Andrés de Urdaneta

Andrés de Urdaneta (Ordizia, 1498 - Mexico City, June 3rd 1568) was a Frère Spanish Augustinien , captain of ship and explorer.

Biography

Youth

Urdaneta is born with Villafranca, in the Basque province of Guipúzcoa in Spain.

He studies the Latin and the Philosophie, but being orphan turns to the military life, and obtains the rank of captain lasting the Italian wars. Turning over to Spain, he studies the Mathématiques and the Astronomie, which gives him a slope for the maritime life, and leads it to accompany García Jofre de Loaísa in a forwarding with the Moluques in 1525.

It is useful over there during eleven years. Turning over in Europe, it accosts with Lisbon where it is continued by the government Portuguese to have made the account of its voyage towards the islands when it was in News-Spain. Charles Quint does not make him a favorable reception, and, wearied by its many adventures, it turns over to Mexico City and enters the order of the Augustiniens.

Forwarding in Philippines

With died of the viceroy gift Shine of Velasco, in 1564, News-Spain passes under the government of the Audiencia and one of the first préocuppations is to set up a forwarding for the conquest and the colonization of the Filipino . Forwarding had been ordered by Philippe II in 1559, the brother Andrés de Urdaneta having been appointed commander, and the viceroy dealt with the problem at the time of his death. Urdaneta is then regarded as a large navigator, especially for navigation in the Indian Ocean. Philippe II writes to him to press it to join forwarding and the command offers some to him. Urdenata agrees to accompany forwarding, but refuses to order it, and it is the Adelantado gift Miguel López de Legazpi which is indicated at this station. Forwarding, made up of the Capitana , which transports Legazpi and Urdaneta, of the Galion S San Pablo and San Pedro , and of the Tender S San Jan and San Lucas , takes the sea the November 21st 1564.

The road enters Philippines and Mexico

After having spent some time in the archipelago, Legazpi decides to remain and sends Urdaneta to seek a better road of return and to obtain from the assistance of News-Spain for the colony of the Filipinos. It leaves the island of Cebu in June 1565, and is forced to go until the latitude of 36 north degrees to obtain favorable winds. Urdenata assumes itself commandemant it. Fourteen team members die, and when the ship reaches the port of Acapulco the October 8th 1565, only Urdaneta and Felipe de Salcedo, the nephew of Legazpi, are still enough strong to drop anchors. Mexico, it leaves for Europe to give an account of forwarding, and turns over then to News-Spain, with an aim of continuing to Philippines, but is dissuaded from it by his/her friends. He writes two accounts of his voyages; that describing the account of Loaiza forwarding is published, the other, which gives the account of the return voyage, is preserved in the form of manuscript in the files of the Indies.

It is known to have discovered and have traced a way crossing the Pacific Ocean of the Filipino with Acapulco, become famous under the name of “road of Urdaneta”. It starts from San Miguel to Philippines the June 1st, 1565, and arrives at Acapulco the October 8th, covering 20.000km in 130 days. On arrival, he discovers that a team member of forwarding, Alonso de Arellano, which had just given up them after having left the port, in fact beat them, newcomer with Barra of Navidad in Jalisco in August of the same year. However, the notes of Arellano are much less precise and professional that those of Urdaneta, and it is consequently the road of the latter which becomes famous.

For the remainder of the S, the Spanish vessels, mainly the commercial galleon Manila-Acapulco annual, use the road traced by Urdaneta. For various reasons, they never explored most of the peaceful coast of North America, not more than the Pacific Islands, although Spain kept nominal suzerainty on the Pacific Ocean until the 19th century.

References

McDougall, Walter (1993). Let the Sea Make has Noise: Furnace Hundred Years off Cataclysm, Conquest, War and Folly in the North Pacific. New York: Avon Books.

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