Bernardo de la Torre
Encyclopedia
Bernardo de la Torre was a Spanish
sailor, primarily noted for having explored parts of the Western Pacific Ocean
south of Japan in the 16th century.
, who sent him in August, 1543 on board of the San Juan de Letran (St. John of Lateran) to try to find a return route to the Mexican Western coast
from the Philippines
.
This was the fourth such failed attempt to find the route that would be known as the Manila galleon
once it was finally established in 1565. De la Torre reached 30°N but then, like his predecessors, was forced back by storms
In the course of his journey, De la Torre sighted for the first time some islets like modern-day Okinotorishima
(which he named Parece Vela) and, possibly, Marcus Island along some of the Bonin Islands (which he called Islas del Arzobispo, "Archbishop Islands") including Chichijima (which he called Farfama) and the Volcano Islands
subarchipelago as well (which he called Los Volcanes).
His explorations, among other's, were mentioned in Juan de Gaetano's chronicle of his own exploration, entitled Viaje a las Islas de Poniente ("Voyage to the Islands towards the West", 1546).
and subsequent Spanish King Philip II of Spain
. Other sources credit Villalobos instead.
De la Torre was the first European to circumnavigate Mindanao
and, in general, added a great deal to knowledge of the Islas de Poniente
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
sailor, primarily noted for having explored parts of the Western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
south of Japan in the 16th century.
Exploration
Bernardo de la Torre sailed under the instructions of Ruy Lopez de VillalobosRuy López de Villalobos
Ruy López de Villalobos was a Spanish explorer who sailed the Pacific from Mexico to establish a permanent foothold for Spain in the East Indies, which was near the Line of Demarcation between Spain and Portugal according to the Treaty of Saragossa in 1529...
, who sent him in August, 1543 on board of the San Juan de Letran (St. John of Lateran) to try to find a return route to the Mexican Western coast
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
This was the fourth such failed attempt to find the route that would be known as the Manila galleon
Manila Galleon
The Manila galleons or Manila-Acapulco galleons were Spanish trading ships that sailed once or twice per year across the Pacific Ocean between Manila in the Philippines, and Acapulco, New Spain . The name changed reflecting the city that the ship was sailing from...
once it was finally established in 1565. De la Torre reached 30°N but then, like his predecessors, was forced back by storms
In the course of his journey, De la Torre sighted for the first time some islets like modern-day Okinotorishima
Okinotorishima
is an atoll, which in English has multiple designations . Its original name was Parece Vela Spanish for "looks like a sail"...
(which he named Parece Vela) and, possibly, Marcus Island along some of the Bonin Islands (which he called Islas del Arzobispo, "Archbishop Islands") including Chichijima (which he called Farfama) and the Volcano Islands
Volcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
subarchipelago as well (which he called Los Volcanes).
His explorations, among other's, were mentioned in Juan de Gaetano's chronicle of his own exploration, entitled Viaje a las Islas de Poniente ("Voyage to the Islands towards the West", 1546).
Philippines
According to some sources, Bernardo de la Torre was the person who changed the name of what used to be known as Islas de Poniente ("Islands towards the West") to Felipinas or Philippines, to honour then Prince of AsturiasPrince of Asturias
Prince of Asturias is the historical title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. It was also the title under the earlier Kingdom of Castile. The current Prince of Asturias is Felipe, son of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofía...
and subsequent Spanish King Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
. Other sources credit Villalobos instead.
De la Torre was the first European to circumnavigate Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
and, in general, added a great deal to knowledge of the Islas de Poniente