Bernardo de la Torre was a Spanish sailor, primarily noted for having explored parts of the Western
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
south of Japan in the 16th century.
Bernardo de la Torre sailed under the instructions of
Ruy López de Villalobos
Ruy López de Villalobos (; ca. 1500 – April 4, 1546) was a Spanish explorer who sailed the Pacific from Mexico to establish a permanent foothold for Spain in the East Indies, which was near the Line of Demarcation between Spain and Portugal a ...
, who sent him in August 1543 on board of the ''San Juan de Letran'' (St. John of Lateran) to try to find a return route to the
Mexican Western coast from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
This was the fourth such failed attempt
to find the route that would be known as the
Manila galleon
fil, Galyon ng Maynila
, english_name = Manila Galleon
, duration = From 1565 to 1815 (250 years)
, venue = Between Manila and Acapulco
, location = New Spain (Spanish Empire ...
once it was finally established in 1565. De la Torre reached 30°N but then, like his predecessors, was forced back by storms.
In the course of his journey, De la Torre sighted for the first time some islets like modern-day
Okinotorishima (which he named ''Parece Vela''
) and, possibly,
Marcus Island along some of the
Bonin Islands
The Bonin Islands, also known as the , are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan and northwest of Guam. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic read ...
(which he called ''Islas del Arzobispo'', "Archbishop Islands") including
Chichijima
, native_name_link =
, image_caption = Map of Chichijima, Anijima and Otoutojima
, image_size =
, pushpin_map = Japan complete
, pushpin_label = Chichijima
, pushpin_label_position =
, pushpin_map_alt =
, ...
(which he called ''Farfama'') and the
Volcano Islands subarchipelago (which he called ''Los Volcanes'') which include the island of
Iwo Jima.
]
His explorations, among others, were mentioned in
Juan de Gaetano's chronicle of his own exploration, entitled ''Viaje a las Islas de Poniente''
("Voyage to the Islands towards the West", 1546).
According to some sources, Bernardo de la Torre was the person who changed the name of what used to be known as ''Islas de Poniente'' ("Islands towards the West"
) to ''Felipinas'' or Philippines, to honour then
Prince of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias ( es, link=no, Príncipe/Princesa de Asturias; ast, Príncipe d'Asturies) is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the throne of Spain. According to the Spanish Constitution ...
and subsequent Spanish King
Philip II of Spain.
Other sources credit Villalobos instead.
De la Torre was the first European to circumnavigate
Mindanao and, in general, added a great deal to European knowledge of the ''Islas de Poniente''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delatorre, Bernardo
16th-century Spanish people
16th-century explorers
Colonial Mexico
Explorers of Asia
Spanish explorers of the Pacific