The never-ending exploration of the Amazon.

Abstract

The article analyzes The Account of the New Discovery of the Famous Great River of the Amazons written by friar Gaspar de Carvajal, emphasizing its historical and literary value as one of the earliest testimonies of the first documented navigation of the Amazon River in 1541–1542. Using a descriptive–analytical approach grounded in colonial sources and modern scholarship—particularly Meggers, Díaz Maderuelo, Nicolau D’Olwer and Maguidóvich—the study examines how Carvajal’s narrative, despite its brevity, provides detailed descriptions of geography, food abundance, social organization and cultural practices of the indigenous peoples of the várzea. The author highlights that the text was written to refute accusations of treason against Orellana, linking the account to tensions within the expedition. The article also explains how episodes such as the so-called “battle with the Amazons” blend empirical observation with mythic elements that later permeated Western imagination. Furthermore, the analysis shows that Carvajal’s account has been essential for reconstructing indigenous life prior to the demographic collapse triggered by European arrival and has enabled interdisciplinary comparisons with later accounts—such as those by Simón, Acuña, Cruz and the missionary Samuel Fritz—which document significant cultural transformations. Ultimately, the study concludes that the Amazon remains an inexhaustible field of exploration, both for its physical vastness and for the historical, cultural and symbolic richness it continues to hold.