Francisco Fajardo (Isla Margarita, c. 1524 - Cumaná, 1564) was a Spanish conquistador active in Venezuela. He was a rare example of a mestizo (mixed race) conquistador. Fajardo was the son of a Spanish lieutenant of the same name and an indigenous Indian woman, Isabel of the Guaiquerí. In 1555 to 1557 he made several expeditions from Margarita to conquer the Caracas tribe (near present-day Caracas). As a mestizo (person of mixed race) he was able to blend in with the indigenous tribes of the coast physically and culturally. After murdering a local cacique he had to flee back to Margarita in 1558.