Quick Facts
Biography
Luis Alegre (c. 1510-1570s) was a Flemish soldier, in the service of the Spanish Crown, who served as conquistador and expeditionary of the Río de la Plata and Paraguay.
Alegre was born in the County of Flanders, belonging to a family ofFranco-Flemish roots. In 1534 he arrived at the Río de la Plata with the adelantado, Pedro de Mendoza. In 1538, Luis Alegre moved to Asunción, aboard the ship "La Marañona", and attended the election of Domingo Martinez de Irala as Lieutenant Governor.
He was married to Magdalena Testanova, possible daughter of Blas Testanova, the first doctor of the Río de la Plata. He remarriage with Catalina Lys, daughter of flemish conquistador Dionis de Lys. They had a son named Esteban Alegre, a neighbor founder of Corrientes and Buenos Aires.