Francisco Orellana's legendary voyage of death and discovery down the Amazon
In 1541, Conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro and his Lieutenant Francisco Orellana, set off from Quito in seach of South America's rumored Land of Cinnamon and the fabled El Dorado "the golden man" who, rumor said, was drenched in gold each day and washed off in the river every night. Their huge expedition began to disintegrate long before they reached the jungle that was to guide them to the Amazon River. Pizarro and Orellana soon made the fateful decision to separate. While Pizarro eventually returned home barefoot and in rags, Orellana and fifty-seven men continued down the Amazon River into unexplored and unknown areas. Orellana became the first European to navigage and explore the entire length of the world's largest river.
