9/13

hist 240

Spanish California

Spain calls the Pacific "the south sea." Vasco Nunez de Balboa, 1514, "discovers" the Pacific. Trying to get to India. Spice trade, etc.

Other explorers: Cores; Ulloa; Cabrillo;Villalobos;Legazpi; Rodrigues. These have dates from 1523-1565. Quest for gold--people relay informants' stories to impress their bosses; California becomes a name to conjure with.

They hope to connect Spain to Philippines more directly; opportunities for trade with China: spices, silk. Approached "New Spain" from both directions eventually.  Led to creation of Manilla Galleon, largest ships in world at that time. Sailing west from Acapulco, a two month voyage to Philippines--less sickness.  Sailing east, 6-7 months, if lucky!  Once a year each way.  Many deaths on eastbound: scurvy. 

Factoid: 10% of college students in US have scurvy! MB gives very vivid account of scurvy symptoms, w/ gross slide of scurvy man from the rear (we look at a pic of a man's butt for 15 minutes!): bleeding gums, puffy extremities, lethargy, lesions. A mystery until 1760: Scottish Dr. Lynn solves it, with citrus fruits. Takes a while for that solution to catch on--mid 19th c.

Francis Drake on 1577 mission for Q Elizabeth: catch up with Spain. Economies based on gold: colonies the source of wealth. (Spanish keep maps secret.) Privateers set out to rob Spain, but it's OK, b/c they're infidel Catholics.  Drake 2nd to circumnavigate after Magellan, on Pellican, renamed the Golden Hinde.  Raids Lima. Captures a treasure galleon.

Drake gets to the Northern Fogs, n of San Fran bay, which he misses--realizes fog is b/c of mountains, thus no Northwest Passage.  Heads back, stops at Nova Albion, claims it for Elizabeth and for God. (MB reads excerpt from Drake's account.)  Refits ship, possibly on Channel Islands. Indians offer him "taba", a mystery herb.

Meantime, Spanish are chasing "Drago"--but fail, and he returns to England a hero. The speed of his return is taken as proof of a Northwest Passage!  Followed (1587) by Thomas Cavendish, first of many South Sea Pirates: burning, sacking, raping, and pillaging.

Spain begins new round of Pacific exploration: 1595, Cermeno; 1601, Vizcaino, who wants to find a place to build a fortress to keep out the English. Finds and names Monterey: best possible port, he writes. "Many souls to save!  Monterey could hold every ship in our navy."  He exaggerates.  But Jesuits begin to come to Baja then; Spanish don't move north until Jesuit expulsion of 1767, which calls them back to Spain, but sends Franciscans into Alta California. Led by Franciscan Father Junipero Serra, Spain sets out to missionize CA.