Everything about Francisco De Ulloa totally explained
» See also Francisco Ulloa (accordionist)
Francisco de Ulloa (d.
1540) was a
Spanish explorer who explored the west coast of present-day
Mexico under the commission of
Hernán Cortés. The reports of his expeditions along the
Baja California peninsula are credited with being influential in the perpetuation of the
17th century cartographic misconception of the existence of the
Island of California.
It isn't known whether Ulloa accompanied Cortés on his first expedition to the
New Spain. By the account of
Bernal Díaz del Castillo, he came to Mexico later while transporting letters to Cortés from his wife. According to some early historians, Ulloa was influential in helping subdue the
Aztec capital
Tenochtitlan by naval power.
In
1539, at the private expense of Cortés, he embarked on an expedition in three small vessels, sailing north from
Acapulco to explore the Pacific Coast, and to seek the mythical
Strait of Anián that supposedly led to the
Gulf of St. Lawrence, proving the existence of the
Northwest Passage. The expedition left on
July 8 sailing northwards along the coast and reaching the
Gulf of California six weeks later. Ulloa named it the "Sea of Cortés" in honor of his patron. When one of his ships was lost in a storm Ulloa paused to repair the other two ships, and then resumed his voyage on
September 12, eventually reaching the head of the Gulf.
Unable to find the Strait of Anián, Ulloa turned south and sailed along the eastern coast of the
Baja California peninsula, landing at the
Bay of La Paz. After taking on supplies of wood and water Ulloa rounded the tip of the peninsula with great difficulty and sailed northward along the western shore in the
Pacific Ocean.
The progress of his small ships was hampered by the fierce winds and high seas he encountered, eventually forcing him to turn back to New Spain. The voyage eventually reached 28 degrees north near the
Isla de Cedros.
Although his discoveries lent support to the fact that Baja California was a
peninsula, his reports were used to create maps depicting California as an island. According to Díaz del Castillo, Ulloa was stabbed to death after his return by a sailor in 1540. By other accounts, his ship was lost without a trace during the return voyage from Baja California. Supposedly his ship was swept inland with a
tsunami, later becoming known as the
Lost Ship of the Desert.
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