Martín de Aguilar

Martín de Aguilar (fl. 1603) was a Spanish explorer whose log contains one of the first written descriptions of the coast of the U.S. state of Oregon.^[1]

Aguilar was the commander of the ship Tres Reyes in an expedition led by Sebastián Vizcaíno.^[2] Vizcaíno set out from Mexico in 1602 in search of usable harbors and the mythical city of Quivira. While exploring along the northern California coast, a storm separated Vizcaíno and Aguilar's ships.^[2] While Vizcaíno may have reached the present Oregon-California border, Aguilar continued up the coast. Aguilar is thought to have sighted and named Cape Blanco, and he may have sailed as far as Coos Bay.^[2][3][4]

Aguilar reported sighting a "rapid and abundant" river that he did not enter because of the current.^[2] He then turned back to Mexico because of scurvy among his crew.^[2] It is unknown which river he sighted, but maps referred to the "Rio d'Aguilar" in the 18th century.^[2] No deliberate exploration of the Northwest Coast occurred again until some 150 years after Aguilar, though accidental sightings and shipwrecks were possible.^[2]

Aguilar and most of his crew died on the way to Acapulco.^[4]

References

1. Historia general de América: Período colonial. Angloamérica II Academia Nacional de la Historia (Venezuela), Guillermo Morón, Louis B. Wright - 1986- p90 "A tal mar daban acceso dos pasos: uno, que se señalaba a los 43°, que fue el que supuso Aguilar en 1603. ... También dedujo el marino español que los rusos no habían encontrado el estrecho de Anian, que comenzó a pensarse no podía ser un amplio ... Vicente Doz, a la vista de los datos reunidos en Madrid, y según lo supuso ya Martín de Aguilar en 1603, en la expedición de Sebastián Vizcaíno."
2. Cogswell, Philip Jr. (1977). Capitol Names: Individuals Woven Into Oregon's History. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society. pp. 9–10.
3. LaLande, Jeff. "Cape Blanco". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
4. McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 159–160. ISBN 978-0875952772.