2. ★Lope de Aguirre
Lope de Aguirre, born the 8th of November of 1510 and died the 27th of
October of 1561. He was a Basque conquistador who was active in
South America. Aguirre is best known for his final expedition down the
Amazon river in search of the mythical golden Kingdom “El DOrado”. In
1561, Aguirre sent a letter which defied the Spanish monarch Philip II by
declaring an independent state of Peru. Aguirre's expedition ended with
his death, and in the years since then he has been treated by historians
as a symbol of cruelty and treachery in the early history of colonial
Spanish America and has become an antihero in literature, cinema and
other arts.
