San Diego
The first European to visit the region was Portuguese-born explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailing under the flag of Castile. Sailing his flagship San Salvador from Navidad, New Spain, Cabrillo claimed the bay for the Spanish Empire in 1542, and named the site 'San Miguel'. In November 1602, Sebastian Vizcaino was sent to map the California coast. Arriving on his flagship San Diego, Vizcaino surveyed the harbor and what are now Mission Bay and Point Loma and named the area for the Catholic Saint Didacus, a Spaniard more commonly known as San Diego de Alcala. On November 12, 1602, the first Christian religious service of record in Alta California was conducted by Friar Antonio de la Ascension, a member of Vizcaino's expedition, to celebrate the feast day of San Diego.
Who was sent to survey the California coast in 1602?
Sebastian Vizcaino
In November 1602, Sebastian Vizcaino was sent to map the California coast.
the California coast