The Story of Geographical Discovery: How the World Became KnownJacobs, Joseph
History
The Story of Geographical Discovery: How the World Became Known
Jacobs, Joseph
Discoveries in geography
Atahualpa was, however, not released, but condemned to death on
a frivolous pretext, while Pizarro dismissed his followers, fully
confident that the wealth they carried off would attract as many
men as he could desire to El Dorado. He settled himself at Lima,
near the coast, in 1534. Meanwhile Almegro had been despatched
south, and made himself master of Chili. Another expedition in
1539 was conducted by Pizarro's brother Gonzales across the Andes,
and reached the sources of the Amazon, which one of his companions,
Francisco de Orellana, traversed as far as the mouth. This he reached
in August 1541, after a voyage of one thousand leagues. The river
was named after Orellana, but, from reports he made of the existence
of a tribe of female warriors, was afterwards known as the river
of the Amazons. The author spread reports of another El Dorado to
the north, in which the roofs of the temples were covered with
gold. This report afterwards led to the disastrous expedition of
Sir Walter Raleigh to Guiana. By his voyage Orellana connected the
Spanish and Portuguese "spheres of influence" in the New World of
Amerigo. By the year 1540 the main outlines of Central and South
America and something of the interior had been made known by the
Spanish adventurers within half a century of Columbus' first voyage.
Owing to the papal bull Portugal possessed Brazil, but all the
rest of the huge stretch of country was claimed for Spain. The
Portuguese wisely treated Brazil as an outlet for their overflowing
population, which settled there in large numbers and established
plantations. The Spaniards, on the other hand, only regarded their
huge possessions as exclusive markets to be merely visited by them.
Rich mines of gold, silver, and mercury were discovered in Mexico
and Peru, especially in the far-famed mines of Potosi, and these
were exploited entirely in the interests of Spain, which acted as a
sieve by which the precious metals were poured into Europe, raising
prices throughout the Old World. In return European merchandise was
sent in the return voyages of the Spanish galleons to New Spain,
which could only buy Flemish cloth, for example, through Spanish
intermediaries, who raised its price to three times the original
cost. This short-sighted policy on the part of Spain naturally
encouraged smuggling, and attracted the ships of all nations towards
that pursuit.
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