ABSTRACT
The explorers of the valley of Rio de la Plata, like many of the other explorers of the eastern coast of America, hoped to find a passage through the newly discovered continent to the lands of the far East. The colony which Cabot had established at San Espiritu had the hard fate that attended all the early attempts to occupy the region of Rio de la Plata. The supposed proximity of the valley of La Plata to the riches of Peru helped to convince the Council of the Indies that it was desirable to plant new colonies in this region as well as to maintain the one already established. The inhabitants of Buenos Aires found it in convenient to resort to the audiencia which had been established in the city of La Plata. This difficulty was set aside by the creation of a new audiencia in Buenos Aires, in 1782.
