- Juan Gaetano
Juan Gaetano was a Spanish sailor who some scholars claim was one of the first Europeans to find the
Hawaiian Islands in1555 , two centuries prior to CaptainJames Cook . Most scholars have dismissed these claims as lacking credibility. [By Oliver, Douglas L. (1989). "The Pacific Islands". University of Hawaii Press. p. 45. ISBN 0824812336] [Coulter, John Wesley. (Jun, 1964) "Great Britain in Hawaii: The Captain Cook Monument". "The Geographical Journal", Vol. 130, No. 2. doi:10.2307/1794586]According to these claims, Spanish archives allegedly contain a chart that depicts islands in the latitude of Hawaii but with the longitude ten degrees east of the Islands. In this manuscript, the Island of
Maui is named "La Desgradiada" (the unfortunate), and what appears to be the Island of Hawaii is named "La Mesa" (the table). Islands resemblingKahoolawe ,Lanai , andMolokai are named "Los Monjes" (the monks). [Hawaii National Park. (June 1959). " [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hawaii-notes/vol6-59h.htm Hawaii Nature Notes] ". The Publication of the Naturalist Division, Hawaii National Park, and the Hawaii Natural History Association.] Debate continues as to whether the Hawaiian Islands were actually visited by the Spanish in the16th century [Horwitz, Tony. (2003). "Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before". p.452. ISBN 03124226] with researchers like Richard W. Rogers looking for evidence of Spanishshipwreck s in Hawaii. [Rogers, Richard W. (1999). "Shipwrecks of Hawaii: A Maritime History of the Big Island." Pilialoha Press] ["Perhaps the leading authority on Hawaiian shipwrecks today", writes Peter von Buol, referring to Richard W. Rogers in the Fall 2006, Vol. 38, No. 3 [http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/fall/pratt.html issue] of "Prologue Magazine ", published by theNARA .]ee also
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History of the Philippines (1521-1898)
*Spanish East Indies
*Manila galleon
*Alvarado de Saavedra
*Ruy López de Villalobos References
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