Quarrel for the Gold

What it is

This illustration by Frederick A. Ober depicts a confrontation between Spanish conquistadors and an indigenous leader over gold, during which the leader's son, Panquiaco, is said to have told the Spaniards of a sea to the south, sparking Balboa's search for the Pacific Ocean.

Why it matters

The scene points to a pivotal moment that led Balboa toward his famous 1513 crossing of the Isthmus of Panama. It also shows the tensions and violence between Spanish colonizers and indigenous peoples over wealth and land, a theme central to the history of early colonization.

Look closer

• What does the drawn sword and scattered gold in the scene suggest about the relationship between the two groups?
• Whose perspective does this illustration seem to favor, and what might be left out?
• How might this moment have been remembered differently by Panquiaco's people than by the Spanish?