active 16th century Fernão Nunes

Little is firmly known about Fernão Nunes beyond what survives in his writings, but reliable sources describe him as a Portuguese traveler, chronicler, and horse trader active in the 16th century, also known as Fernão Nuniz. He spent about three years in Vijayanagara, the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, around 1535 to 1537.

His account is valued because it comes from direct experience. Writing during the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya, he described the city, its fortifications, court life, and the wider political world around it, leaving historians an important firsthand source on South India.

Modern readers often encounter his work through later compilations and translations, especially alongside the writings of Domingos Paes. Even though many details of his personal life remain uncertain, his observations have given his work a lasting place in the history of travel writing and in studies of the Vijayanagara Empire.