PASQUALE RAGUSEO --DISCOVERY OF THE AMAZON

Adam S. Eterovich

Croatians were amongst the first in the discovery, exploration and colonization of the Amazon River in Brazil.

Pasquale Raguseo, Captain 1545: In a study on the Discovery and Colonization of the Amazon in Brazil during the 1540’s the Spanish Crown best expressed the attitude towards Ragusan-Dubrovnik ships, captains and mariners and their acceptance in Spanish fleet operations:

“Your Highness will probably have to make some special dispensations (in Orellana's favor] because he is very seriously handicapped by a shortage of pilots and masters, for the reason that, since it [i.e. the expedition) is for an unfamiliar country, he can not find any competent pilots or masters, particularly any who are natives of these realms, and he has a Ragusan-Dubrovnik as master of the flagship, and with him, seamen from his country, and some Levantines, and the majority of the remainder of the seamen that he has are Flemings and Germans and [only] a few Spaniards; he did have a few Englishmen and Portuguese, whom we compelled him to discharge.

But these explanations did not convince the royal officials, particularly as they could plainly see that pilots and shipmasters were still lacking; that the majority of the sailors still available, after they (the officials) had caused to be discharged those who turned out to be Englishmen and Portuguese, were Flemings and Germans; that the Master of the flagship was a Ragusan, with whom they did not dare to use the same procedure, aware as they were that if they did so there would not remain on the ships a single person capable of keeping them under. control."

Croatians were either identified as Ragusans (Dubrovnik), Venetians, Levantines, Hungarians-Ungria, Esclavons, Schiavone or many corruptions of Ragusa.

Medina, Jose T. Ed. The Discovery of the Amazon. New York: American Geographical Society, 1935.

“JUST LIKE RAGUSA”

The Caribbean and the central and south American coast were the first areas discovered in the New World. Ragusa and Saint Vlaho did appear in oommentary, sea charts and maps.

In Sebastian Cabot's voyage to the Rio De La Plata in 1526-30, his map has a bay, Mime Ragoso, or "Just like Ragusa", this is in Brazil. Some of the mariners and officers in this voyage were Bozo de Araguz-Dubrovnik, Stephan de Lezna-Lesina or the Island of Hvar, an Esclavon, Stephen de Arva-Arbe or the Island of Rab and Matias Mafrolo-Esclavon.