Domingo de Boenechea

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Domingo de Bonechea (Boenechea) Andonaegui (born September 21, 1713 in Getaria , † January 26, 1775 in Tautira, Tahiti ) was a navigator and explorer of the 18th century in the service of the Spanish crown .

The later viceroy of Peru, Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent (* 1704, † 1782), already as Spanish governor of Chile, developed ambitions to create a counterweight to the spread of the emerging British hegemony in the South Pacific. Its clearly defined and stated goal was the conquest and occupation of the Pacific islands for the Spanish crown. As soon as Amat took over the viceroyalty in 1761, he used his power to implement the oceanic visions and sent a total of four Spanish expeditions to the South Pacific. He commissioned Boenechea with the second (1772 to 1773) and third (1774 to 1775).

First voyage (1772 to 1773)

On September 26, 1772 Bonechea stabbed from Callao to sea to Tahiti to achieve that the Englishman Samuel Wallis discovered on June 21, 1767 Europe and James Cook had visited already 1769th On his way there he ran into several islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago and the Society Islands group . On November 12th, 1772 he anchored with his frigate El Águila in the Baie de Tautira on Tahiti and christened the settlement of the locals somewhat grandly: Santísima Cruz . Contacts with the islanders developed well. Boenechea had maps drawn and information obtained from the inhabitants of Tahiti, so he learned of the previous English expeditions.

On December 20, 1772 he left Tahiti and reached Valparaíso on February 21, 1773 . During this first voyage, Bonechea discovered several islands for Spain and gave them Spanish names (but they were often given different names by sailors from other nations):

  • Tauere - St. Simon and Jude
  • Haraiki - San Quentin
  • Anaa - All Saints' Day , Sunday of the Dead 1772.
  • Mehetia - St. Kitts
  • Tahiti - Amat , December 1772.
  • Moorea - Santo Domingo , December 1772.

After his first expedition, Bonechea published a book called: Relación de la navegación. Here he described the indigenous people of Tahiti and their customs. He also translated parts of the indigenous Polynesian vocabulary into Castilian.

Second trip (1774 to 1775)

The goal of his second trip was the annexation of Tahiti for the Spanish crown and the Christianization of the inhabitants, ordered and supported by the Spanish King Charles III. With two ships, the Aguila and the Jupiter , Boenechea left Callao on September 20, 1774. The people of Tahit gave him a warm welcome and gave him land for the construction of a mission house. The tribal chiefs accepted Spanish supremacy in a formal act. As a sign of Spanish hegemony, Boenechea had a large wooden cross erected with the inscription:

CHRIST VINCIT, CAROLUS III IMPERATOR 1774.

Bonechea died on January 26, 1775 in Tahiti and was buried in front of the mission house he founded. His captain Tomás de Gayangos ended the expedition in 1775.

When Amat stepped down as Viceroy of Peru in 1776, Spain lost interest in the South Pacific and turned to other priorities. The endeavor to incorporate the islands of the South Pacific - and especially Tahiti - into the Spanish kingdom had thus failed.

On his second voyage, Boenechea discovered several islands and gave them Spanish names:

In the Tuamotu Archipelago :

On the Society Islands :

Web links

Remarks

  1. From today's perspective it must be doubted that the chiefs recognized the importance of the agreements, but they had no long-term consequences
  2. James Cook had the plaque removed on his third trip in 1777 and replaced it with the inscription: GEORGIUS III, REX. ANNIS 1767, 1769, 1773 ET 1777.