Historical Marker · No. 56
Cabrillo Landing Site
San Diego, San Diego County · California
Erected by State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Navy and Squibob Chapter, E Clampus Vitus, September 26, 1992, 1992
The bronze calls him an Iberian navigator, which is one way to avoid four centuries of argument about whether Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was born in Portugal or Spain. What happened at the water's edge is less disputed. Kumeyaay men came down to Ballast Point, where their village had stood for generations, and mimed men on horseback carrying lances and wearing armor. They had already heard about Spaniards inland. The first European landing on this coast arrived as news that had traveled overland ahead of it.
What the plaque says
Cabrillo Landing Seeking the mythical Strait of Anian (the Northwest Passage) for Spain, on September 28, 1542, Iberian navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo brought his three ships to Ballast Point, the first European landing on the coast of Alta California. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 56 First registered December 6, 1932. Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Navy and Squibob Chapter, E Clampus Vitus, September 26, 1992.
Where it stands
32.68373, -117.23670 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Ballast Point Whaling Station Site — steps away
- Site of Fort Guijarros — steps away
- Fort Rosecrans — steps away
- Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery — 0.6 mi