Alonso de Ojeda

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Alonso de Ojeda
Oil Portrait of Alonso de Ojeda, located at the Colombian Academy of History, Bogotá.
Born	c. 1466 Torrejoncillo del Rey, Castile
Died	c. 1515 Santo Domingo, Spanish West Indies
Nationality	Spanish
Occupation	Explorer
Known for	Naming Venezuela, first European to visit Lake Maracaibo, founder of Santa Cruz, Venezuela (La Guairita)

Alonso de Ojeda (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈlonso ðe oˈxeða]; c. 1466 – c. 1515) was a Spanish explorer, governor and conquistador. He travelled through modern-day Guyana, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Curaçao, Aruba and Colombia, at times with Amerigo Vespucci and Juan de la Cosa. He is famous for having named Venezuela, which he explored during his first two expeditions, for having been the first European to visit Guyana, Curaçao, Colombia, and Lake Maracaibo, and later for founding Santa Cruz (La Guairita).