On June 27, 1542, a three-vessel armada under the command of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, left Navidad on the west coast of Mexico. This flotilla, made up of the ships San Salvador, Victoria, and San Miguel, set out to explore the unknown (to Europeans) ocean to the north in search of the legendary cities of gold, a passage to Asia, and new areas for settlement. This area was terra incognita, the unknown territory. The expedition sailed north, exploring the Baja Peninsula until the end of September when the fleet made landfall at San Diego Bay.

At islands and prominent points that the searchers visited, a party would claim possession of the land for the King of Spain. In what must have seemed like a strange ritual to the natives, Cabrillo would place his hand on his sword and announce that he took possession of the land and was prepared to defend the claim from anyone who might contradict him. He would cut a nearby tree with the sword, move rocks from one place to another and take water from the sea and pour it on the land. The party placed markers to attest their claim of possession and named the location. This ceremony to claim possession was the custom of the time.

Sailing north of Point Conception toward Monterey and beyond, Cabrillo encountered a rugged, stormy coastline whose mountains were covered with snow and ice. Strong winds and high surf and lack of places to anchor often kept the sailors from going ashore to explore. During one storm near Cape San Martin, the deck cargo from Victoria was lost overboard. After about a month, the fleet turned south to spend the winter in the sheltered anchorages in the Channel Islands.

The vessel San Miguel was leaking very badly and was in danger of sinking. The boat was hauled ashore so the crew could make repairs and reseal the seams between the hull planks. The site of this repair is probably present day Cuyler Harbor on the island of San Miguel.

The Death of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo

While wintering in the islands, relations with the natives were sometimes contentious. One sailor reported, "all the time the armada was in the Isla Capitana the Indians there never stopped fighting us." Just before Christmas, a landing party sent ashore to get water was attacked by the island's residents. The sailors called out to the ship for help.

Cabrillo led the rescue party. As he came ashore, Cabrillo lost his footing and broke some bones in the fall. Still, he refused to leave the island until all the men in the shore party were rescued. He was then taken back to the ship, but there was little anyone could do to treat his injuries. Realizing he was dying, Cabrillo turned command of the expedition to his ship's pilot, Bartolome Ferrer. He then worked to bring the record of the voyage up to date, but was only able to complete part of the job before he died on January 3, 1543.

The armada remained in the islands until January 19, when they weighed anchor and resumed the difficult exploration of the coast. They sailed northward as far as Pt. Arena before turning south. Short on supplies with the vessels in need of repair, the expedition sailed into Navidad, Mexico on April 14, 1543, nine months after embarking from that port and three and one half months after Capitan Cabrillo's death.

Where in the World is Juan Cabrillo?

Cabrillo was buried on the island. To this day, no one has ever found the Capitan's gravesite. In fact, no one is sure on which of the offshore islands he is buried. Local legend holds that he is buried on San Miguel Island, as signified by the memorial marker placed there in 1937 overlooking Cuyler Harbor. Some think that he was buried on neighboring Santa Rosa Island. Still others assert Cabrillo's final resting place is on Santa Cruz Island, either in a cave or at Prisoners' Harbor. No one has claimed that he is buried on Anacapa. One scholar credibly argues that Cabrillo was not laid to rest on any of the northern Channel Islands, but favors Catalina Island well to the south as the explorer's burial site.

Suppose that you were planning an expedition to try to find the grave of the explorer Juan Cabrillo. What information would you need to figure out which island he is buried on? What if you wanted to find the cargo that was lost overboard from Victoria. What kind of equipment would you need?

Suggestions for Further Reading

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo by Harry Kelsey. 1986. The Huntington Library. San Marino, California

Santa Cruz Island: A History of Conflict and Diversity by John Gherini. 1997. Arthur H. Clark Company. Spokane, Washington

Cabrillo: First European Explorer of the California Coast by Nancy Lemke. 1991. E Z Nature Books. San Luis Obispo, California