Peru. Andagoya was banished in 1529 by the governor to Santo Domingo, but returned a few years later as lieutenant to the new governor, and acted as agent to the conquerors of Peru until 1536, when he was sent back to Spain. In 1540 he became governor of the country around the San Juan River, but owing to a dispute with a neighboring governor, went back to Spain. He returned five years later to Manta, Peru, where he died on the 18th of June 1548. His account of his travels is the standard historical work for its period.
