ALANCON, HERNANDO DE, Spanish navigator of the 16th century,
is known only in connexion with the expedition to the coast of
California, of which he was leader. He set sail on the 9th
of May 1540 with orders from the Spanish court to await at
a certain point on the coast the arrival of an expedition by
land under the command of Vasquez de Coronado. The junction
was not effected, though Alarcon reached the appointed place
and left letters, which were afterwards found by Diaz, another
explorer. Alarcon was the first to determine with certainty
that California was a peninsula and not an island, as had
been supposed. He made a careful survey of the coast,
ascended the Rio del Tizon Or Rio de Buena Guia (Colorado)
for 85 Spanish m., and was thus able on his return to New
Spain in 1541 to construct an excellent map of California.
See Herrera, Decade VI. book ix. ch. 15