How a failed search for cinnamon led to the first navigation of the Amazon

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Francisco de Orellana’s 1541 expedition began as a quest for the Land of Cinnamon but transformed into an improbable journey down the entire Amazon River. While his first voyage became a legendary feat of survival, his second attempt to conquer the region ended in his death and total disaster.

In 1540, Gonzalo Pizarro, half-brother of the conqueror of the Inca Empire, launched an expedition from Quito to find the fabled Land of Cinnamon. Orellana, a veteran of the conquest of Peru, joined as a lieutenant. By late 1541, the expedition was starving, prompting Orellana to take 50 men and two brigantines downriver to secure food. When the current made return impossible, he was elected leader of a new, independent mission to explore the river.

Orellana’s party reached the Atlantic in August 1542 after surviving constant skirmishes with indigenous tribes. During one battle with Tapuya warriors, he encountered women fighting alongside men, leading him to name the river after the mythical Amazons of Greek legend. His chaplain, Gaspar de Carvajal, chronicled the voyage, describing a densely populated civilization along the riverbanks. While long dismissed as fantasy, modern archaeological evidence—including geoglyphs and terra preta—suggests Carvajal’s observations of a flourishing society were likely accurate before European diseases decimated the population.

Emboldened by his success, Orellana returned to Spain and secured a commission to govern the region he named New Andalusia. His second expedition in 1545 was a catastrophe. Plagued by debt, desertions, and disease, he lost ships and men before even reaching the Amazon. After failing to locate the main river branch, Orellana died of illness and grief in 1546. His surviving crew eventually reached the Spanish base at Margarita Island, leaving behind a legacy that has inspired centuries of literature, film, and historical debate.

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