Originally posted by Reginmund
There is an interesting and quite entertaining German
movie which is based on the myth of El Dorado, title is "Aguierre -
Zorn des Gottes" (Wrath of God). In this movie, the Indians have
invented the myth of El Dorado just to lure the Spaniards away from
their actual settlements, and send them off to a hopeless grailhunt
which ultimately ends in their demise. |
Right, they wanted the Spaniards to go away.
Myth!
...
Though another ulterior film,
Eldorado (with Omero Antonutti as Aguirre), is surely much more accurate.
The Wrath of God depicts Aguirre simply as a madman, while he was much more: he was the first Latin American creole rebel.
The issue is that, being Basque, he was to be considered as
hidalgo (esquire)
in all Castilian territories but a judge condemned him to be flogged, a
punishment for commoners. So he followed and killed the judge. For this
reason, the Viceroy sent him to such risky expedition, where he
eventually rebelled... travelled all the Amazon and took Isla
Margarita, writing to Chearles V long letters explaining the reasons of
his rebellion an how his rule wasn't valid in the New Lands (what is
considered by many as very early, though doomed, attempt of liberation
of Latin America) crossing to the mainland in attempt to take Panama,
but he was defeated near Barquisimeto and then he killed his
mestizo daughter "so she wouldn't be used as cushion" by his enemies.
Much more in Aguirre than the madman of
The Wrath of God.