- Blas Ruiz
Blas Ruiz was an explorer from
Spain who, along with the PortugueseDiogo Veloso , were the first Europeans to ever set foot inLaos .Ruiz's journey to Laos started in
Cambodia . In Cambodia, Ruiz met and befriended KingSatha ofLovek and Veloso ofPortugal . When Lovek was invaded by Ayautthaya, Satha was overthrown by his son and other nobles who allowed Ayutthaya to take control, forcing Ruiz to flee to the Spanishcolony of thePhilippines , the place where he began his adventure inSoutheast Asia . Eventually Ruiz returned with Veloso, who had fled to the Portuguese colony ofMelaka , to Lovek. When they arrived they learned Satha had fled toLan Xang , an empire centered in modern-day Laos and consisting ofIsan ,Stung Treng , and small areas ofSouthern China andVietnam . Ruiz and Veloso decided to journey to Laos and bring back Satha to restore his reign over Lovek.Ruiz and Veloso arrived in
Vientiane , Lan Xang's administrative capital, in thesummer of1596 . They were met with a procession showing off the city's immense wealth consisting ofAsian Elephant s,gold , jewels,silk , exoticsnake s, bouquets of tropical flowers, chanting monks,Buddhist treasures andrelic s, music, and beautiful women. Ruiz and Veloso were also received with a great feast. But while they were in Vientiane they learned Satha had died from an illness he caught on his way from Cambodia to Laos. Saddened and angered by the news, Ruiz and Veloso returned to Lovek and started a rebellion to put one of Satha's political allies on the throne and free Cambodia from Ayatthaya. They managed to drive out Ayutthaya forces from parts of Cambodia and create a new state but led the newCambodian state into a brief period of chaos. Eventually Ruiz returned to thePhilippines . It is not known whether he died there, Spain, or somewhere else.He was also part of Alas dey algoada, a form of Spanish secret sevice.
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