Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo João Rodrigues Cabrilho | |
|---|---|
 Posthumous depiction of Cabrillo | |
| Born | c. 1497 Lapela de Cabril,Montalegre,Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | January 3, 1543(1543-01-03) (aged 45–46) |
| Known for | First European in Alta California |
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (Portuguese:João Rodrigues Cabrilho;c. 1497[1] – January 3, 1543) was a Portuguese[2] maritime explorer best known for investigations of thewest coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of theSpanish Empire. He was the first European to explore present-day Alta California, navigating along thecoast of California in 1542–1543 on his voyage fromNew Spain (modern Mexico).[3]
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Cabrillo's nationality – Spanish or Portuguese – has been debated more recently. He was described as Portuguese by Spanish chroniclerAntonio de Herrera y Tordesillas; in hisHistoria General de los hechos de los Castellanos en las Islas y tierra firme del Mar Oceano, written 60 years after Cabrillo's death, Herrera referred to Cabrillo asJuan Rodriguez Cabrillo.[4][5]
Of the few locations in Portugal who used to claim to be his birthplace, only Lapela de Cabril keeps having some legitimacy to do so. However, the source for Herrera's description is unknown. Certain historians, such asEdward Kritzler, claim that Cabrillo was possibly descended from Jewishconversos.[6][better source needed] Others point to the many flaws in Kritzler's work, including lack of evidence for such claims.[7]
Some historians have long[citation needed] believed that Cabrillo was from Spain, and a set of documents discovered in 2015 gave strength to that opinion.[8] A witness from a 1532 lawsuit, named Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, testified under oath that he was "natural" [sic] of Palma de Micergilio, which many misunderstood as if being born or native of nowPalma del Río, a town in theprovince of Córdoba in Spain. As an example of the difference between being born/native and natural/naturalized F. Pizarro himself used to say he was "natural y nacido" (natural and born) in Trujillo, Spain. Other details of the witness's biography match known facts about the explorer.[9] A leader of San Diego's Portuguese community cautioned that the new evidence must be carefully evaluated, and requested that copies of the documents be turned over to the Portuguese government for study.[10]
Lapela, in the parish of Cabril and a municipality ofMontalegre (Portugal), is the region where allegedly the nickname "Cabrilha"[citation needed]originated. It became the surname Cabrilho and was pronounced at the timeCabrilhe in Galician andCabrillo in Spanish, according to the historian João Soares Tavares, biographer of João Rodrigues Cabrilho. The name still exists in Portugal as a surname, and several localities named Cabril inBeira Alta and neighboring regions such as Castro Daire, Viseu or Pampilhosa da Serra have been claimed as Cabrillo's birthplace. In Lapela there is an ancient house where local tradition claims he was born. Local people, and alleged local descendants of branches of his ancient family with the same surname ("Rodrigues Cabrilho"), call the houseCasa do Galego (House of the Galician) andCasa do Americano (House of the American).[11][12]
In January 2023, a new preprint (now peer reviewed and published in the Bulletin for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies)[2] announced new documents about a Rodrigues family living in São Lourenço de Cabril around 1520.[13]
Alvar Nunes, a Portuguese pilot, was the co-owner of the ship Santa María de Buena Esperança, which was very likely rebaptized as Santa María de La Victoria, Cabrilho's fleet's second largest ship. As a result, it is likely that the two largest ships in the fleet that discovered California were property of Portuguese seamen. António Fernandes, another Portuguese also living in Nicaragua, was the possible owner of the shipAnton Hernandez, indicated alternatively as the second largest ship in Cabrilho's fleet.
According to Cabrilho's elder son, his father was one of the first settlers of Nicaragua. In November 1529, Juan Rodríguez portugués and Alvar Nuñez portugués were in Léon de Nicaragua, paying for the gold mines of Santa María de Buena Esperança defence garrison, suggesting Cabrilho was Portuguese. Bartolome Ferrer, Cabrilho's pilot major, was not Spanish-born but from Albissola, Savona, near Genoa.
Carbon-14 data validates the early 1530s as the time when Cabrilho offered a crucifix to his Rodrigues family in Lapela de Cabril, in agreement with their ancestral family tradition.[14]
The 2023 paper also presents a 1604 California Spanish-based map, made by the Florentine cartographer Matteo di Jacopo Neroni da Peccioli, where the toponym Cabrilho's Bay (B. de Cabrilho) shows at nearly 40 degrees north. The navigator's name is written in the Portuguese form (with lh) for the first time in any known map of that period. Since the 1604 map dates from around the same time as Herrera's statement (around 1615) about Cabrilho being Portuguese, the appearance of Cabrilho's name in this old map provides support to Cabrilho's Portuguese nationality.
Other than Cabrilho's Bay in California, the paper also presents a 1758 document showing that Mount Cabrilho was located nearby Lapela de Cabril, thus proving that Cabrilho indeed existed as a name in Portugal.
Cabrillo shipped forHavana as a young man and joined forces withHernán Cortés inMexico (then calledNew Spain), after the defeat of Pánfilo de Narváez's troops (which included Cabrilho)[15]. Later, his success in mining gold inGuatemala made him one of the richest of theconquistadores in Mexico.[16]
He accompanied Francisco de Orozco to subdue the indigenousMixtec people at what would eventually become the city ofOaxaca, in Mexico.[17] Little is known of what Cabrillo did there.
In 1539,Francisco de Ulloa, who had been commissioned by Cortés, explored and named the Sea of Cortés (Gulf of California) and reached nearly as far north as the 30th parallel.[18] Cabrillo was then commissioned by the newViceroy of New Spain,Antonio de Mendoza, to lead an expedition up thePacific coast in search of trade opportunities, perhaps to find a way to China (for the full extent of the northern Pacific was unknown) or to find the mythical Strait of Anián (orNorthwest Passage) connecting the Pacific Ocean withHudson Bay.[citation needed] Cabrillo built and owned the flagship of his venture (three ships), and stood to profit from any trade or treasure.[19]
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In 1540, the fleet sailed fromAcajutla,El Salvador, and reachedNavidad, Mexico on Christmas Day. While in Mexico,Pedro de Alvarado went to the assistance of the town ofNochistlán, which was under siege by hostile natives, and was killed when his horse fell on him, crushing his chest. Following Alvarado's death, the viceroy took possession of Alvarado's fleet. Part of the fleet was sent off to theSpanish East Indies underRuy López de Villalobos and three of the ships were sent north under the command of Cabrillo.
On June 27, 1542, Cabrillo set out from Navidad with three ships: the 200-tongalleon and flagshipSan Salvador, the smallerLa Victoria (c. 100 tons), and thelateen-rigged, twenty-six oared "fragata" or "bergantin"San Miguel.[20] On August 1, Cabrillo anchored within sight ofCedros Island. Before the end of the month they had passed Baja Point (named "Cabo del Engaño" by de Ulloa in 1539) and entered "uncharted waters, where no Spanish ships had been before".[21] On September 28, he landed in what is nowSan Diego Bay and named it "San Miguel".[22] A little over a week later he reachedSanta Catalina Island (October 7), which he named "San Salvador", after his flagship.[23] On sending a boat to the island "a great crowd of armed Indians appeared" – whom, however, they later "befriended". NearbySan Clemente Island was named "Victoria", in honor of the third ship of the fleet. The next morning, October 8, Cabrillo came toSan Pedro Bay, which was named "Baya de los Fumos" (English: Smoke Bay). The following day they anchored overnight inSanta Monica Bay. Going up the coast Cabrillo sawAnacapa Island, which they learned from the Indigenous People was uninhabited.[citation needed]
The fleet spent the next week in the islands, mostly anchored in Cuyler Harbor, a bay on the northeastern coast ofSan Miguel Island. On October 18 the expedition sawPoint Conception, which they named "Cabo de Galera".Cabrillo's expedition recorded the names of numerousChumash villages on the California coast and adjacent islands in October 1542 – then located in the two warring provinces ofXexo (ruled by an "old woman", nowSanta Barbara County, California) andXucu (nowVentura County, California).[citation needed]
On November 13 they sighted and named "Cabo de Pinos" (possibly eitherPoint Pinos orPoint Reyes), but missed the entrance toSan Francisco Bay, a lapse that mariners would repeat for the next two centuries and more, most likely because its entrance is frequently shrouded by fog. The expedition may have reached as far north as theRussian River or even the Columbia before autumn storms forced them to turn back. Because of the vagueness of his description, it is uncertain which northern river the expedition sighted. Coming back down the coast, Cabrillo enteredMonterey Bay, naming it "Bahia de Los Pinos".[24]
On November 23, 1542, the little fleet arrived back in "San Salvador" (Santa Catalina Island) to overwinter and make repairs. There, around Christmas Eve, Cabrillo stepped out of his boat and splintered his shin when he stumbled onto a jagged rock while trying to rescue some of his men from attackingTongva warriors. The injury became infected and developedgangrene, and he died on January 3, 1543, and was buried. A possible headstone was later found on San Miguel Island. His second-in-command brought the remainder of the party back to Navidad, where they arrived April 14, 1543.[25]
A notary's official report of Cabrillo's expedition was lost; all that survives is a summary of it made by another investigator,Andrés de Urdaneta, who also had access to ships' logs and charts.[26] No printed account of Cabrillo's voyage appeared before historian Antonio de Herrera's account early in the 17th century.[27]
According to his biographer Harry Kelsey, he took an indigenous woman as his common-law wife and sired several children, including at least three daughters.[16]
Later he married Beatriz Sanchez de Ortega in Seville during a hiatus in Spain. She returned to Guatemala with him and bore him two sons.[28] Those two sons were named Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo de Medrano, his heir, and the younger Diego Sanchez de Ortega (the latter, named after his maternal uncle).[29]
His namesake son and heir, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo deMedrano,[30] was born inGuatemala in the year 1536 and died in 1592,Lima, Peru. According to Kelsey, the "de Medrano" part of his name was only added later by himself, not by baptism,[31] however, all his descendants carried the surname, and Kelsey's research and biography of Cabrillo has been extensively criticized by Martin Torodash fromDuke University in theHispanic American Historical Review (1987).[32]
Cabrillo's heir Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo de Medrano was theencomendero of Xicalpa, Jocopila and Comitlán,[33] and twice townmagistrate ofSantiago de Guatemala and owner of a cattle ranch along the road connecting Xicalapa to Miahuatlán.[34] In February 1579 he helped Francisco Díaz Del Castillo as a witness to histestimony.[35] Medrano served as an activemagistrate of the Santiago de GuatemalaCabildo in 1577.[36] He was also involved in a well-known dispute over the encomienda ofCobán.[37]
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo de Medrano married with Isabel de Aldana and had two sons, the older son and heir named Alonso Rodríguez Cabrillo de Medrano,[38] who inherited his father's encomiendas,[39] and the younger Geronimo Cabrillo de Aldana, father of Esteban de Medrano y Solórzano.[40]
The younger Geronimo Cabrillo de Aldana inherited the family encomiendas after the death of his older brother Alonso Rodríguez Cabrillo de Medrano.[41] Geronimo's son and heir Esteban de Medrano y Solórzano[42] wrote hiswill in 1688 as the legitimate son of Geronimo Cabrillo de Aldana; the grandson of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo de Medrano; and great-grandson of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo.[43] On 24 May 1670, Esteban de Medrano y Solórzano was recorded as thechancellor andregidor of theAudiencia y Cancillería Real de Santiago de Guatemala.[44]
His discoveries went largely unnoticed at the time, so none of his place names were permanently adopted. Despite this, Cabrillo is now remembered as the first European to travel the California coast, and many parks, schools, buildings and streets in California bear his name.
Most notably, theNational Park Service operatesCabrillo National Monument, overlooking the bay and ocean fromPoint Loma inSan Diego, commemorating his first landing in California and offering views of San Diego and the Pacific Ocean. The monument features a larger-than-life statue of Cabrillo, donated by the government of Portugal,[45] as well as a plaque honoring him donated in 1935 by the Portuguese ambassador to the United States.[46] A museum in the park focuses on Cabrillo and his voyages of discovery. Every September Cabrillo Festival Inc. hosts the Cabrillo Festival, an annual three-day celebration of his discovery ofSan Diego Bay, including a re-enactment of his landing at Ballast Point.[47][48]
Another Cabrillo Monument is located onSan Miguel Island.[49]
In the state of California, September 28th is officially "Cabrillo Day".[50]
A civic organization of Portuguese-Americans primarily in California is called the Cabrillo Club.[51]
In northern California, thePoint Cabrillo Light is named after him.[52]San Pedro, part of the city ofLos Angeles, hasCabrillo Beach and theCabrillo Marine Aquarium.[53]
Schools named for him includeCabrillo College inAptos, California,[54] high schools inLompoc[55] andLong Beach, and several middle and elementary schools.
The portion ofCalifornia State Route 1 that runs fromLas Cruces inSanta Barbara County north toSan Francisco is called the Cabrillo Highway.[56] TheCabrillo Bridge[57] and Cabrillo Freeway (California State Route 163)[58] running through San Diego'sBalboa Park are also named for him. There are streets named for him in many cities in California.
TheSSCabrillo was a wooden steamer launched in 1914 to serve as a ferry across the San Pedro Channel to Santa Catalina Island. It was later requisitioned by the United States Army and served as a troop transport in northern California during World War II.[59]
In 1992, theUnited States Postal Service issued a 29¢ stamp in honor of Cabrillo.[60]
TheFlag of San Diego features the number 1542 to represent Cabrillo's "discovery" of San Diego Bay in that year.[61]
Rodriguez Seamount in the Pacific Ocean is named for him.[62]
TheMaritime Museum of San Diego, in partnership withCabrillo National Monument, has built a full-sized, fully functional, and historically accurate replica of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo's flagship,San Salvador. The construction of the replica was based on historical and archeological research into early Spanish and Portuguese shipbuilding techniques.[63]
The construction was carried out in full public view on the shores of San Diego Bay by professional boat builders, assisted by scores of volunteers. Her keel was laid in April 2011; her first official public unveiling was in September 2015 when she led a parade of tall ships. The replica ship now sails on regular tours in the waters of theSouthern California coast as an educational historical resource.[63]
Proponents to change the name for Cabrillo College say Cabrillo left a legacy of indigenous exploitation. A faculty-led resolution delivered to Cabrillo College President Matt Wetstein accused Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo of enslaving indigenous people and profiting from the genocide and exploitation of the indigenous, including through a gold mine the resolution states he owned and operated in Guatemala.[64]
Another effort was suggested to renameCabrillo High School in Lompoc for similar reasons.[65]
