This chapter deals with the history of the Amazon between the 16th and 18th centuries. It is organized according to various themes that have left indelible traces on the territory, in some cases up to the present day. The name of the Amazon River and subsequently of the whole region illustrates the influence of European myths. Several legends have been woven about the Amazon since then, including that of harboring potential inexhaustible riches or being a dangerous and empty space (largely owing to the depopulation of Indigenous peoples).