Sierra del Plata

Sierra del Plata (a term in archaic Spanish meaning "mountain range of silver"), was a lengendary 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 ("river of silver," customarily referred to in English as the River Plate) because it was at first believed to be a river that led to the Sierra del Plata. Although there is no evidence that any such mountain range of silver ever existed, the region around the River Plate was indeed rich in silver mines. The modern country of Argentina takes its name from the Latin word for silver, argentum.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Silver - South America - 16th century - Estuary - Uruguay - Paraná - Río de la Plata - English - Argentina - Latin

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