Alvaro de mendana biography template

Spanish navigator and explorer (1542–1595)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is de Mendaña and the second or maternal family name is Neira.

Álvaro de Mendaña y Neira (or Neyra) (1 October 1542 – 18 October 1595) was a Spanish navigator, explorer, and cartographer, best known for two of the earliest recorded expeditions across the Pacific Ocean in 1567 and 1595.

His voyages led to the discovery of the Marquesas, Cook Islands, and Solomons among other archipelagos. Born in Congosto, in El Bierzo Region (León), he was the nephew of Lope García de Castro, viceroy of Peru.

Search for Terra Australis

Between 1565 and 1605, three important Spanish voyages of exploration left Peru bound for the southwest Pacific.^[1]: 2 One inspiration for these voyages was Spanish soldier Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa who arrived in Peru in 1557.

Sarmiento de Gamboa developed an interest in Inca stories of go