author
Ulrich Schmidel
Best known for one of the earliest firsthand accounts of the Río de la Plata region, this 16th-century soldier-writer recorded the dangers, hunger, conflict, and strange new landscapes he encountered in South America. His chronicle remains a vivid window into the early colonial world.
2 Audiobooks
Viage al Rio de La Plata y Paraguay
by Ulrich Schmidel
The Conquest of the River Plate (1535-1555)
by Ulrich Schmidel, active 16th century Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
About the author
Born in Straubing in Bavaria around 1510, Ulrich Schmidl was a German landsknecht who joined the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza and spent roughly twenty years in South America. He took part in the Spanish campaigns in the Río de la Plata region between 1534 and 1554, traveling through areas now associated with Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and nearby regions.
Schmidl is remembered mainly for the account he later wrote about those years. His narrative is valued because it offers a rare firsthand description of early European conquest and settlement in the region, including hardship, warfare, and encounters with Indigenous peoples. Alongside Hans Staden, he is often noted as one of the few German soldiers of the period to leave a written record of New World experiences.
After returning to Germany, he served as a councilman in Regensburg. Though some details of his life vary across sources, he is generally believed to have died around 1580 or 1581. What endures most clearly is the sharp, eyewitness voice of his travel chronicle, which still attracts readers interested in exploration, conquest, and early colonial history.