Juan José Pérez Hernández

Juan José Pérez Hernández (* Joan Perés , around 1725 in Palma ; † November 3, 1775 ; often also Juan Pérez ) was a Spanish navigator and explorer. His trips took him to what is now the Philippines and the Pacific Northwest of North America. He was the first to discover the coasts of Oregon , Washington, and British Columbia , where he made ethnographic records.

Trips in the South Pacific, colonization of California

Pérez Hernández initially sailed on various ships between South America and the Philippines. In 1768 he was stationed as an ensign ( alférez ) in San Blas on the Mexican Pacific coast. From there, the viceroy planned to colonize California ( Alta California ). The next year, Perez brought the first settlers to San Diego and Monterey .

First journey

During this time, Russian fur traders had established themselves in Alaska , which was the first time Spain saw itself prompted to document its claim to the Pacific regions. At the end of 1773, for example, Perez received the order from the Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa , to explore the areas that the Spaniards had never claimed and to advance to latitude 60 ° north. He should treat the indigenous people living there with respect and establish friendly relationships with them. At the same time he should report possible Russian settlements. Apparently, Perez only got the job because he was the senior officer in the unpopular San Blas.

Perez recruited mostly Mexican sailors for his ship, the Santiago , and left San Blas on January 25th. He did not sail further north from Monterey until June. In July 1774 the ship reached Langara Island, one of the Queen Charlotte Islands , but he did not dare to come into direct contact with the Haida there . Nevertheless, copper and furs were exchanged.

Although he had not reached 60 °, but only 54 ° 40 ', the poor health of his team and lack of provisions, but above all the weather, forced him to turn back. Fray Juan Crespí and Fray Tomàs de la Peña Suria (or Savaria), who were part of Perez's team, made drawings, with Suria drawing some Tlingit Indians.

Portrait of the first officer Esteban José Martinez

On the way back, he reached Nootka Sound on August 7 , an island-rich bay on the west coast of Vancouver Island , which he called Surgidero de San Lorenzo . It was here that he made contact with the local Mowachaht for the first time . On this occasion, silver spoons were stolen from his second officer, Esteban José Martínez , which James Cook used four years later to prove that Spaniards had already been in the area. Nevertheless, he did not go ashore here either, especially since a storm almost capsized his ship. In addition, the team increasingly suffered from scurvy .

Further south he reached the coastal area of ​​the later state of Washington and named the snow-covered Mount Olympus Cerro Nevada de Santa Rosalia (snow-covered summit of St. Rosalia). Finally he sailed for Monterey, which he reached on August 28th, and finally returned to San Blas on November 5th.

Second trip

Bucareli was not satisfied with the poor exploration results, nor with the few contacts that had been made. But Madrid demanded to take the area formally in possession and therefore sent a new group of officers.

Under the command of Bruno de Heceta and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra , Perez drove as a pilot on Heceta's ship, the Santiago . Apparently he had not yet recovered from the first trip and became terminally ill. He died on November 3rd on the way to Monterey in the Pacific, where he was buried at sea .

The ship he had sailed on likely carried the smallpox that caused a devastating epidemic among the coastal Salish and their neighbors.

Web links

• Juan José Pérez Hernández . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ).
• historylink.org: Spanish Exploration: Juan Perez Expedition of 1774 - First European Discovery and Exploration of Washington State Coast and Nueva Galicia (the Pacific Northwest)

Remarks

1. ↑ Catalan Encyclopaedia
2. ↑ See Official State of Washington history