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Juan de Cavallón Arboleda
(c. 1524–65)

Biographical

Alcalde Mayor of Nicaragua 1553

A conquistador of Costa Rica, Cavallón studied canon law at the University of Alcalá and then sailed to the Indies as part of the fleet headed for Veraguas under the command of Juan Pérez de Cabrera. In 1557, he was appointed as an oidor (judge) of the Royal Audiencia of Santo Domingo. Two years later, in 1559, he was transferred to the Audiencia of Guadalajara. In 1560, the Audiencia of the Confines, to which he belonged, appointed him as the mayor alcalde of the provinces of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Nueva Cartago. He organised an expedition from Nicaragua to conquer Costa Rica which was funded by the Franciscan friar Juan de Estrada Rávago. Upon reaching Costa Rican territory, he established the settlement of Real de la Ceniza near the Río Machuca and led expeditions that explored the Valle de la Cruz and the Valle de Landecho. He also founded a temporary settlement in Guetar territory, which he named Castillo de Garcimuñoz. Later, he was promoted to the position of prosecutor, first to the Audiencia of Guatemala in 1563 and then to the Audiencia of Mexico in 1564, where he served until his death.

Place of birth: Castillo de Garcimuñóz

He was married to Leonor de Barahona and had issue.

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