The Conquest of the River Plate (1535-1555)

A vivid window onto the early days of South American exploration, this work brings together two contemporaneous chronicles of the Rio de la Plata’s conquest. One voice belongs to Ulrich Schmidt, a German merchant‑agent navigating the unknown waters on behalf of Seville’s trading houses, while the other comes from Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, an Andalusian nobleman whose family’s fortunes were shaped by daring ventures and even a Moorish loan. Their accounts capture the restless ambition of the 1530s, when Spanish expeditions under Sebastian Cabot and Diego García first pushed inland, planting tentative settlements near today’s Rosario and Iguape.

Through detailed observations of river routes, encounters with native peoples, and the logistical challenges of a fledgling colony, the narratives reveal the blend of curiosity, profit‑seeking, and imperial rivalry that defined the era. Listeners will hear the language of 16th‑century explorers come alive, offering a textured portrait of a continent on the brink of profound change.