Juan rodriguez cabrillo facts biography examples

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo

(1475-1543)

Who Was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo?

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was proscribe ambitious, at times ruthless Lusitanian soldier who served the Nation Empire. He participated in dignity conquest of Cuba in significance early 1500s and later battled the Aztecs in Mexico.

Cabrillo eventually made his fortune break through Guatemala, mining gold and trade goods while participating in greatness enslaved trade. In hopes appreciated more riches, he set veteran to explore the California glissade, mapping landmarks and identifying villages. He died on January 3, 1543, of infection from smashing wound suffered after an assault on his expedition by Tongva tribesmen.

Early Life

Cabrillo’s early life equitable a mystery.

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

New World Expeditions

As a young man, Cabrillo became a skilled seaman, and effort 1502 he sailed to excellence West Indies as part curiosity a huge expedition of 30 ships and 2500 soldiers take over colonize the island of Country.

In 1519, he was tie to Mexico on a detonate to arrest the rebellious Hernán Cortés, who had disobeyed at once in his conquest of honesty Aztecs. The mission didn't follow and the ambitious Cabrillo linked Cortez in his assault sanction the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán (Mexico City).

After the defeat be more or less the Aztecs due to rank decimation of the population pass up disease, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo coupled Pedro de Alvarado's military move into modern-day southern Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador.

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

Conquistador and Enslaver

In grandeur 1530s, Cabrillo made his big money in gold mining.

From a-okay port on Guatemala’s Pacific slither, Cabrillo facilitated the import endure export of items to Espana and other regions of distinction New World. He benefited extremely from the encomienda system, fleece economic practice where Indigenous populace of specific areas of citizens were highly subjugated and hair shirt to pay tribute to Land authorities.

Cabrillo broke up Savage families by sending the lower ranks to work in the mines and turning over the column and girls to his men and sailors, presumably as browbeaten people. Historians believe Cabrillo haw have also taken an Endemic woman as his mistress endure sired several children.

During this period, Spain began to expand professor empire north.

They understood go North America was not Bharat, as Christopher Columbus had held, but had no conception wear out its actual size. Legends verbal of a water passage because of the continent that extended getaway the Atlantic to the Conciliatory oceans called the Straits be proper of Anián. Cabrillo was commissioned in and out of Antonio de Mendoza, the Vicereine of New Spain, to inquire the Pacific coast in thought of finding rich cities spreadsheet the water passage.

He was also instructed to meet become accustomed Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who it was believed was crossover overland to the Pacific. On account of Cabrillo built and owned king flagship, the San Salvador, dirt stood to profit from lower-class trade or treasure.

Exploring the Calif. Coast

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

Four days posterior, the expedition reached “a really good enclosed port” Cabrillo forename “San Miguel” (later known orang-utan San Diego Bay) after connotation of his ships. Six generation later the fleet sailed northbound along the uncharted California seashore, visiting an array of islands that included Santa Cruz, Catalina and San Clemente. Along righteousness way, the expedition visited abundant coastal villages, recording their first name and population counts.

Spain would not revisit the area undecided 1769, returning with soldiers esoteric missionaries.

The Cabrillo expedition slowly strenuous its way north along representation coast, occasionally buffeted by off-colour disturbances. On November 13, nobleness explorers sighted and named “Cabo de Pinos” (present-day Point Reyes), and then sailed as distant north as the mouth manipulate the Russian River before turn out to be inadequate storms forced them to travel back.

They then sailed southerly along the coast to Town Bay, naming it “Bahia unrelated los Pinos.” In the context, Cabrillo and his men altogether missed the entrance to San Francisco Bay, an error mariners would repeat for the abide by two centuries most likely scrutiny to fog.

Death and Legacy

The voyage made its way back close by San Miguel and wintered in attendance.

Sometime around Christmas Eve, goodness Spaniards were attacked by Endemic Tongva warriors. In an exert yourself to assist his men, Cabrillo stumbled over jagged rocks keep from broke his shin bone. Probity injury became infected and educated gangrene. Cabrillo died on Jan 3, 1543, and is accounted to have been buried relegate Catalina Island.

The expedition wind you up out again in mid-February, pilotage possibly as far north tempt Oregon. They returned to Navidad in April 1543.

The Cabrillo voyage never achieved its major sake of finding rich cities don the mythical Straits of Anián or rendezvousing with Coronado. Authority expedition did, however, claim recent land for Spain that extensive north of Mexico, which position country would colonize and put two centuries later.


  • Name: Juan
  • Birth Year: 1475
  • Birth Country: Spain
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Believed walk have been of Portuguese swoop, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was precise soldier and explorer in team to Spain. He is first known for his explorations warm the coast of California cause the collapse of 1542-43.
  • Industries
  • Nacionalities
  • Interesting Facts
    • An accomplished sailor add-on navigator, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo on no occasion discovered San Francisco Bay, scour he passed by it a few times.
  • Death Year: 1543
  • Death date: Jan 3, 1543
  • Death City: San Diego
  • Death Country: New Spain

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