Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (Portuguese, João Rodrigues Cabrilho) (died 1543), Portuguese explorer and soldier. He entered the service of Spain and in 1520 accompanied the Spanish soldier Pánfilo de Narváez to Mexico. There Cabrillo joined the conquistador Hernán Cortés and helped him to complete the conquest of Mexico. Cabrillo served in Guatemala and in 1540 became chief lieutenant of an expedition exploring the western coast of Mexico. Succeeding to the command of the expedition after the death in 1541 of the leader, Pedro de Alvarado, Cabrillo sailed northwards and on September 28, 1542, reached San Diego Bay. His subsequent discoveries during the voyage include Santa Catalina Island, Santa Barbara Channel, Monterey Bay, and San Miguel Island, where he died. Cabrillo is chiefly known for being the first European to explore California. The explorer is also credited with being the first to use the name 'California' to refer to part of the western coastal areas of North America. He took the name from an imaginary island in a Spanish novel popular at the time.