River of Darkness: Francisco Orellana and the Deadly First Voyage through the Amazon

The acclaimed author of Labyrinth of Ice charts the legendary sixteenth-century adventurer's death-defying navigation of the Amazon River.

In 1541, Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro and his lieutenant Francisco Orellana searched for La Canela, South America's rumored Land of Cinnamon, and the fabled El Dorado, "the golden man." Quickly, the enormous expedition of mercenaries, enslaved natives, horses, and hunting dogs were decimated through disease, starvation, and attacks in the jungle....