Hernando de Alarcón

Hernando de Alarcón (born c. 1500) was a Spanish explorer and navigator of the 16th century, noted for having led a 1540 expedition to the Colorado River Delta, during which he became one of the first Europeans to ascend the Colorado River from its mouth and became the first European to see Alta California.

Little is known about Alarcón's life outside of his exploits in New Spain. He was probably born in the town of Trujillo, in present-day Extremadura, Spain, around 1500 and travelled to the Americas as a young man. In New Spain he served Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza for a time as chamberlain.

1540 expedition

By 1540, Mexico had been conquered and state-sponsored expeditions were being sent north in search of new wealth and the existence of a water passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Viceroy of New Spain Antonio de Mendoza commissioned Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to undertake a massive overland expedition to find the Seven Cities of Cibola, which were rumoured to exist in the unexplored northern interior. The expedition was to be resupplied with stores and provisions delivered by ships traveling north up the Sea of Cortés (Gulf of California), the commander of which would be Alarcón.

Alarcón set sail from the Pacific port of Acapulco with two ships, the San Pedro and the Santa Catalina, on May 9, 1540, and was later joined by the San Gabriel at St. Jago de Buena Esperanza (modern-day Manzanillo, Colima). His orders from Mendoza were to await the arrival of Coronado's land expedition at a certain latitude along the coast.