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Luís Vaz de Torres Facts & Worksheets

Luís Vaz de Torres was a maritime explorer of the Spanish expedition during the 16th and 17th centuries.

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Luís Vaz de Torres was a maritime explorer of the Spanish expedition during the 16th and 17th centuries. He was part of the European navigation meant to search for Terra Australis. He eventually discovered the Strait separating the island of New Guinea to mainland Australia, which now bears his name.

See the fact file below for more information on the Luís Vaz de Torres or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Luís Vaz de Torres worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Details of Luís Vaz de Torres’s birth and family are unknown. Some writers presented him as Portuguese because of his name.
  • However, during the 1606-1608 voyage, there are reports that his crewmen called him “Breton”, which suggests that he came from the northwest province of Spain, Galicia.
  • At some point, Torres entered the navy of the Spanish Crown before his name appeared as one of the commanders in the Pacific expedition.

THE FIRST EXPLORATION

  • Torres’s name was first mentioned in historical records when he was nominated as one of the commanders in an expedition to the Pacific proposed by the Portuguese-born navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós.
  • The expedition consisted of three ships, San Pedro y San Pablo, San Pedrico, and Los Tres Reyes Magos. The ships left Callao in Peru on December 21, 1605, with Torres in command of the second ship, San Pedrico.
  • On May 3, 1606, Queirós’ crew reached a group of islands they named La Austrialia del Espiritu Santo. The name acknowledged the Spanish King’s descent, House of Habsburg, which originated from Austria. The three ships explored the coastlines after six weeks. However, on June 11, the first ship where Queirós was on board failed to return to Espiritu Santo.
  • In his accounts, Torres said “it was not possible for us to find them, for they did not sail on the proper course, nor with good intention”, implying that a mutiny took place in the ship San Pedro y San Pablo that compelled Queirós to sail back to Peru.
  • It left behind the other two ships and left Torres in command of them. They stayed at Espiritu Santo, where Torres and his crew took shelter for 15 days before opening the sealed orders given by the Viceroy of Peru.
  • The commander of the first ship, Don Diego de Prado, knew about the mutiny and transferred to San Pedrico. He was supposed to be the successor of Queirós, but according to the written accounts, including Prado’s, Torres remained in command.
  • Torres decided that he would not return to Callao without achieving some amount of exploration. Although it was not received enthusiastically by the crew, the exploration still pushed through.

EXPLORING NEW GUINEA

  • On June 6, 1606, the San Pedrico and Los Tres Magos began sailing to Manila. However, the wind prevented them from taking the more direct route along the north coast of New Guinea. On July 14, 1606, Prado documented a sighting of the land, probably the island of Tagula in the Louisiade Archipelago.
  • Two months of voyage later, the expedition discovered Milne Bay, including the Basilaki Island they named Tierra de San Buenaventura. They took possession of the land for Spain in July 1606, which brought the Spanish in close contact with the indigenous people. They captured twenty people, including a woman who gave birth several weeks later.
  • They continued their voyage on the southern coast of New Guinea until they reached Orangerie Bay on August 10, the feast of Saint Lawrence or San Lorenzo. They named that part of the bay Bahía de San Lorenzo to honor the day.
  • They sailed to the Gulf of Papua to explore and chart its coastline. They routed close to the New Guinea coast to navigate what we now call the Torres Strait, a 150-kilometer strait named after him. The route recorded in Spanish maps of the Pacific would later make it possible for James Cook’s exploration to Australia.
  • In 1980, a master mariner named Captain Brett Hilder proposed that Torres more likely took the southern route through the nearby channel called Endeavour strait. It would allow him to see Cape York, the northernmost part of Australia, thus making Torres the discoverer of Australia without being aware of it.
  • Torres never claimed in his accounts that he had seen the southern continent. Additionally, a Dutch navigator, Wilhelm Janszoon, had already made several landfalls on the west coast of the Cape York Peninsula 7-8 months before Torres.

EXPLORING NEW GUINEA

  • Torres followed the coastline of New Guinea and took possession of the island in the name of the King of Spain, Philip III, on October 18, 1606.
  • On October 27, he reached New Guinea’s western extremities and then sailed to the north of Ceram and Misool toward the Halmahera Sea.
  • At the start of January 1607, he reached Ternate, a part of the Spice Islands, and sailed for Manila on May 1, arriving on May 22.

LOST AND HIDDEN ACCOUNTS

  • Torres intended to present his captives, weapons, and a detailed account of his voyage to the King upon his return to Spain. However, he was told that his ships and men were required locally for King’s Service.
  • Torres managed to write a report about his voyage to Quieros upon the arrival of the former flagship San Pedro y San Pablo, now under another name but with several of her crewmen still aboard. However, the account got lost. Its existence was proven by Queirós’ accounts mentioning it in his many memorials and letters to the King. The official report was written by Diego del Prado and signed by Torres and other officials in Manila on June 6, 1608.
  • At this point, Torres and his men disappeared entirely from historical records. Even their subsequent fate is unknown.
  • Most documents written by Torres were not published. They were filed away in Spanish archives once they reached Spain. These include Prado’s detailed account and his accompanying charts.

Luís Vaz de Torres Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Luís Vaz de Torres across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Luís Vaz de Torres worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Luís Vaz de Torres who was a maritime explorer of the Spanish expedition during the 16th and 17th centuries. He was part of the European navigation meant to search for Terra Australis. He eventually discovered the Strait separating the island of New Guinea to mainland Australia, which now bears his name.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Luís Vaz de Torres Facts
  • Torres’ Early Life
  • Captains of the Pacific
  • Discovering Words
  • Torres’s Fact or Bluff
  • Being a Leader
  • Fellow Explorers
  • Captain’s Journal
  • Inquiries About Torres
  • Torres’s Charted Islands
  • Honoring an Explorer

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Use With Any Curriculum

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