The Condor Mission (completed)

Chapter 06 - El Dorado

After the events with the Spaniards on the black river, Wythuya needed to continue the Condor Mission. He had learned little from first contact. I still didn't have enough elements to analyze the purpose of the invaders. Nor did he know the potential of his weapons or his war strategies. He needed to find other foreign settlements. Despite the audacity of the plan and the risk of
death by deceiving the famous Vincente Pinzon, cannot gather enough information about those men. It was all very fast, little time on board and just a few hearings with foreign officials.

In the end, the plan carried out by the Incan warriors had only temporarily frightened the outsiders away. The Spaniards, led by Pinzon, fled, frightened by the forest and the sinister inhabitants of the jungle. But Whytuya knew they were furious at being defeated by a handful of unarmed natives. Certainly, they were still incongruous with the mystery of the assault of their boats and provisions. They thought they were victims of some sort of enchantment.

They would return to their strange kingdom for refueling, and they would surely return stronger. This Spanish expedition had collected enough for that first incursion into the Dulce Sea, as they called the river of the icamiabas. But later it would finally be baptized as the Amazon River. However, neither Vincente Pinzón nor any other European conqueror would ever meet El Dorado. Its location is kept secret, such as Machupicchu and other South American sacred settlements. Inca cities that would remain unscathed and unexplored by Europeans for centuries.

After a few days of deserved protection our heroes returned to the village of icamiabas. They needed information and new guides to continue their journey through the endless network of forests and rivers of Pindorama, a continental country. The young men were especially well received by the warrior women. They were satiated and humorous. The kidnapped icamiaba women, still convalescent, embraced the young people as if they were their masters, extremely grateful for the rescue.

Among the spoils and materials collected from Pinzon's vessels was a collection of maps from a different world, much larger than they knew. Whytuya realized the relation of the globe to the map drawn on the papyrus. I could not believe the size of that new territory, the planet. It was much bigger than the Tahuantinsuyo. He analyzed that the time calculated by Antarchi did not correspond to the gigantic distances illustrated in the nautical charts, since neither did he know the real extent of Planet Earth. It understood the operation of a compass, because the arrow always indicating a single direction, facilitated its understanding and later use. Wythuya and his friend Copa were fascinated by the incredible scientific development present in those objects.

There was still a sextant and an astrolabe, who were later sent to Cuzco. They were too sophisticated and complicated objects for practical use.
They managed to speak with a native who knew a little of the European language. I was deeply grateful to the Incas. He was a former slave who managed to escape from the Spaniards during the assault on the ships. I told them the invaders were looking for gold and precious stones at first. They didn't get large quantities of the valuable metal, but they took many other things: jaguar skins, parrots, toucans, macaws, monkeys, many sacks of flour, chestnuts and grains, salted fish, baskets of worked fleshlines, Bags of peppers and nuts, lots of tobacco, bows and some young women.

A fabulous business, since they exchanged the goods for some machetes, axes, saws, hammer, knives, hooks, mirrors and a dog. The Spaniards believed that the Indians knew where the location of the legendary city was, but they lost their patience and began using other methods, terror and violence. They kidnapped women and killed tribal chiefs in exchange for gold or silver. But the Indians did not know where to find the quantity demanded by the invaders. Foreigners acted as barbarians.

Copa received instructions to return to Iquitos. It was time to dispatch the latest news to the capital. Huayna, the Inca, was already waiting for the first mission reports. Took some Quipus with the main data of the expedition, as well as some European artifacts found on the Spanish ships. Despite having little information about the European conquerors, they had managed to make a real contact and still won a small battle. There was much hope in the reports of the journey. Huyana Capac could not expect better news from the Condor Project.