I’ve just finished digitizing Gaspar de Carvajal’s Relación — a wild account of the first European trip down the length of the Amazon.
It’ll be out in print soon… but in the meantime, some crazy observations:
1/
It’ll be out in print soon… but in the meantime, some crazy observations:
1/
Orellana and his small band of conquistadors completed the trip on two brigantines, which they made when they realized they’d have to follow the river all the way.
None of them had any shipbuilding experience.
None of them had any shipbuilding experience.
This trip was not a military conquest. It was an act of desperation, which became a brutal fight for survival by a few men far out of their depth.
Every man was wounded at least once; food was rare; the crew nearly died countless times.
Carvajal even had his eye shot out!
Every man was wounded at least once; food was rare; the crew nearly died countless times.
Carvajal even had his eye shot out!
However, the most famous aspects of Carvajal’s account come in his descriptions of the cultures on the banks of the Amazon.
He describes advanced, large-scale societies, which were believed to be a fabrication until recent LiDAR scans proved the veracity of this account.
He describes advanced, large-scale societies, which were believed to be a fabrication until recent LiDAR scans proved the veracity of this account.
I won’t cover all of the descriptions here, but this is one that I found interesting — large turtles raised as livestock by the thousands.
These were likely Big-Headed Amazon River Turtles.
These were likely Big-Headed Amazon River Turtles.
He also describes a massive, almost-unbelievable fish — likely the arapaima, one of the largest (and most aggressive) freshwater fish in the world.
Interestingly, he also describes a race of legitimate Amazons — woman warriors with fair skin and brutal tendencies.
Later in the account, an Indian captive gives a detailed description of their culture and government.
Later in the account, an Indian captive gives a detailed description of their culture and government.
After countless battles and tribulations, Orellana’s crew finally did make it to sea — and here, toward the end, we get a perfect description of the conquistador mindset.
This book will be the first @Dissident_Rev conquistador account made available in print, within the next week or two. I’ll post more updates as they come.
For now, if you’d like to support the effort, check out the below fundraising thread for some less-accessible works:
For now, if you’d like to support the effort, check out the below fundraising thread for some less-accessible works:
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