In 1542, Francisco de Orellana and his surviving men floated down a vast, untamed river, starving, sick, and lost — yet unwilling to turn back. Then, one morning, through the humid mist, war drums echoed. From the dense jungle emerged warriors with long hair, bows drawn, and faces painted for war. They were women — fierce, commanding, unflinching. The Spaniards, already weakened by months of hardship, faced a storm of arrows. The women moved with precision and coordination, leading entire bands