![]() ![]() He was also instructed to meet with Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who it was believed was crossing overland to the Pacific. ![]() Cabrillo was commissioned by Antonio de Mendoza, the Viceroy of New Spain, to explore the Pacific coast in hopes of finding rich cities and the water passage. Legends told of a water passage through the continent that extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans called the Straits of Anián. They understood that North America was not India, as Christopher Columbus had believed, but had no conception of its actual size. Historians believe Cabrillo may have also taken an Indigenous woman as his mistress and sired several children.ĭuring this time, Spain began to expand its empire north. Cabrillo broke up Indigenous families by sending the men to work in the mines and turning over the women and girls to his soldiers and sailors, presumably as enslaved people. He benefited greatly from the encomienda system, an economic practice where Indigenous inhabitants of specific areas of land were highly subjugated and expected to pay tribute to Spanish authorities. From a port on Guatemala’s Pacific coast, Cabrillo facilitated the import and export of items to Spain and other regions of the New World. In the 1530s, Cabrillo made his fortune in gold mining. She returned to Guatemala with him and the couple had two sons. In 1532, he traveled to Spain where he met and married Beatriz Sanchez de Ortega, from Seville. Eventually, Cabrillo settled in Guatemala. The mission didn't succeed and the ambitious Cabrillo joined Cortez in his assault on the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán (Mexico City).Īfter the defeat of the Aztecs due to the decimation of the population from disease, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo joined Pedro de Alvarado's military expeditions into modern-day southern Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. In 1519, he was sent to Mexico on a mission to arrest the rebellious Hernán Cortés, who had disobeyed orders in his conquest of the Aztecs. New World ExpeditionsĪs a young man, Cabrillo became a skilled seaman, and in 1502 he sailed to the West Indies as part of a huge expedition of 30 ships and 2500 soldiers to colonize the island of Cuba. What is known is that he was raised in Castile, Spain under humble beginnings. ![]() More than one village in Portugal claims to be his birthplace. Historians believe he may have been of Portuguese descent but was born in Spain around 1475. Early LifeĬabrillo’s early life is a mystery. He died on January 3, 1543, of infection from a wound suffered after an attack on his expedition by Tongva tribesmen. In hopes of more riches, he set out to explore the California coast, mapping landmarks and identifying villages. Cabrillo eventually made his fortune in Guatemala, mining gold and trading goods while participating in the enslaved trade. He participated in the conquest of Cuba in the early 1500s and later battled the Aztecs in Mexico. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was an ambitious, at times ruthless Portuguese soldier who served the Spanish Empire. (1475-1543) Who Was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo? ![]()
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