ABSTRACT
This chapter argues, misinformation proved equally crucial to the extension of Spanish power. It also undermines good government while motivating the conquest and colonization of new territories. The difficulties posed by the port of Darién may have encouraged the reorientation of trade and communications Panamá Nombre de Dios axis after the foundation of these cities. The Spaniards at Darién led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who had solicited reinforcements from Hispañola, played a crucial, but far from independent, role in fostering and spreading misinformation. According to Balboa, the chief, Dabaibe, had baskets of gold so large that each required a man to carry it on his back. The bureaucracy that King Ferdinand planned for Castilla Del Oro relied upon five officials to rule by consultation and common accord, with all of them together signing letters to the King. Geographical and historical projects, however imperfect and incomplete their results, entailed essential efforts to counterbalance, correct, and discourage misinformation.
