Did Pedro de Unamuno Really Land in Morro Bay in 1587?
Few of us question the validity of reported key events in Morro Bay’s history: • 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo entered Estero Bay and named Morro Rock (he may or may not have landed). • 1587 Pedro de Unamuno entered Morro Bay, naming it “Puerto de San Lucas,” and sent an expedition to the vicinity of present day San Luis Obispo, taking possession in the name of Spain’s King Philip. • 1603 Sebastian Vizcaino sailed into Estero Bay and christened the Santa Lucia Coast range. • 1769 Spain sent expeditions to Alta California by land and by sea, to establish presidios, settlements, and missions. • 1769 Portola’s well-documented overland party camps near Morro Bay. Adapted in part from Lynne Landwehr. After Cabrillo’s 1542 voyage, several expeditions were underwritten to further explore the California coast. Popular opinion is that (1) Cabrillo did not land in Morro Bay in 1542, and (2) that the first party to actually land was Unamuno, in 1587, 45 years after Juan Cabrillo sighted Morro Rock
