Quesada of Colombia Author:Ronald Syme, William Stobbs (Illustrator) In 1535 Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, a gentleman lawyer, left his comfortable home in Spain to join an expedition headed for the little-known northern coast of South America. Thus began one of the most dramatic explorations in New World history, a venture that resulted in the founding of the country called Colombia today. — After less than a year ... more »in this strange land, Quesada was chosen to lead a party of Spanish soldiers up the great River Magdalena to the interior highlands. The story of this ascent is one of great bravery and even greater endurance. Constantly threatened by hostile Indians, the Spaniards also faced starvation and sickness for the twenty-three months that the journey lasted. At the end Quesada found himself on a high-altitude plateau, where the modern city of Bogota stands.
Mr. Syme relates these events with an elan that might well have belonged to the adventurous explorer himself. The biography, illustrated with bold, vigorous drawings, is rich in authentic detail and genuine excitement.« less