Scratch

BORING BIOGRAPHY (skip it if you hate reading):
I've always liked dinosaurs. Though I'm not as avid as I used to be about them, doesn't mean I still don't like them. I used to watch Land Before Time and it's movie series ever since I was 4 years old till I was 11 or 12. I also watched several other videos, like Dinosaur, The Lost World, Jurassic Park, King Kong (well it's inpiring!), and Dinotopia (which is so cool!). I was actually thinking about being a paleontologist all the way up to age 10 until I pretty much realized, how would I ever get the travel money and stuff to discover fossils? How would I? And my main conviction: What's the point of discovering and researching dead extinct animals that are nothing but bones and I sadly will never meet? This was saddening for me. I also got more into computers and stuff so, yeah, that kind of blew it away completely...
...but anyway, there's more-- First of all, can you remember a black and white drawing from seven years ago (when you were in second-grade or somewhere around there) from a magazine article you saw in a basket in a school room during recess time!? Well, 'probably' not, but I do. I don't know if it was phony or not, but it was about a report of some ancient explorers (like 1600's to 1900's I think) who had spotted dinosaurs (or particularly iguanadons) on a plateau in South America (I presume)... I even remember the little map image that came with it! Thought I can't find this article anywhere on the web...
ANYWAY, the black and white drawing showed two explorers (classic tan hats) peering over from behind a log in a forest, seeing iguanadons I think.

AND SO (the part for people who hate to read):
In order to make a believable story of explorers finding dinosaurs in South America (presumably there), I must create a realistic setting-- of which I have like, NO knowledge. What I mean by 'realistic setting', is things like: what tools and devices did they use back then (during the Age of Exploration, or possibly the Age of Gunpowder thingy), food, medicine, transportation, clothing, EVERYTHING! What people did they need? Just think of all those adventure movies set it older times, where a group of people (usually led by a bad guy) goes on an expedition. Oh yeah! Think Tarzan! That just came to my mind. Though that date in time seems a little ... late... I don't know...

But anyway, give me any links to exploration items, preparations, personnel, food, medicine, and anything else. Even food!

I tried looking up some stuff, but I was quite unsuccessful 

Look it up only if you want to or if you already know something.
Thanks!