LA GUAYANA PROFUNDA. Las exploraciones a la región Guayana, sus representaciones cartográficas y su impacto en la controversia por la Guayana Esequiba

This book by Professor Josmar Fernández, "Deep Guayana: Explorations in the Guayana Region, Their Cartographic Representations, and Their Impact on the Essequibo Controversy," attempts to interpret documentary and cartographic sources that can provide clues about the process of territorial occupation in the Guayana region, particularly the Essequibo. The controversy over the Essequibo territory originated from a causal event: the deployment of the conquest and colonization process of "new lands" by European crowns between the late 16th and 18th centuries. The legend of El Dorado sparked interest in exercising control over these resource-rich territories by imposing their belief system. For the European conquerors, the inhabitants of these territories were savages with little organization, so, in the name of God and/or the King, they sought to establish order and bring these "uncivilized" peoples out of darkness. Spanish occupation relied significantly on missionary action, which was entrusted with at least two tasks: catechizing the natives and taking note of and reporting on the characteristics of the territory, its population, and available resources; that is, gathering strategic information about these still unknown regions. At the same time, military sources revealed the challenges they faced to efficiently and effectively guarantee the defense of the Guayana region, including disagreements with ecclesiastical authorities.