Mendoza, said to be the founder of…
June 1536 CE
Mendoza, said to be the founder of Rio de la Plata (and Buenos Aires), is not a very effective leader, as he suffers from a very bad case of syphilis.
He spends half of his time ill in bed, but he puts as much effort as he can into the expedition.
No notable campaigns occur in the River Plate during this time, and the only chronicler is a German soldier named Ulderico Schmidt (or Ulrico Schmidl), who arrives to the River Plate with Don Pedro and will remain for eighteen years, fighting in almost every battle.
His account of this early history of the River Plate region is the most important document from that time period.
The native Hets of the surrounding area, also known as the Querandí, are great runners and hunters, who capture, by running down, Pampan deer, ñandúes, and even guanacos, although to facilitate their activity they have invented two devices (one that will become a classic in Argentina): the bolas, and a more primitive device consisting of a stone tied to a cord made with leather or sinews called by the Spaniards a stone-lost boleadora.
Physically, the Querandí are tall, well-proportioned body, and extremely warlike.
They wear leather clothes, similar to a fur blanket; women also wear a skirt that cover their bodies down to their knees.
With a semi-sedentary lifestyle, they group their leather tents by their water supply in the winter, and raids inland in the summer.
They initially share their food, however scarce, with the colonists.
In spite of this, the Spaniards soon take the natives and their generosity for granted and as a result, the Querandí end relations with the Spaniards and relocate further away from the Spanish settlement.
Angered by the sudden hostility, Mendoza sends his brother to lead a force against them.
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