Alonso de Salazar

Who is Alonso de Salazar?

Toribio Alonso de Salazar was the Spaniard, born in Las Encartaciones who discovered the Marshall Islands on August 21, 1526. De Salazar was in command of Santa Maria de la Victoria but is not known to have landed. He is believed to have sighted the Bokak Atoll. His vessel was the last surviving ship from Fray García Jofre de Loaísa's expedition attempting to expand on the Magellan-Elcano previous global circumnavigation. He was in command of the Loaisa expedition after Loaisa and Elcano died. After just one month of holding the command, he also died of scurvy shortly after having left Guam on 5 September 1526.