Martín Ignacio de Loyola

Martín Ignacio Martínez de Mallea, known as Martín Ignacio de Loyola, (Eibar, Spain, c.1550 – Buenos Aires 1606^[1][2][3][4]) was a Franciscan friar, best known for his two travels around the world in 1580-1584 and 1585-1589, being the first person to complete the world circumnavigation twice, and for his missionary effort in China.

He was a grandnephew of Ignatius of Loyola, and was ordained a priest in Alaejos in 1572.

Loyola's account of his first travel around the world was first published in Rome in 1586, included in Juan González de Mendoza's Historia de las cosas más notables, ritos y costumbres del gran reyno de la China.

In both of his travels Loyola took advantage of Spain and Portugal being united under the crown of Philip II of Spain, and reached the Chinese main town of Guangzhou (also known as Canton), but was eventually imprisoned and expelled, being obliged to move back to the Portuguese outpost in Macau.

In 1595, six years after his second return to Spain, he went to Paraguay, that he reached via Panama, Peru, Chile, whose Spanish governor by then, Martín García de Loyola, was his cousin, and Río de la Plata.

He went back to Spain again in 1600 and returned to Paraguay in 1603, this time as bishop of Asunción. He had being consecrated as such in Valladolid the year before.

Taking in account his two world circumnavigations and his two trips from Europe to South America, Loyola was probably the most widely traveled man in History up to the 17th century.

See also

• Jesuit China missions
• First Synod of Asunción
• Pedro Cubero

Notes

1. ^ Raúl A. Molina: Fray Martín Ignacio de Loyola: cuatro obispo del Paraguay y Río de la Plata (1603-1606). Ediciones Jura, 1953 (online at Google Books).
2. ^ Charles E. O'Neill, Joaquín María Domínguez (eds.): Diccionario histórico de la Compañía de Jesús. Band 1: AA-Costa Rica. Univ. Pontifica de Comillas, 2001, ISBN 8484680371, p. 109 (online).
3. ^ Iglesia del Paraguay: 1er. Período de 1547 a 1620
4. ^ William Shurtleff, Akiko Aoyagi: History of Soybeans and Soyfoods in Southeast Asia. Soyinfo Center, 2010, ISBN 9781928914303, S. 17 (online).

References

• (Spanish) J. Ignacio Tellechea Idígoras (ed.), Martín Ignacio de Loyola. Viaje alrdedor del mundo, Madrid, 1989. ISBN 84-7679-154-2
• (Spanish) "Iglesia en el Paraguay, Período de 1547 a 1620" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2008-10-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20081031234658/http://www.episcopal.org.py/1er-periodo.html. Retrieved 2011-06-12. 
• Martin Ignacio de Loyola, VIAJE ALREDEDOR DEL MUNDO

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Name	Loyola, Martin Ignacio de
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Date of death	1606
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