Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo Sights the Peninsula

On June 27, 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo departed the port of Navidad, Mexico, commanding three wooden vessels: the flagship San Salvador, the Victoria, and the San Miguel. Sailing under the Spanish crown, Cabrillo was tasked with exploring the uncharted Pacific coast of Alta California.

On September 28, 1542, after three months of challenging navigation against prevailing northern winds, Cabrillo entered a broad, sheltered harbor that he named Puerto de San Miguel. Anchoring beneath the protective bluffs of Point Loma, Cabrillo’s crew noted the long, curved peninsula of low dunes and sandbars stretching across the eastern entrance of the harbor.

This marked the earliest written European record of the landmass that would later become Coronado. Cabrillo observed native Kumeyaay fires burning along the hills and sent landing parties ashore, establishing peaceful trade before sailing northward toward the Channel Islands. His navigational accounts provided the foundation for Spanish exploration along the California coast for centuries to come.