Francisco de Orellana

Timeline

1. 1511–1538Trujillo · EuropeOrellana was born in Trujillo, Extremadura, Spain, and went to the New World around 1527. In his early years he took part in numerous military operations in Panama and Peru, worked with the Pizarro family, and showed military talent in suppressing indigenous resistance, receiving grants of land and indigenous labor. He lost the sight of his right eye in combat.
2. 1541–1542Amazon River · South AmericaIn 1541 Orellana set out from Quito with Gonzalo as second-in-command. When supplies ran critically low, he took about 50 men in a self-built boat down the Napo River (an Amazon tributary) to look for food, but the current was too strong to row back upstream. He decided to continue downstream, and after nearly eight months, passing countless tribal settlements (observing densely packed villages along the banks and hearing rumors of wealthy cities), he reached the mouth of the Amazon on August 26, 1542, becoming the first European to navigate the entire length of the river. He compared the female warriors he saw along the way to the Amazons of Greek mythology, and the river was named after them.
3. 1542–1544Madrid / Seville · EuropeAfter making his way back to Spain, Orellana reported to Charles I on the geographical discoveries in the Amazon basin and the indigenous peoples along its banks, and defended his decision to leave Gonzalo. In 1544 he received royal authorization to organize a second Amazon expedition.
4. 1545–1546Lower Amazon River · South AmericaIn 1545 Orellana led a fleet of about 400 men from Spain, planning to sail upstream from the Amazon's mouth for a systematic exploration. The expedition encountered numerous difficulties: tropical disease, shortages of supplies, and indigenous attacks caused heavy casualties. Orellana himself died of illness in the Amazon basin around 1546; the expedition ended in tragedy, with only a few members surviving.