Person

Andrés de Urdaneta

1508–1568 · 16th century

Andrés de Urdaneta was a Spanish navigator and Augustinian friar. Sailing with the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi to the Philippines in 1565, he found the return route across the Pacific to Mexico by sailing north to catch the westerly winds, a route known as the tornaviaje. It made possible the Manila galleon trade between Asia and New Spain for 250 years.

Andrés de Urdaneta
Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Andrés de Urdaneta. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/andres-de-urdaneta
MLA
“Andrés de Urdaneta.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/andres-de-urdaneta. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Andrés de Urdaneta.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/andres-de-urdaneta.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Andrés de Urdaneta’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/andres-de-urdaneta (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻