Ernesto Sánchez La Cruz

Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz was a Venezuelan explorer who in 1910 became the first non-indigenous person to see the Angel Falls. He spent the rest of his life in South America.Angel Falls is one of the biggest free falling waterfalls in the world with a clear drop of 807 meters (which is 2648 feet). It is located in the Canaima National Park, Venezuela. The height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is affected by the strong winds and turned into mist.The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep river which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River. In the indigenous Pemon language Angel Falls is called Kerepakupai merú which means means the "waterfall of the deepest place".

Sir Walter Raleigh is sometimes said to have discovered Angel Falls, but these claims are considered untrue. They were sighted in 1912 by a Venezuelan explorer named Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz, but he did not publicize his discovery. They were not known to the outside world until the American aviator James "Jimmie" Crawford Angel flew over them on 16 November 1933 .Returning on 9 October 1937, Angel tried to land his Flamingo monoplane. but the plane got damaged when the wheels sunk into the marshy ground and he and his three companions, including his wife Marie, were forced to descend on foot. It took them 11 whole days to make their way back to civilization but the news of the adventure spread quickly. So the waterfall was named Angel Falls in his honor.