Basilio Villarino (1741 – 1785) was a captain of the

Spanish Royal Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

who traveled around the southern tip of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. In 1837 some of his writings were published as ''Diario de la Navegación Emprendida en 1781, Desde el Rio Negro, para Reconocer la Bahia de Todos los Santos, las Islas del Buen Suceso, y el Desague del Rio Colorado''.

Early life

Basilio Villarino was born in

Noia Noia () is a town and municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of the comarca with the same name. It has a population of 14,947 inhabitants (2010),Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, in 1741.

Voyages

In 1773 Villarino arrived to the

Rio de la Plata Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

as assistant

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

of the frigate ''Perpetua'', commanded by Captain Bustillos. From 1778 he performed a detailed reconnaissance of the

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

, during which he explored the sea shores and the rivers Negro,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, Limay and Deseado among others. In 1779 he participated in the expedition led by Francisco de Viedma, during which the town of

Carmen de Patagones Carmen de Patagones is the southernmost city in the . Geography It is located 937 km southwest from the city of Buenos Aires, on the north bank of the Río Negro ("Black River"), near the Atlantic Ocean, and opposite Viedma, capital of ...

was founded; in 1782 he navigated the rivers

Negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

Limay Limay, officially the Municipality of Limay ( tl, Bayan ng Limay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,272 people. Limay is accessible via the Bataan Provin ...

and Collón Curá in four chalupas called ''San Jose'', ''San Juan'', ''San Francisco de Asis'' and ''Champagne'', accompanied by a local chieftain. In 1783 he discovered the Choele Choel island, although the exploration was suspended due to the permanent attack of the natives.

Death

Villarino was killed by the aboriginals in January 1785, during an expedition to Sierra de la Ventana commanded by Juan de la Piedra.

Legacy

In Argentina, Villarino's legacy as an explorer of

has been recognized by naming several places after him, including: a lake and a river in

Neuquén Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén river ...

, a department subdivision in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

( Villarino Partido), and some schools. An Argentine Navy 1880s steamer, ARA ''Villarino'', used on the Patagonian routes, was named after him. In May 1880, the transport ship repatriated the remains of General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...

from France.Transporte ARA Villarino,"Histarmar" website
(accessed 2016-10-22)

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

* * Spanish naval officers Spanish male writers 1741 births 1785 deaths Spanish explorers of South America {{Explorer-stub