Orellana, Francisco de

Orellana, Francisco de (fränthēs`kō thā ōrālyä`nä), d. c.1546, Spanish explorer of the Amazon River. He took part in the conquest of Peru and was a lieutenant of Gonzalo Pizarro on the expedition that started into the interior of South America in 1538. At the Napo River his detachment was separated from the rest of the expedition, and he floated down the length of the Amazon in one of the most improbable successful voyages in history, arriving at its mouth in Aug., 1541. His tales of female warriors (possibly a mistaken impression of long-haired male warriors) gave the river its name. He died in a subsequent attempt to explore the river from its mouth.

---

Orellana, Francisco de 

Born 1505 or 1511 in Trujillo, Spain; died 1546 or 1550 in Brazil. Spanish conquistador.

In 1537, Orellana reestablished Fort Guayaquil, which had been destroyed by the Indians. In 1541 he left Guayaquil and crossed the Andes. He traveled along the Napo River and then down the Amazon, which crossed the “land of the Amazons”; he reached the Atlantic Ocean in August 1542. Orellana traversed South America at its widest part and traced the entire middle and lower Amazon.

REFERENCE

Otkrytie velikoi reki Amazonok. Moscow, 1963. (Translated from Spanish.)