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," ^ there is a facsimile of a small map illustrating several 

 early explorations of the Orinoco or Huyapari ^ River (see fig", i). 



This map is Oviedo's own work,^ a-nd 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. 



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



" 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\ 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. 



^ 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, qiiise poner aqui la fig^ra 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." Por el M. R. P. fr. Antonio Caulin dos vezes 

 Provincial de los observantes de Granada, etc., Madrid, 1779, p. iSO*". 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 66, No. 4 



