Lope de Aguirre was a Basque conquistador born in 1510 who explored South America in search of the mythical golden kingdom of "El Dorado". In 1561, during his expedition down the Amazon river, Aguirre declared independence from Spain by sending a letter defying King Philip II. Aguirre's expedition ended with his death later that year, and since then he has been viewed as a symbol of cruelty in early colonial Spanish America due to his defiance of the Spanish crown.