Editing Francisco de Orellana (section)

==First exploration of the Amazon River==
[[File:Francisco de Orellana Amazon River voyage (1541-1542).svg|thumb|right|Route of first voyage (1541–1542)]]

In 1540 [[Gonzalo Pizarro]] arrived in [[Quito]] as vice governor and was charged by Francisco Pizarro, his older paternal half-brother, with an expedition to locate the [[La Canela|"Land of Cinnamon"]], thought to be somewhere to the east. Orellana was one of [[Gonzalo Pizarro]]'s lieutenants during his 1541 expedition east of Quito into the South American interior. In Quito, Gonzalo Pizarro collected a force of 220 Spaniards and 4000 natives. At the same time, as second in command, Orellana was sent back to [[Guayaquil]] to gather troops and horses. Pizarro left Quito in February 1541, just before Orellana arrived with his 23 men and horses. Orellana hurried after the main expedition, eventually contacting them in March. However, by the time the expedition had left the mountains, 3000 natives and 140 Spanish had died or deserted.

On reaching the [[Coca River]] (a tributary of the Napo), a [[brigantine]], the ''San Pedro'', was constructed to ferry the sick and supplies. Gonzalo Pizarro ordered him to explore the [[Coca River]] and return after finding the river's end. When they arrived at the confluence with the [[Napo River]], his men threatened to mutiny if they did not continue. On 26 December 1541, he agreed to be elected chief of the new expedition and conquer new lands in the king's name. Orellana (with the Dominican [[Gaspar de Carvajal]] who chronicled the expedition) and 50 men set off downstream to find food. Unable to return against the current, Orellana waited for Pizarro, finally sending back three men with a message, and started constructing a second brigantine, the ''Victoria''. Pizarro had in the meantime returned to Quito by a more northerly route, by then with only 80 men left alive.

After leaving the village on the Napo, Orellana continued downstream to the Amazon. The 49 men began to build a bigger ship for river navigation. During their navigation on Napo River, they were threatened constantly by the [[Cambeba|Omaguas]]. They reached the [[Rio Negro (Amazon)|Negro River]] on 3 June 1542 and finally arrived on the Amazon River.

At a longitude of about 69°W, Orellana and his men were involved in a skirmish with Machiparo's natives and were chased downstream. Continuing downstream, they consecutively passed the Rio de la Trinidad (possibly the [[Juruá River|Rio Juruá]]), the Pueblo Vicioso, the Rio Negro (named by Orellana), the Pueblo del Corpus, the Pueblo de los Quemados, and the Pueblo de la Calle at about 57°W. There they entered the territory of the [[Pira-tapuya]].

[[File:Voyage of Francisco de Orellana Map by António Pereira 1546.jpg|thumb|left|Manuscript map of Francisco de Orellana's expedition of 1539 to 1542, attributed to António Pereira, a Portuguese seaman]]The name 'Amazon' is said to arise from a battle Francisco de Orellana fought with a tribe of Tapuyas. The women of the tribe fought alongside the men, as was the custom among the tribe.<ref>Levy, Buddy, ''[https://us5.campaign-archive.com/?e=01376ceb1d&u=6557fc90400ccd10e100a13f4&id=28a63891c8 orellana versus the amazons]'', excerpts from ''River of Darkness'', 2011, Bantam, Delancy Place review May 18, 2021</ref> Orellana described the river as "the river of the Amazons", referring to the mythical [[Amazons]] of Asia described by [[Herodotus]] (see ''[[Histories (Herodotus)|The Histories]]'' [4.110–116]) and [[Diodorus]] in Greek legends. A skirmish with these South American warrior women<ref>{{cite book |last=Mann |first=Charles |title=1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus |publisher=Vintage |year=2011 |edition=2nd|page=324 |isbn= 978-1400040063|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jw2TE_UNHJYC&pg=PA324}}</ref> reportedly took place on 24 June 1542 while Orellana was approaching the Trombetus River, in the neighborhood of the Ilha Tupinambarama at the junction with the River Madeira.

At about 54°W they stopped for 18 days to repair the boats, and finally reached the Atlantic Ocean on 26 August 1542, and checked the boats for seaworthiness. While coasting toward [[Guiana]], the brigs were separated until reunited at [[Nueva Cadiz]] on [[Cubagua]] island off the coast of Venezuela. The ''Victoria'', carrying Orellana and Carvajal, passed south around Trinidad and was trapped in the [[Gulf of Paria]] for seven days, finally reaching Cubagua on 11 September 1542. The ''San Pedro'' sailed north of [[Trinidad]] and reached Cubagua on 9 September.