Juan Rodriguez C essays

Juan Rodriguez C essays The reputation of California as being a place to "jettison assumptions and try different things" appears to have originated from its earliest days. By reflecting on the individual who discovered San Diego, we see stamina, determination, and the desire to "continue on," "find success," and to maximize opportunities to their fullest. Back in the 1540s there was a Portuguese explorer and soldier by the name of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (?-1543). He was known as "a skilled mariner and navigator." Today, Cabrillo famous for being the man who "discovered San Diego Bay" on September 28, 1542. Within the definition of The California Dream, lay opportunities for success, however, there are many ingredients that factor into achieving this Dream. Being willing to accept opportunities, challenges, and ideas (such as Cabrillo accepted when given the command to explore the northwestern most part of Mexico ), the utilization of man-made and natural resources, and time and location, are just a few of the elements that are essential in defining the California Dream. The combination of these ingredients along with the determination for success and lack of fear-of-failure, can sometimes make The Dream-reality. FAMILY NAME APPARENTLY NOT A RESOURCE Cabrillo possessed the necessary ingredients for success. Believed to have been born in Portugal, though it is not certain where, he lived most of his life in the Spanish New World colonies. Dr. Joan Jensen, a member of the Cabrillo Historical Society and former professor of U.S. history at California Western University, visited Portugal twice to see if she could learn something about the birthplace of Cabrillo. The result of her guided two-week trek yielded some significant discoveries, "No one knows exactly where Cabrillo came from or where he got his name-were not able to find any other Cabrillo in Spain in the late 15th century or in Portugal either." Certain places...