Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (died 1543) was a Portuguese explorer in service to the Spanish. He is best known for his exploration of the coast of California in 1542-1543.

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo served under the command of Pánfilo de Narváez and aided him in the conquest of Cuba about 1518. When Narváez was sent to Mexico in 1520 to control the ambitious Hernán Cortés, Cabrillo went along. Once in Mexico, however, Cabrillo joined Cortés in his assault on the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán (Mexico City).

After the conquest of Mexico, Cabrillo remained in the Spanish service as an officer under Pedro de Alvarado. With Alvarado he journeyed through lower New Spain and into what is now Guatemala. When Alvarado was killed in 1541 during an rebellion by native peoples, Cabrillo was one of the most experienced...