Amazon Exploration

The Amazon was not a territory “discovered” by Europeans: Indigenous peoples had lived throughout the basin for thousands of years and developed detailed knowledge of its rivers, forests, plants, animals, and routes. European expeditions arrived in the 16th century. In 1541, Francisco de Orellana led a group downstream after separating from Gonzalo Pizarro’s expedition.

In 1542, they reached the Atlantic after months of travel. The chaplain Gaspar de Carvajal recorded the journey and described Indigenous settlements. His account is important, but it reflects a European viewpoint and cannot provide a complete picture of Amazonian societies. Exploration later became more scientific.

In the 18th century, Charles-Marie de La Condamine traveled through part of the Amazon and recorded observations on geography, plants, and Indigenous languages. During the 19th century, naturalists such as Alfred Russel Wallace and Henry Walter Bates spent years studying the region. Their work advanced knowledge of Amazonian biodiversity and species relationships.

Later expeditions mapped rivers and studied geology, wildlife, and Indigenous cultures, often with local help. Exploration also accompanied colonial expansion, disease, forced labor, and disruption. Today, researchers increasingly recognize Indigenous knowledge as essential to understanding and protecting the Amazon.