Conquering the Pacific

The story of an uncovered voyage as colorful and momentous as any on record for the Age of Discoveryand of the Black mariner whose stunning accomplishment has been until now lost to history It began with a secret mission, no expenses spared. Spain, plotting to break Portugals monopoly trade with the fabled Orient, set sail from a hidden Mexican port to cross the Pacificand then, critically, to attempt the never-before-accomplished return, the vuelta. Four ships set out from Navidad, each one carrying a dream team of navigators. The smallest ship, guided by seaman Lope Martn, a mulatto who had risen through the ranks to become one of the most qualified pilots of the era, soon pulled far ahead and became mysteriously lost from the fleet. It was the beginning of a voyage of epic scope, featuring mutiny, murderous encounters with Pacific islanders, astonishing physical hardshipsand at last a triumphant return to the New World. But the pilot of the fleets flagship, the Augustine friar mariner Andrs de Urdaneta, later caught up with Martn to achieve the vuelta as well. It was he who now basked in glory, while Lope Martn was secretly sentenced to be hanged by the Spanish crown as repayment for his services. Acclaimed historian Andrs Resndez, through brilliant scholarship and riveting storytellingincluding an astonishing outcome for the resilient Lope Martn--sets the record straight.