The exhibition, held on the occasion of the fifth centenary of the birth of Francisco de Orellana, the first navigator of the Amazon River, will be the first exhibition presented in Madrid on this subject, approaching the river as the universal paradigm of biodiversity.

The exhibition, held on the occasion of the fifth centenary of the birth of Francisco de Orellana, the first navigator of the Amazon River, will be the first exhibition presented in Madrid on this subject, approaching the river as the universal paradigm of biodiversity.

The exhibition will contribute to highlighting the work that researchers have developed on the exploration of the Amazon. It will have two clearly differentiated spaces. On the one hand, a space called “of sensations”, with three areas, the jungle, the Maloca and the river, and, on the other, an environment dedicated to “knowledge”, where the Spanish expeditions that have been carried out throughout history are narrated.

The aim is to transmit to society:

• The significance of the Amazon in universal biodiversity and why, five centuries after its discovery, there are still huge spaces to explore.
• What is the current state of the vast Amazon basin and what are its problems in terms of conservation?
• The current situation of the Amazonian civilizations that live integrated into the biodiversity of the forest.
• To emphasize the role played by Spain in the discovery of the Amazon, vindicating essential figures such as Orellana, Aguirre, Iglesias or Jiménez de la Espada.

Museum visitors will be given access to different educational materials and activities, which expand and complete the content of the exhibition. A website will also be created in which a video about the exhibition will be included.

The exhibition will be part of the different events and programmes in which the museum participates during the exhibition period, such as Science Week, International Museum Day, Biodiversity Day or IV Scientific Congress for schoolchildren, among others.