The catalogue narrates the enterprising spirit and vigour that brought Spanish mariners to Pacific waters met with varied success. Luis Váez de Torres and Pedro Fernández de Quirós explored the region’s geography, discovering Vanuatu and sighting Australia, as contemporary documents attest, while also finding the Torres Strait, which was named for the Spanish seafarer who sailed through one of the most dangerous waterways in the world, and proved that New Guinea was an island. Amazingly, his maps, logs and findings remained unpublished and forgotten for 175 years. However, it is likely that Captain Cook was guided by the memoir left by Juan Luis Arias.

Available in English and Spanish.