José de Oviedo y Baños

Who was José de Oviedo y Baños?

José de Oviedo y Baños was a military officer and historian. His work Historia de la conquista y población de la Provincia de Venezuela is considered one of the most important contemporary works on the history of the Spanish Empire's Venezuela Province. The work was published in Madrid in 1723, and based on research in the Empire's archives going back to Columbus.

Oviedo entered the military in Caracas at age 18, and became a Knight of the Order of Santiago in 1690. He retired from the army in 1730, having reached the rank of Lieutenant general in 1728.