Lived sixteenth [and possibly fifteenth] century,
Portugal
Died January 3, 1541,
San Miguel Island, California

The first recorded reference to the Portuguese explorer João Rodrigues Cabrilho dates from 1520, when he was a soldier under the command of Pánfilo de Narváez during the conquest of Mexico by Hernán Cortés (see entry). He is credited with founding Oaxaca, a district of southeastern Mexico. Later he went to Guatemala, probably at the same time as Pedro de Alvarado, who conquered part of present-day San Salvador. Following the conquest of Guatemala, Cabrilho stayed in the country and seems to have prospered there.

Commander of expedition

In the meantime, the first Spanish viceroy of New Spain (Mexico), Antonio de Mendoza, began to send exploring expeditions in various directions. For instance, he dispatched a fleet across the Pacific...