El murciano Juan López procurador general de Tunja y líder de la revuelta neogranadina contra las Leyes Nuevas

Abstract

The Murcian Juan López (García de Lerma's collaborator in his campaigns in the region of Santa Marta and later on Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesad's felow in the memorable entrance through the Magdalena River in 1536 and in the consequent exploration, conquest and settlement on the high Andean plateau in Bogotá) deserves a historian's attention unknown until now given the recent interest in the figure of Quesada and other outstanding conquistadors. These pages are a first attempt to rescue López from the shadows of the oblivion. He was a native of a Santiago remote small town of Moratalla, emigrant to the Indies around 1528, cofounder of Santa Fe, Tunja and solicitor of this letter, excellent manager, in charge of Sachica and leader of the insurrection of the conquistador's from the New Reign on behalf of a redistribution of lands and commands favourable to them and against, the protecting New Laws of the Indian, linking this last movement clearly secessionist to Gonzalo Pizarro's rising in Perú, López -apart from is enlighting unsufficiently known aspects of the conquest and foundation of the New Reign of Granada- very well personifies the XVI C-Spanish conquistador with his virtues and defects.