Dec 01 2008
Juan Rodriguez Gabrillo Biography
Cabrillo was a Conquistador when he was younger. Conquistador is the name applied to the mostly Spanish soldiers who explored, conquered, and settled in the New World. We know little of Cabrillo’s childhood years until 1519 when his name appears in the ranks of those who served in the army of famous conquistador Hernan Cortes. In the awful battles between the Aztecs and the Spanish, Cabrillo fought as a captain of crossbowmen. Cabrillo’s voyages on behalf of Spain followed the 1539 voyage of Francisco de Ulloa, who had been by Hernán Cortés and had discovered the Gulf of California. Cabrillo was searching for the mythical Strait of Anián that supposedly connected the Pacific Ocean to Hudson Bay, providing a route for the Northwest Passage.
On June 27, 1542, Cabrillo set out from Navidad in New Spain. On September 28, 1542, he landed on what is now San Diego Bay and gave it its name. Sailing up the coast, he also named Santa Barbara. Cabrillo eventually sailed as farth north as the border between California and Oregon.
Now Cabrillo is known for the first person sailing up the Californian Coast. Alot of streets and buildings are named after this brilliant man because of his bravery and curiosity of the New Land we now call home.
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