Gonzalo García Zorro

Gonzalo García Zorro (circa 1500 – 1566) was a Spanish conquistador who participated in the Spanish conquest of the Muisca. García Zorro was encomendero of Santa Fe de Bogotá for seven terms, and received the encomiendas of Fusagasugá and Fosca.

He married three times, twice with an Muisca woman, and got a daughter, Francisca, and a son Diego. Gonzalo García Zorro died of wounds he suffered in a duel with Alonso Venegas, the son of fellow conquistador Hernán Venegas Carrillo and a daughter of Sagipa, the last zipa of the Muisca, García Zorro helped killing.

Knowledge about the life of García Zorro has been provided in the works Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias (1589) and El Carnero (1638) by Juan de Castellanos and Juan Rodríguez Freyle respectively.

Biography
Gonzalo García Zorro was born around the year 1500 in Guadalcanal at the border between Extremadura and Sevilla. His parents were Teresa González de Sancha and Diego Alonso El Zorro. Gonzalo García Zorro had a brother, Antonio, and an unnamed sister.

García Zorro joined the expedition lead by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada from Santa Marta towards the Muisca Confederation in April 1536 as cavalry leader. Gonzalo García Zorro, mentioned as Gonzalo Martín Zorro, was convicted for the crimes against the last zipa, Sagipa.

Gonzalo García Zorro was seven times encomendero of Santa Fe de Bogotá; in 1544 succeeding Juan Ruiz de Orejuela, who succeeded García Zorro again, from 1545 to 1546, succeeding the second term of Juan Ruiz de Orejuela and preceding Juan de Céspedes, in 1548 between the reign of Juan Muñoz de Collantes and the third term by Juan Ruiz de Orejuela, from 1550 to 1551 in between the terms of Juan de Avellaneda, between 1553 and 1554 succeeding Juan de Rivera and preceding Juan Tafur, in 1556 between the terms of Antonio Ruiz and Domingo Lozano and finally in 1564 succeeding Juan Ruiz de Orejuela again and preceding Andrés de Molina.

Gonzalo García Zorro received the encomienda of Fusagasugá, and Fosca. The encomienda of Suesca was shared between Gonzalo García Zorro and Juan Tafur.

Gonzalo García Zorro died at Santa Fe de Bogotá of his wounds he received in a duel with Alonso Venegas, son of Magdalena de Guatavita, daughter of Sagipa and Hernán Venegas Carrillo, in 1566.