The Guaranis' spiritual path to paradise became a fast track to riches for European colonisers – such as Portuguese sailor Aleixo Garcia – on the New World expeditions that would ultimately lead to the mass death of South America's indigenous populations through war, famine and mainly disease. Legends of El Dorado and the Sierra de la Plata (Mountain of Silver) brought Spanish and Portuguese flotillas across the Atlantic, and some indigenous groups helped them penetrate the interior of the continent along the Caminho de Peabiru, said Parellada. "Knowing the main routes and trails via the native populations became a strategic advantage, broadening the plundering, the destruction and the greed for new territories and mineral riches."
