North to California: The Spanish Voyages of Discovery 1533-1603

The stirring history of how the conquerors of Mexico, starting with Hernan Cortes, built the ships and led the expeditions that discovered California. First, the "island" of Baja California was explored by Francisco de Ulloa. Then Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, possibly the ablest man in all of California history, sailed north in 1542 and discovered upper California. He died at Santa Rosa Island in early 1543 and was succeeded by Bartolome Ferrelo, who daringly led the ships far out into the Pacific on the Long Tack and eventually reached as far north as the Oregon border. This was the most audacious sailing voyage in California history. Twenty years later the galleon San Pedro made the first ever crossing of the North Pacific from the Philippines to Mexico, making its landfall on the California coast. Sebastian Vizcaino then explored in detail the California coast for the Viceroy in the early 1600s.