Diego de Almagro

Hello! My name is Diego de Almagro. I was born a long, long time ago, around the year 1475, in a town in Spain that had the same name as me: Almagro! When I was a boy, I heard amazing stories about explorers sailing across the big ocean to a place called the New World. I dreamed that one day I would have my own adventures and see new lands.

When I grew up, my dream came true! In 1514, I sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in the Americas. It was so exciting! There, I met another explorer named Francisco Pizarro. We became good friends and partners. We both had the same big dream: to explore the unknown parts of South America and maybe even find treasure. We promised to help each other on our great journey.

Starting around 1524, Francisco and I led brave men on ships south along the coast. The journey was hard. We sailed through storms and hiked through thick jungles. Sometimes we were hungry and tired, but we never gave up. After a lot of searching, in the early 1530s, we found the amazing Inca Empire in a place called Peru. It was a land of towering mountains, incredible cities, and lots of gold and silver. Our dream of discovery had led us to one of the most amazing places on Earth!

After our success in Peru, I wanted to lead my own expedition. In 1535, I gathered a team to explore the lands south of Peru, a place we now call Chile. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. We had to cross the freezing, snowy Andes Mountains. We didn't find the cities of gold we were looking for, but I am proud that I was the first European to lead a big expedition into that part of the world. We saw landscapes no explorer from my home had ever seen before.

My life was full of adventure, but it also had sad moments. My friendship with Francisco Pizarro ended, and we had a serious disagreement. I lived to be about 63 years old. Today, people remember me as a brave and determined explorer. I traveled to unknown places and opened up a new part of the world in South America, and I will always be known as the discoverer of Chile.