

THE ORDAZ AND DORTAL EXPEDITIONS IN SEARCH 



OF EL-DORADO, AS DESCRIBED ON SIXTEENTH 



CENTURY MAPS 



BY RUDOLF SCHULLER 



(WITH Two MAPS) 

 I. OVIEDO'S HUYAPARI MAP 



In the second volume of Oviedo's " Historia General y Natural 

 de las Indias," 1 there is a facsimile of a small map illustrating several 

 early explorations of the Orinoco or Huyapari 2 River (see fig. i). 



This map is Oviedo's own work, 3 and is plainly drawn but bears no 

 date. It contains, however, various historical and descriptive legends, 

 which enable us to establish the year when it must have been made. 



1 Madrid : Imprenta de la Real Academia de la Historia. 1852. 



2 No doubt the names Orinoco and Huyapari, or Juyapari and Oya-pari, 

 are of Indian origin; cf. Oviedo, II, lib. XXIV, cap. Ill, p. 2i6 a . Orin-oco 

 plainly contains the Betoya word " oco " (" water," " river "). Humboldt says 

 it is a Tamanaco word; cf., for example, Oyap-oc(o), Sinar-uco (oco), Guar- 

 ico, Orit-uco, Tin-oco, Guarit-oco, Urit-uco, and many other similar names 

 of rivers in the great Orinoco basin. 



3 Loc. cit., cap. XV, p. 265**, " Porque la pintura califica mucho y dexa 

 mejor entender las cosas de la geographia, juntamente con la verdadera relation 

 dellas, quise poner aqui la fig^ira del rio de Huyapari, y los rios que en el 

 entran." " Because a drawing enables us to understand more clearly the 

 geography of a region I have here inserted a map." 



This was written at the close of the year 1541, or, perhaps, in 1542; cf. 

 loc. cit., cap. XVI; and cap. XV, where Oviedo states explicitly: "The 

 governor Dortal himself told me . . . . " [and a few lines below] " where six 

 years ago this governor had ordered his lieutenant, Alonso de Herrera, with 

 200 men .... to sail up the river Huyapari." 



See also,." Historia coro-graphica, natural y evangelica de la Nueva Anda- 

 lucia, provincias de Cumana, Guayana y Vertientes del Rio Orinoco ; dedicada 

 al Rei N. S. D. Carlos III." For el M. R. P. fr. Antonio Caulin dos vezes 

 Provincial de los observantes de Granada, etc., Madrid, 1779, p. iso b . 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS, VOL. 66, No. 4 



139 



