DCB/DBC Mobile beta
+

As part of the funding agreement between the Dictionary of Canadian Biography and the Canadian Museum of History, we invite readers to take part in a short survey.

I’ll take the survey now.

Remind me later.

Don’t show me this message again.

I have already taken the questionnaire

DCB/DBC News

New Biographies

Minor Corrections

Biography of the Day

ROBINSON, ELIZA ARDEN – Volume XIII (1901-1910)

d. in Victoria 19 March 1906

Confederation

Responsible Government

Sir John A. Macdonald

From the Red River Settlement to Manitoba (1812–70)

Sir Wilfrid Laurier

Sir George-Étienne Cartier

Sports

The Fenians

Women in the DCB/DBC

The Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences of 1864

Introductory Essays of the DCB/DBC

The Acadians

For Educators

The War of 1812 

Canada’s Wartime Prime Ministers

The First World War

FUCA (sometimes called Apostolos Valerianos or Phokus Valerianatos), JUAN DE, Greek seaman and explorer; b. 1536 at Valeriano on the island of Cephalonia (Ionian Islands); d. there 1602.

Fuca, according to a statement made by him in 1596, had served the king of Spain for 40 years as a mariner and pilot in the Americas. It appears that he was in Mexico from 1588 to 1593 or 1594; and he later claimed that in 1592 he was sent by the viceroy of Mexico to sail north along the California coast in search of the “Strait of Anian” which was reputed to connect the South Seas with the northwest passage. His story was that between latitudes 47° and 48° he found a broad inlet up which he sailed as far as the “North Sea” (Arctic Ocean) before turning back. Though the strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland bears his name, his story is obviously open to serious question. It was circulated in the late 16th century by Michael Lok, an important English merchant promoter of exploration who had helped to finance Frobisher’s voyages. Lok tried unsuccessfully to get assistance from the English government to bring Fuca to England so that he could pursue his explorations under the English flag. Lok’s account of his meeting with Fuca appears in Purchas, Pilgrimes (1905–7), XIV, and is reprinted in H. R. Wagner, “Apocryphal voyages to the Northwest coast of America,” Amer. Antiquarian Soc. Proc. new ser., XLI (1931), 179–234.

Thomas Dunbabin

General Bibliography

Cite This Article

Thomas Dunbabin, “FUCA, JUAN DE,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed March 19, 2024, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/fuca_juan_de_1E.html.

The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:


Permalink:   http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/fuca_juan_de_1E.html
Author of Article:   Thomas Dunbabin
Title of Article:   FUCA, JUAN DE
Publication Name:   Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1
Publisher:   University of Toronto/Université Laval
Year of publication:   1966
Year of revision:   1979
Access Date:   March 19, 2024