 He and his party sailed along the Atlantic coast until reaching Cubagua Island, near the coast of Venezuela.The BBC documentary "Unnatural Histories" presents evidence that Orellana, rather than exaggerating his claims as previously thought, was correct in his observations that an advanced civilization was flourishing along the Amazon in the 1540s.It is believed that the civilization was later devastated by the spread of diseases from Europe, such as smallpox.