Basilio Villarino (1741 – 1785) was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the Spanish Royal Navy who traveled around the southern tip of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. In 1837 some of his writings were published as ''Diario de la Navegación Emprendida en 1781, Desde el Rio Negro, para Reconocer la Bahia de Todos los Santos, las Islas del Buen Suceso, y el Desague del Rio Colorado''.

Early life

Basilio Villarino was born in Noia,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, in 1741.

Voyages

In 1773 Villarino arrived to the

Rio de la Plata Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

as assistant

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

of the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

''Perpetua'', commanded by Captain Bustillos. From 1778 he performed a detailed reconnaissance of

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

, during which he explored the sea shores and the rivers Negro,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, Limay and Deseado among others. In 1779 he participated in the expedition led by Francisco de Viedma, during which the town of Carmen de Patagones was founded; in 1782 he navigated the rivers

Negro In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...

, Limay and Collón Curá in four chalupas called ''San Jose'', ''San Juan'', ''San Francisco de Asis'' and ''Champagne'', accompanied by a local chieftain. In 1783 he discovered the Choele Choel island, although the exploration was suspended due to the permanent attack of the natives.

Death

Villarino was killed by the aboriginals in January 1785, during an expedition to Sierra de la Ventana commanded by Juan de la Piedra.

Legacy

In Argentina, Villarino's legacy as an explorer of

has been recognized by naming several places after him, including: a lake and a river in

Neuquén Neuquén (; ) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers which form t ...

, a department subdivision in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

( Villarino Partido), and some schools. An

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...

1880s steamer, ARA ''Villarino'', used on the Patagonian routes, was named after him. In May 1880, the transport ship repatriated the remains of General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

from France.Transporte ARA Villarino,"Histarmar" website
(accessed 2016-10-22)

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

* * 18th-century Spanish naval officers Spanish male writers 1741 births 1785 deaths Spanish explorers of South America {{Explorer-stub