Martín de Aguilar ( fl. 1603) was a Spanish

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

whose log contains one of the first written descriptions of the

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

.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." Aguilar was the commander of the ship ''Tres Reyes'' in an expedition led by

Sebastián Vizcaíno Sebastián Vizcaíno (1548–1624) was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Asia. Early career Vizcaíno was born in 154 ...

. Vizcaíno set out from Mexico in 1602 in search of usable harbors and the mythical city of

Quivira Quivira is a place named by Spanish conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541, for the mythical Seven Cities of Gold that he never found. Quivira was a province of the ancestral Wichita people, located near the Great Bend of the Arkans ...

. While exploring along the northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

coast, a storm separated Vizcaíno and Aguilar's ships. 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 Coos Bay is an estuary where the Coos River enters the Pacific Ocean, the estuary is approximately 12 miles long and up to two miles wide. It is the largest estuary completely within Oregon state lines. The Coos Bay watershed covers an area of abou ...

. Aguilar reported sighting a "rapid and abundant" river that he did not enter because of the current. He then turned back to Mexico because of

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

among his crew. It is unknown which river he sighted, but maps referred to the "Rio d'Aguilar" in the 18th century. No deliberate exploration of the Northwest Coast occurred again until some 150 years after Aguilar, though accidental sightings and shipwrecks were possible. Aguilar and most of his crew died on the way to Acapulco.

References

Spanish explorers of North America Explorers of Oregon Explorers of California 17th-century explorers {{Oregon-bio-stub