On the morning of 29 July 1599, the Silveren Werelt (Silver World) slowly sailed up the Río de la Plata and anchored off the port of Buenos Aires. The Dutch ship, captained by Cornelis van Heemskerck, was making the first attempt at establishing direct trade between the Dutch Republic and Buenos Aires. The voyage of the ambitiously named Silveren Werelt had begun the previous September, accompanied by the Gouden Werelt (Golden World), captained by Laurens Bicker. The two ships had left Texel (the seaport of Amsterdam) on a journey that took them to the Guinea coast via the Cape Verde Islands. Near São Tomé, the Portuguese attacked them, and van Heemskerck was captured. After a prisoner exchange, the voyage continued, though the two ships were separated by a storm. The Silveren Werelt continued on to the agreed rendezvous point at Maldonado, at the mouth of the Río de la Plata. When the Gouden Werelt failed to arrive, the Silveren Werelt continued up the estuary to within sight of Buenos Aires.2