First edition of the important letters regarding Venezuela’s exploration from Philipp von Hutten addressed to Charles V, first German edition of Cortes’ second and third letters, also the first appearance in print of Fernandez de Oviedo´s letter describing Pizarro´s expedition to the land of cinnamon and his description of the Amazon, finally, it also contains portions of Martyr’s 4th decade. It is one of the first news of Venezuela to appear in print.
The letters describing Venezuela dated 1538 and 1540 (Coro) are here published for the first time and are amongst the first specific accounts of the country to appear in print; they constitute some of the earliest narratives of a German explorer from America and provide rich and first-hand details on the experiences and encounters with the native population in the so-far relatively unexplored region.
Cortes´ second and third letters provide vivid accounts of his experiences in the early stages of colonization and exploration of Mexico, the troubles that arose in Tenochtitlan, etc.
Historical context:
The colonization of Venezuela was from the first decades linked to Germany, around 1527-28, Charles V, in need of money, granted German banker Bartholomeus Welser a concession “asiento” [Spanish contract with conquistadores] over the Province of Venezuela, which he was to explore and conquer at his own expense and with troops of Spanish and Flemish origin. Welser took the concession seriously and organized several expeditions, the primary motivation was the search for the legendary and fictitious El Dorado city, first appointing Ambrosius Ehinger, who founded Maracaibo in 1529 and at his death, George von Speyer as Captain Generals. At the death of the latter in 1540, Von Hutten took over, and continued exploring the region.
Von Hutten (1505 – 1546) was a German adventurer and soldier who served in the court of the Graf of Nassau –adviser to Emperor Charles V; he joined Speyer’s crew and sailed towards Venezuela arriving in Coro in 1535; soon after, the explorers immersed themselves in the jungle to search for the city of El Dorado and to capture slaves. By 1546, already Captain General, however weakened, wounded and tired, Von Hutten returned to Coro with what was left of the original army, only to find his position had been taken over by Juan de Carvajal, appointed by Audiencia de Santo Domingo.
The newly appointed Spanish officer tried to seize the Germans in fear of them weakening their position, resulting in him being wounded by Bartolomeus Welser. Carvajal promised them safe passage to the coast however didn´t keep true to his word; in April 1546 he captured, chained, and beheaded Hutten and Welser.
Contents:
There is very little information of the first years of Venezuelan exploration, this being the first publication of Hutten’s letters; they contain a wealth of information on the herbs utilized to cure arrow wounds, the natives and hardships suffered. Von Hutten’s name is now permanently associated with the quest for the Golden City of America, along with Francisco de Orellana. The letters are not signed are there is no reference to Hutten, the editors received the manuscript in Augsburg with the approval Charles V’s brother. In 1785, the account of his exploration was published, but from a different source, and these letters were identified just in the 19thcentury.
This rare publication is also the first time Fernandez de Oviedo’s letter to Cardinal Pietro Bembo dated January 1543 from Santo Domingo appears in print; it was reprinted in 1556 by Ramusio in the third volume of his collection of voyages Navigatione et Viaggi. The letter describes Pizarro’s expedition in search of the land of Cinammon, the encounter with Orellana and the description of the Amazons.
Sabin, 16957; Palau 63197; Alden, 550/11; Harrisse (BAV) 197; Medina, (BHA) 86.
