Editing Francisco de Orellana (section)

=== Preparations ===
From Cubagua, Orellana decided to return to Spain to obtain from the Crown the governorship over the discovered lands, which he named New Andalusia. After a difficult navigation, he touched first the shores of Portugal. The king received him in a friendly way and made him an offer to go back to the Amazon under a Portuguese flag. Orellana's exploration produced an international issue. According to the [[Treaty of Tordesillas]], the majority of the Amazon River should belong to Spain. However, the mouth should be ruled by Portugal. Orellana refused the Portuguese offer and went to [[Valladolid]].

After nine months of negotiations, [[Philip II of Spain|Prince Philip II]] appointed him governor of New Andalusia on February 13, 1544.<ref name=medina>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/discoveryofamazo0000jose |title=The Discovery of the Amazon |chapter=Articles of agreement which were drawn up in favor of Francisco de Orellana fixing the conditions for the exploration and colonization of New Andalusia. Valladolid, February 13, 1544|first=José |last=Toribio Medina |author-link=José Toribio Medina |date=1934 |pages=328–334}}</ref> After captivating the Spanish court with tales and alleged exaggerations of his voyage down the Amazon, Orellana obtained a commission to conquer and settle Nueva Andalucia. The charter established that he should explore and settle the Amazonian lands with 300 men and 100 horses, and found two cities, one in the mouth and another in the basin's interior, [[Manaus]].<ref name="NYT"/>

The commission was accepted on 18 February 1544. However, preparations for the voyage were frustrated by unpaid debts, Portuguese spies, and internal wranglings. Sufficient funds were raised through the efforts of Cosmo de Chaves, Orellana's stepfather. However, the problems were compounded by Orellana's decision to marry a very young and poor girl, Ana de Ayala, whom he intended to take with him (along with her sisters). Orellana's creditors relented and allowed him to sail only on the arrival of a Portuguese spy fleet at Seville. On reaching [[Sanlúcar de Barrameda|Sanlucar]] he was detained again, the authorities having discovered a shortfall in his complement of men and horses, and that large numbers of his crew were not Spanish. On 11 May 1545, Orellana (in hiding on one of his vessels) surreptitiously sailed out of Sanlucar with four ships and disappeared from view.