This ambitious, beautifully illustrated volume informs the reader about everything she/he will want to know, and perhaps more, about the assembly, organization, and character of the fleet that Governor Pedrarias Dávila commanded in Spain’s attempt to establish a permanent colony at Castilla de Oro, which eventually came to be known as Darién. This massive undertaking involved a fleet of 17 ships and 2,000 men and women and preparations based in Seville that stretched out over 7 months at a cost of 10,300,383.5 maravedis to the Royal Treasury. Given the complexities that they embodied, the preparations of this expedition afford a fascinating insight into the capacity of the monarchy to project its power to the New World during the latter years of Ferdinand the Catholic.
Carmen Mena argues that the Pedrarias venture was essentially a colonization attempt that built upon the experiences gained earlier in mounting the Ovando expedition and elaborately...
