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Sebastian Viscaino - Explorer
After Cabrillo's stop at Santa Catalina, which he had named San
Salvador, sixty years - a full two generations -
passed before Spain sent any explorers into the Channel.
In
1602 San Salvador was rediscovered by Sebastian Viscaino, and
his arrival coincided with the holiday of Saint Catherine of Alexandria and
in her honor he named the island Santa Catalina in his native language,
Spanish.
Viscaino traveled with three Carmelite Priests,
who recounted their experience on Santa Catalina.
They described the generosity of the Pimugans, the feasting, and
the kindness shown to them. They also encountered an unusual enclosure,
apparently a temple, surrounded by feathers, and with paintings of a sun
and moon on opposite sides of the temple enclosure, possibly sand paintings.
What do you think this enclosure was used for?
A temple? An observatory ?
Viscaino's journey eventually took him all the way
up the coast to Mendocino, and on
the way sighted and named San Nicholas and Santa Barbara Islands.
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