Page 31 - WDT MAGAZINE PORTUGAL

The Great Exploration

as a dominant global empire and economic Rodriguez Cabrillo who discovered my hometown of
powerhouse stretching from Asia to the Americas. San Diego in 1542 was Spanish or Portuguese. It is
The Portuguese were responsible for 70 percent of agreed that he named this area San Miguel after one
European discoveries during that time. Portugal's of his ships, but 60 years later, Sebastián Vizcaíno, a
small population made it impossible to colonize and Spaniard, rediscovered the port and renamed it after
maintain all territories it discovered including a saint, San Diego, in 1602. Cabrillo, however, got the
Greenland, Newfoundland, and Australia which were last laugh: The city reenacts his landing every year
colonized by other nations. during the Cabrillo Festival at the Cabrillo
Some of the most famous explorers include Monument at the tip of Point Loma. Vizcaino does
Ferdinand Magellan, who led five Spanish ships and not have a monument or a festival.
251 men in the first voyage around the world, and Another nationality dispute surrounds perhaps
Vasco da Gama, who discovered the sea route to the most famous explorer, Christopher Columbus.
India in 1497 and Brazil in 1500. Other notable Some say he was Portuguese, not Italian. He spent
explorers include Bartholomeu Dias, the first considerable time in Portugal and had many ties. In
European to lead a voyage around the Cape of Good his 20s he went to Lisbon to attend mariners school.
Hope on tip of South Africa and Pedro Alvares There he met and married Portuguese Felipa
Cabral, the first European to explore Brazil in 1500. Perestrello, who bore him a son. When she passed
The nationality of a few explorers is still a matter away, Columbus and his son returned to Spain,
of conflict. Opinions differ on whether Juan where he went on to discover the new world and
prove that it was indeed round.

30 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2019