BajaNomad

Sea of Cortez?

joerover - 11-2-2018 at 09:51 PM

How did the Sea of Cortez get its name?

basautter - 11-3-2018 at 05:07 AM

Named after the 16th century Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez. He was known for "conquering" the Aztecs.

4x4abc - 11-3-2018 at 07:56 AM

named after Hernán Cortés - with an "s", not a "z"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hern%C3%A1n_Cort%C3%A9s

4x4abc - 11-3-2018 at 08:00 AM

accordingly it is Sea of Cortes or Mar de Cortés

David K - 11-3-2018 at 09:24 AM

The English solution for not having accent marks (Cortés) is to change the s to a z (Cortez) so English speakers stress the end because an s is a soft sound in English.
Mar de Cortés (Spanish)
Sea of Cortez (English)

mtgoat666 - 11-3-2018 at 09:39 AM

Quote: Originally posted by joerover  
How did the Sea of Cortez get its name?


A dude named Francisco de Ulloa was first to explore the sea, and he named the sea after his boss, a cat named Hernán Cortés.

David K - 11-3-2018 at 10:05 AM

In my book is a chapter on the discovery of California... Ulloa was perhaps the third expedition...

In late 1533 or early 1534, Fortún de Jiménez (and crew following a mutiny) was the FIRST Spaniard to cross the sea and discover the land that would be called California. They were sailing for Cortés who was pretty much in charge of all Mexico with his destruction of the Aztec Empire.

The Indians at La Paz Bay (where Jiménez landed) massacred him and 20 others from his ship. The survivors made it back to Acapulco to report the story and about the black pearls they had seen.

Cortés himself sailed to La Paz (then called Santa Cruz) in May of 1535 to begin a colony. It lasted less than two years.

On July 8, 1539, Cortés sent Francisco de Ulloa (with 3 ships) to explore the west coast of Mexico. Ulloa sailed north from Acapulco to the Colorado Delta then down the east side of California to Cabo San Lucas and then north of the west side of California. over halfway up the peninsula.

Ulloa was the first of many to discover California was not an island, but the island legend would persist.

[Edited on 11-3-2018 by David K]

gueribo - 11-3-2018 at 12:42 PM

Also of interest is why it was sometimes called the Vermilion Sea. There are varying theories. Some say it's because of sunset reflections; others because of algae; and others who might have been referring to the red muddy waters of the Colorado River.

Here's a nice paper by R. C. Brusca, recently updated, with a whole history of name usage for The Gulf of California. Good read.

http://www.rickbrusca.com/http___www.rickbrusca.com_index.ht...

joerover - 11-3-2018 at 02:46 PM

Not an island?
It is on my map.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Euxg7wP74

[Edited on 11-3-2018 by joerover]

joerover - 11-3-2018 at 02:48 PM

How did Mexico get its name?
Is it because of chief Mex, the people of chief mex = Mexico?
Quote: Originally posted by gueribo  
Also of interest is why it was sometimes called the Vermilion Sea. There are varying theories. Some say it's because of sunset reflections; others because of algae; and others who might have been referring to the red muddy waters of the Colorado River.

Here's a nice paper by R. C. Brusca, recently updated, with a whole history of name usage for The Gulf of California. Good read.

http://www.rickbrusca.com/http___www.rickbrusca.com_index.ht...


[Edited on 11-3-2018 by joerover]

daveB - 11-4-2018 at 09:44 PM

In 1791 an expedition came up the Pacific coast into what is now Washington State and British Columbia- where I live. I look out over the Strait of Malaspina, to the Island of Texada. Farther south down Georgia Strait, beyond the Canadian Gulf Islands (off Vancouver Island) are the San Jaun Islands of Washington, and the Strait of Jaun de Fuca. To our north west a few miles there is Quadra Island, Hernando Island and Cortes Island (spelled with an "s"). Spanish place names abound as a legacy from that expedition led by Jaun Maria Narvaez.

On a trip we did a few years ago to the Mississippi city of Natchez, we toured there, seeing the wonderful old Houses, and stumbled upon the first brick house in Mississippi, named the Texada House, built in 1792, just one year after our Texada Island was named for the Spannish admiral with that last name. The builder/owner was a Manual Texada. I don't know if he was that admiral. From the outside it, like all the houses in Natchez, was very well looked after.

Glidergeek - 11-6-2018 at 02:37 PM

Baja seems flat like the Earth
How do we know those expeditions have really been there?
http://www.bajanomad.com/_images/1650mapbaja.gif