Sebastián Vizcaíno (1548-1624) was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.

[edit] Early career

Vizcaíno was born in Extremadura, Spain. He saw military service in the Spanish invasion of Portugal during 1580-1583. Coming to New Spain in 1583, he sailed as a merchant on the Manila galleon to the Philippines in 1586-1589.

[edit] The Californias

In 1593 the disputed concession for pearl fishing on the western shores of the Gulf of California was transferred to Vizcaíno. He succeeded in sailing with three ships to La Paz, Baja California Sur in 1596. He gave this site (known to Hernándo Cortés as Santa Cruz) its modern name and attempted to establish a settlement. However, problems of resupply, declining morale, and a fire soon forced its abandonment.

In 1601 the Spanish Viceroy in Mexico City, the Conde de Monterrey, appointed Vizcaíno general in charge of an expedition to locate safe harbours in Alta California for Spanish Galleons to use on their return voyage to Acapulco from Manila. He was also given the mandate to map in detail the California coastline that Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo had first reconnoitered 60 years earlier. He departed Acapulco with three ships on May 5, 1602. His flagship was the San Diego and the other two ships were the San Tomas and the Tres Reyes. On November 10, 1602, he entered and named San Diego Bay. Sailing up the coast, Vizcaino named most of the prominent features such as Point Lobos, Carmel Valley, Monterey Bay, Sierra Point, Coyote Point (thus obliterating some of the names given these same features by Cabrillo in 1542). He was the first person in recorded history to note certain ecological features of the California coast such as the Monterey Cypress forest at Point Lobos.^[1]

The commander of the Tres Reyes, Martin d'Aguilar, became separated from Vizcaíno and continued up the coast to present-day Oregon.^[2]

One result of Vizcaíno's voyage was a flurry of enthusiasm for establishing a Spanish settlement at Monterey, but this was ultimately deferred for another 167 years.

[edit] References

• Mathes, W. Michael. 1965. Californiana I: documentos para la historia de la demarcación commercial de California, 1583-1632. José Porrúa Turanzas, Madrid.
• Mathes, W. Michael. 1968. Vizcaino and Spanish Exploration in the Pacific Ocean, 1580-1630. San Francisco Historical Society.