Sierra del Plata
Encyclopedia
Sierra de la Plata was a legendary treasury of silver
that was believed to be located in South America
. The legend probably originated when the European survivors of a shipwreck were given abundant gifts of silver by the native peoples.
In the early 16th century, the estuary
of the Uruguay
and Paraná
rivers was named by the Spaniards Río de la Plata
(Silver River) because it was at first believed to be a river that led to the Sierra de la Plata. There is no evidence that any such mountain range of silver ever existed near the mouth of the Río de la Plata; to find them, one ought to travel to the far Andes
, more than a thousand miles away. The closest mountain range that resembles the myth of the "Silver Mountains" is the range around Potosí
in modern Bolivia
, a town known for its rich silver veins.
From the rumor and the river, the modern country of Argentina
also takes its name from the Latin
word for silver, argentum.
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
that was believed to be located in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The legend probably originated when the European survivors of a shipwreck were given abundant gifts of silver by the native peoples.
In the early 16th century, the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the Uruguay
Uruguay River
The Uruguay River is a river in South America. It flows from north to south and makes boundary with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of the Mesopotamia from the other two countries...
and Paraná
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
rivers was named by the Spaniards Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
(Silver River) because it was at first believed to be a river that led to the Sierra de la Plata. There is no evidence that any such mountain range of silver ever existed near the mouth of the Río de la Plata; to find them, one ought to travel to the far Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, more than a thousand miles away. The closest mountain range that resembles the myth of the "Silver Mountains" is the range around Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
in modern Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, a town known for its rich silver veins.
From the rumor and the river, the modern country of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
also takes its name from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word for silver, argentum.
See also
- AntilliaAntilliaAntillia is a legendary island that was reputed, during the 15th century age of exploration, to lie in the Atlantic Ocean, far to the west of Portugal and Spain...
- City of the CaesarsCity of the CaesarsThe City of the Caesars , also variously known as City of the Patagonia, Wandering City, Trapalanda or Trapananda, Lin Lin or Elelín, is a mythical city of South America. It is supposedly located somewhere in Patagonia, in some valley of the Andes between Chile and Argentina...
(Ciudad de los Césares) - El DoradoEl DoradoEl Dorado is the name of a Muisca tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust and, as an initiation rite, dived into a highland lake.Later it became the name of a legendary "Lost City of Gold" that has fascinated – and so far eluded – explorers since the days of the Spanish Conquistadors...
- La Plata MountainsLa Plata MountainsThe La Plata Mountains are a small subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of Colorado, United States. They are located on the border between Montezuma and La Plata counties, about northwest of Durango. Their name is Spanish for silver.The peaks of the range are easily visible...
- Quivira and CíbolaQuivira and CíbolaQuivira is a place first mentioned by Francisco Vazquez de Coronado in 1541, who visited it during his searches for the mythical "Seven Cities of Gold". The location and identity of the "Quivirans" has been much debated over a wide area, including Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri...