Aleixo Garcia facts for kids

Aleixo Garcia, also known in Spanish as Alejo García (died 1525), was a Portuguese explorer and conquistador. A conquistador was a Spanish or Portuguese soldier who explored and conquered new lands. Garcia explored the Río de la Plata region, and later parts of Paraguay and Bolivia, while working for Spain.

Early Adventures

Aleixo Garcia might have been part of an expedition led by Juan Díaz de Solís. This group was looking for a sea passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. They reached the mouths of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers. It became clear that the Río de la Plata was not the strait they were looking for.

At this point, Solís was killed by local tribes. His crew decided to return to Spain. On their way back, some of their ships crashed near Santa Catarina in what is now Brazil. Aleixo Garcia was among the 11 or 18 survivors. He was a Portuguese adventurer who had already met the Guaraní people. Other survivors included Henrique Montes, Francisco Pacheco, Melchior Ramírez, Alejo de Ledesma, and Francisco Chaves.

Living with the Guaraní

Aleixo Garcia traveled inland and lived among the Guaraní people. They knew about a network of trails called Peabiru. These trails covered a large part of South America. While living there, Garcia heard stories about a "White King" who lived to the west. This king supposedly ruled over cities filled with amazing riches.

After about eight years, Garcia had gathered enough men and supplies. He decided to try and reach the land of this "White King". He marched west, using the Peabiru trails. His group discovered a huge waterfall. Many people say that Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca discovered the Iguazu Falls. However, some historians believe Garcia crossed the Paraná at a smaller waterfall called Saltos del Monday.

Journey to the Inca Empire

In 1524 and 1525, Garcia's small group, which had only a few Europeans, recruited a large army. They gathered about 2,000 local Guaraní soldiers from near Asunción to help them invade the rich new land. They then entered the Chaco, which is a tough, dry region.

Garcia was the first European to cross the Chaco. He even managed to get past the outer defenses of the powerful Inca Empire. This happened in the hills of the Andes mountains, in what is now Bolivia. He was the first European to do this, achieving it eight years before Francisco Pizarro.

Garcia and his men took a lot of silver from the Inca Empire. When the army of the Inca ruler, Huayna Cápac, arrived to fight them, Garcia retreated with his treasures. Sadly, he was later killed by some of his own Guaraní allies near San Pedro on the Paraguay River.

However, the Guaraní spared the life of Garcia's son. His son became the first Paraguayan mestizo, meaning he was of mixed European and Indigenous American heritage. News of Garcia's journey into Inca territory later caught the attention of Sebastian Cabot. This news made Cabot change his plans to explore the East Indies. Instead, he stayed in the Río de la Plata region for several years.

Images for kids

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  The northern Chaco in Paraguay.

See also

In Spanish: Aleixo Garcia para niños