Episode 3364
Lope Martín
Tue, 2026-Jul-21 00:48 UTC
Length - 2:25
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.
The featured article for Tuesday, 21 July 2026, is Lope Martín.
Lope Martín (marooned 21 July 1566) was an Afro-Portuguese maritime pilot who successfully navigated across the Pacific Ocean east–west and then west–east, becoming the first to complete the return voyage from Asia to the Americas. Martín was a free mulatto from Lagos, Portugal, who became a licensed pilot in Spain. He was contracted for Miguel López de Legazpi's expedition from Mexico to the Philippines and was designated the sole pilot of a patache called the San Lucas. Martín and the San Lucas separated from the rest of the fleet after ten days and sailed through the Marshall Islands and the Caroline Islands before arriving at the Philippines in January 1565. Without the rest of the fleet, Martín then embarked upon the return voyage from Asia to the Americas, which had been attempted but never completed; the San Lucas arrived in Mexico in August 1565.
In spite of Martín's accomplishments, the Real Audiencia of Mexico soon ordered him to return to the Philippines and appear before Legazpi, who was expected to execute him for having allegedly deserted the rest of his fleet. Martín's ship, the San Jerónimo, departed Mexico in May 1566; recognizing the danger that he faced, Martín led two successive mutinies and took command of the ship. He anchored the San Jerónimo at Ujelang Atoll in July 1566, intending to maroon any members of the crew who were not loyal to him; instead, Martín and 26 other men were left behind and never seen again.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:48 UTC on Tuesday, 21 July 2026.
For the full current version of the article, see Lope Martín on Wikipedia.
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Until next time, I'm standard Geraint.
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