EncyclopediaVizcaíno, Sebastián
Vizcaíno, Sebastián (sāvästyän' vēthkäē'nō) [key], c.1550–c.1628, Spanish explorer and merchant. After an unsuccessful attempt to plant a colony in Lower California (1596), he sailed (1602) to explore the California coast, where he discovered and named Monterey Bay. In 1611 he was sent out on an unsuccessful venture to search for the fabled Pacific islands of Rica de Oro and Rica de Plata and to promote relations with Japan.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
