The Ehingers and Welsers in Venezuela, 1520-1560

In South America, the territory which is now Venezuela, was granted to some German bankers whose representatives played a part in the conquest and exploration of that area. Most historians write with the assumption that the Germans played an unimportant role in South America, but this writer believes that they deserve more attention than is generally given to them. It is the purpose of this study to examine with some detail the activities of the Ehingers and Welsers in Venezuela. Comparatively little work has been done on this phase of South American history. Except for general histories, the writer was unable to find any works in English. The paucity of existing studies, the destruction of some records and the difficulty of obtaining existing material has necessarily limited this paper. It deals only with material printed in the English and German language and therefore is presented primarily from the German point of view. The only material used giving the Spanish side, is correspondence with members of the Spanish Embassy, the Consulates and the University of Venezuela. In scope the paper is limited to the activities of the Ehingers and Welsers in Venezuela during the period 1520 to 1560