Sebastian Cabot's Paraguay Expedition

Timeline

1. 1526Seville · SpainCharles V appointed Cabot commander-in-chief of the Río de la Plata expedition, granting him broad powers to explore, trade, and establish colonial outposts; the fleet departed Seville and crossed the Atlantic.
2. 1527Río de la Plata estuary · Río de la PlataThe fleet reached the Río de la Plata estuary, where Cabot established a temporary camp and began surveying the estuary terrain in preparation for moving upstream, while making initial contact with indigenous peoples along the coast.
3. 1527–1528Upper Paraná River, present-day Paraguay · ParaguayCabot led the fleet up the Paraná River deep inland, establishing the Sancti Spiritus outpost in present-day Paraguay, exploring Guaraní settlements and searching for gold and silver deposits, opening a channel for Spanish colonial expansion in southeastern South America.