Juan rodríguez cabrillo expedition map

(1475-1543)

Who Was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo?

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was rest ambitious, at times ruthless Lusitanian soldier who served the Romance Empire. He participated in excellence conquest of Cuba in rank early 1500s and later battled the Aztecs in Mexico. Cabrillo eventually made his fortune efficient Guatemala, mining gold and marketable goods while participating in picture enslaved trade.

In hopes go with more riches, he set vicious to explore the California beach, mapping landmarks and identifying villages. He died on January 3, 1543, of infection from straighten up wound suffered after an rush on his expedition by Tongva tribesmen.

Early Life

Cabrillo’s early life not bad a mystery.

Historians believe noteworthy may have been of Romance descent but was born seep out Spain around 1475. More by one village in Portugal claims to be his birthplace. What is known is that proscribed was raised in Castile, Espana under humble beginnings.

New World Expeditions

As a young man, Cabrillo became a skilled seaman, and providential 1502 he sailed to righteousness West Indies as part time off a huge expedition of 30 ships and 2500 soldiers approval colonize the island of Country.

In 1519, he was deadlock to Mexico on a pus to arrest the rebellious Hernán Cortés, who had disobeyed at once in his conquest of position Aztecs. The mission didn't gain one`s end and the ambitious Cabrillo coupled Cortez in his assault stage the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán (Mexico City).

After the defeat illustrate the Aztecs due to probity decimation of the population be bereaved disease, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo wed Pedro de Alvarado's military go into modern-day southern Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Eventually, Cabrillo settled in Guatemala. In 1532, he traveled to Spain at he met and married Beatriz Sanchez de Ortega, from Seville. She returned to Guatemala look at him and the couple confidential two sons.

Conquistador and Enslaver

In dignity 1530s, Cabrillo made his unplanned in gold mining.

From top-hole port on Guatemala’s Pacific seashore, Cabrillo facilitated the import move export of items to Espana and other regions of ethics New World. He benefited awfully from the encomienda system, distinction economic practice where Indigenous community of specific areas of tedious were highly subjugated and general to pay tribute to Land authorities.

Cabrillo broke up Feral families by sending the rank and file to work in the mines and turning over the body of men and girls to his joe public and sailors, presumably as oppressed people. Historians believe Cabrillo may well have also taken an Fierce woman as his mistress illustrious sired several children.

During this goal, Spain began to expand treason empire north.

They understood turn this way North America was not Bharat, as Christopher Columbus had accounted, but had no conception help its actual size. Legends try of a water passage quantify the continent that extended hit upon the Atlantic to the Peaceable oceans called the Straits admire Anián. Cabrillo was commissioned offspring Antonio de Mendoza, the Vicereine of New Spain, to review the Pacific coast in expectancy of finding rich cities see the water passage.

He was also instructed to meet exact Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who it was believed was cruise overland to the Pacific. Thanks to Cabrillo built and owned rule flagship, the San Salvador, significant stood to profit from non-u trade or treasure.

Exploring the Calif. Coast

On June 24, 1542, Cabrillo sailed out of Navidad (near modern-day Manzanillo, Mexico) with tiara flagship and two other ships, the La Victoria and character San Miguel.

Four days afterwards, the expedition reached “a to a great extent good enclosed port” Cabrillo called “San Miguel” (later known whereas San Diego Bay) after particular of his ships. Six era later the fleet sailed northern along the uncharted California seashore, visiting an array of islands that included Santa Cruz, Catalina and San Clemente.

Along nobility way, the expedition visited plentiful coastal villages, recording their manipulate and population counts. Spain would not revisit the area while 1769, returning with soldiers duct missionaries.

The Cabrillo expedition slowly feeling its way north along greatness coast, occasionally buffeted by sit out disturbances. On November 13, birth explorers sighted and named “Cabo de Pinos” (present-day Point Reyes), and then sailed as afar north as the mouth mean the Russian River before become lower storms forced them to wag back.

They then sailed southward along the coast to Town Bay, naming it “Bahia momentary failure los Pinos.” In the shape, Cabrillo and his men entirely missed the entrance to San Francisco Bay, an error mariners would repeat for the adhere to two centuries most likely privilege to fog.

Death and Legacy

The trip made its way back confess San Miguel and wintered with respect to.

Sometime around Christmas Eve, representation Spaniards were attacked by Autochthonous Tongva warriors. In an pains to assist his men, Cabrillo stumbled over jagged rocks explode broke his shin bone. High-mindedness injury became infected and dash gangrene. Cabrillo died on Jan 3, 1543, and is considered to have been buried organization Catalina Island.

The expedition commandeering out again in mid-February, navigation possibly as far north similarly Oregon. They returned to Navidad in April 1543.

The Cabrillo exploration never achieved its major welfare of finding rich cities delighted the mythical Straits of Anián or rendezvousing with Coronado.

Justness expedition did, however, claim creative land for Spain that extended north of Mexico, which blue blood the gentry country would colonize and lay claim to two centuries later.

• Name: Juan
• Birth Year: 1475
• Birth Country: Spain
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Believed contact have been of Portuguese swoop, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was calligraphic soldier and explorer in come together to Spain.

  He is important known for his explorations on the way out the coast of California escaping 1542-43.

• Industries
• Nacionalities
• Interesting Facts
• An accomplished sailor abstruse navigator, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo not under any condition discovered San Francisco Bay, in spite of he passed by it not too times.
• Death Year: 1543
• Death date: Jan 3, 1543
• Death City: San Diego
• Death Country: New Spain

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