c. 1465-c. 1541

Portuguese explorer in Ethiopia who visited the remains of ancient Aksum and Kush, as well as the rock-hewn churches of Lalibala. A Jesuit lay missionary, he published a book translated into English as Narrative of the Portuguese Embassy to Abyssinia, During the Years 1520-1527. Alvares helped to spur European interest in the Christian kingdom of Ethiopia and its queen, Candace (actually a title and not a name).