Explorers in the New WorldChristopher ColumbusPedro CabralPortuguese ExplorationVicente Yß±ez Pinz≤nAmerigo VespucciOther European ExplorersThe Conquistadors
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Pedro de TeixeiraPedro de Teixeira's river expedition was responsible in claiming the Amazon Basin, and thus most of the territory covered by modern-day Brazil, for Portugal. Spanish Visitors arrive in BelΘmIn 1637 a canoe with two Spanish priests and six soldiers arrived in the Portuguese colony of BelΘm, at the mouth of the Amazon. The occupants said that they had started their journey from Peru after be chased from their small river settlement by local Indians. They had then headed downstream for over 2,000 miles, stopping in at many Indians along the way where they were offered shelter and gifts of food. The people of BelΘm were happy to receive the Spanish visitors, and were keen to hear about their adventure – but the news also alarmed some, notably the Portuguese governor, JacomΘ Raimundo de Noronha. Portugal's claim on the territory was not very strong – the Amazon was generally regarded as Spanish under the Treaty of Tordesillas, although there were no Spanish settlements based there (The Spanish had been busy establishing settlements in other parts of the Americas). Instead, the Spanish had granted permission to the Portuguese to establish settlements at the mouth of the river in return for their help ridding the territory of other European powers who were trespassing on the territory by building settlements on the Amazon. By 1637 the Portuguese had successfully driven out the French, English, Irish, and Dutch settlements in a series of campaigns called the river wars. The sudden appearance of Spaniards might mean that they were now preparing to claim back the territory for themselves. At that time, Spain and Portugal both shared the same King, but were two distinct countries and remained rivals when it came to trade and claiming new territory. As such, the Portuguese governor decided to take action to protect Portugal's future claims. Portuguese Expedition to Voyage Upriver
The expedition set out from BelΘm on 28 October 1637. Travelling upstream was very hard work and difficult because, unlike all of the previous expeditions, the travellers had to paddle against the current. Despite this, Teixeira's expedition managed to reach the Spanish settlements on the upper Amazon in just eight months. This rapid speed was mostly due to the strength and endurance of the Indians paddling Teixeira's canoes. With the bulk of the canoes remaining in these settlements, Teixeira took a smaller team upriver towards Quito – eventually abandoning the canoes and setting out on foot to cross the Andes. They finally reached Quito, almost a year after first setting out from BelΘm. The Spanish were very surprised at the visitors when they arrived – no one had ever made the arduous journey upstream before. As a result, the Portuguese expedition were welcomed with pomp and ceremony – with dinners, fireworks, and bullfights being arranged in their honour. Although the Portuguese certainly must have enjoyed all the feasts and the hospitality shown to them, they were probably even more grateful for the opportunity to rest after the rigours of such a journey. Despite the official celebrating, the Spanish viceroy was just as worried about the sudden arrival of the Portuguese as the governor of BelΘm had been when the Spanish missionaries had arrived in his territory. Keen to find out how far the Portuguese settlers had progressed along the Amazon, the viceroy arranged for several Spaniards to accompany Teixeira on the return journey back to BelΘm. One of these Spaniards was a Jesuit priest called Christobal de Acu±a – who was given orders to make extensive notes of everything that he saw along the way, then to travel on to the Office of the Indies in Seville, Spain, to deliver a full report. Also on the return journey was Domingo de Breiva, who thus became the first (and possibly only person to run the Amazon three times by canoe. The Return Voyage from Quito, and Portuguese Claims on the TerritoryThe return journey from Quito set out on 16 February 1639. Acu±a's account was very detailed and very interesting. He described the Indians who lived along the river – as with Orellana's voyage beforehand, there were still large numbers of Indians. "Their settlements are so close together that one is scarcely lost sight before another comes into view . . . it may be imagined how numerous are the Indians who support themselves from so plentiful a country." As with Orellana's voyage, Acu±a marvelled at the huge numbers of turtles farmed by the Indians, in addition to new wonders such as electric eels and manatees – and even commented on the possibility of the existence of the Amazons (although he didn't actually see any). On the way back, Teixeira carried out the governor's orders – erecting a wooden marker to establish a new boundary between the Spanish and Portuguese territories. No one knows exactly where this marker was placed (it was very probably soon carried away by floods and rains), but these actions eventually led to the border being moved 2,400 kilometres to the west – with most of the Amazon Basin (and half of the South American continent) now being claimed by Portugal. The return journey was relatively smooth, although there were a few disagreements among the men, some of who wanted to make profits by going off in search of gold or on a mission to bring back Indian slaves for sale in BelΘm. Teixeira refused these diversions because all of the travelling had weakened the expedition and many of them were keen to return home. The Indians that the expedition met along the river proved to be friendly and hospitable. In his journal, Father Acu±a wrote in amazement at the ways that the Indians were able to live off the abundance provided by the forest and river – almost as if it was some sort of paradise. His rich descriptions of the Indians' customs and lifestyle are valuable because they give us an insight into how the Indians once used to live before the arrival of Europeans. Unfortunately, he also saw signs that Portuguese slaving expeditions were beginning to make an impact on Indians and he refused permission for wooden crosses to be erected in the Indians' villages – an old trick used by slavers because if the crosses fell down, or were left to neglect, later European visitors would use it as a pretext to enslave the village. The Arrival HomeThe expedition received a heroes' welcome when it finally reached BelΘm on 12 December 1639, ten months after setting out from Quito – and over two years since first leaving BelΘm. There were more celebrations, with everyone eager to hear of the wonders that lay upriver. Father Acu±a continued onto Spain where he delivered his report and later wrote a book, The Discovery of the Great River of the Amazons, which was published in 1641. However, for his part organising the expedition (and having exceeded his authority), the Portuguese governor was recalled to Portugal and was put on trial by the authorities. However, by the time that his trial came to take place, the Portuguese independence movement had grown very strong, and there were demands for Portugal to re-establish its own monarchy instead the joint-monarchy with Spain. Hence, the governor's actions in claiming Spanish territory for the Portuguese were treated sympathetically by the judges, and was acquitted. Shortly afterwards, Portugal successfully broke away from Spain with the acclamation of King Joπo IV as the king of Portugal and king of Brazil. By contrast, Pedro de Teixeira's feat, and his subsequent report of his travels, greatly impressed the authorities. On 28 February 1640, two months after his return, he was appointed Capitπo-M⌠r and governor of Parß. Unfortunately, he did not hold this post for long – he resigned three months later due to illness, and died on 4 June 1640. Related article: Teixeira's Act of Possession (Mercator's World).
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The governor quickly organised an expedition to travel upriver. It would
explore the river, and would report on anything of note along the way (particularly on any
Spanish settlements). The leader of the expedition, 62-year-old Pedro de Teixeira, was a
veteran commander of canoe flotillas and raiding parties during the river wars – and
was given secret orders by the governor to install a marker far upriver to extend the
Portuguese claims. A huge flotilla, the largest yet assembled for travel on the Amazon,
was organised for the expedition – it consisted of 47 canoes laden with 70 Portuguese
soldiers and 1,100 Indians. One of the Spanish priests, Domingo de Breiva, was also
convinced to return upriver acting as a guide. 
