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Lost in the middle of the many islands at the mouth of the Amazon, Orellana was not able to find the main branch of the river. Finally he left his wife and crew on an island and went out to explore for himself. When he returned one month later, he found no one. They had built a boat and gone to Margarita, up the Brazilian coast. Orellana thought they had all died, and was so saddened that it is said he sat down and died.
The Rainforest Canopy: The Last Unexplored Frontier
The conquistadors were constantly seeking new lands and peoples to rule. Part of this legacy of exploration and exploitation survives in the environmental damage that has been done to the Amazon Rainforest – from the time of the conquistadors through the present day. Nonetheless, the rainforest canopy is still often considered "the last unexplored frontier on earth." In order to protect it from further exploitation, the nonprofit organization Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research has developed a Canopy Walkway made up of stairways, platforms, and suspension bridges. Scientists and tourists use these to see life in the rainforest without hurting it.
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