History / William Dampier in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo

WILLIAM DAMPIER

1652 - 1715†

He was a great explorer and a sea captain. He is regarded as the best navigator and map-maker of that time. Dampier was born in Somersetshire, England in 1652. He went to sea by the age of 16 and between 1675 and 1678 he became involved with buccaneers along Mexico and Central America.

These adventures in America are told in his own books and are corroborated by the writing of two of his shipmates, Basil Ringrose whose journal was included in Esquemeling's Buccaneers of America printed in 1685 and the surgeon Lionel Wafer, whose own account was published in the year of 1699.

Dampier's most unusual associate, was probably Alexander Selkirk (see his history at bottom of this page), a member of the crew of the Cinque Ports in the 1703 voyage, who was marooned by his own wish on Juan Fernandez Island near Chile, South America, because of a dispute with a superior officer.

Selkirk whose story was partly retold by Daniel Defoe in his famous novel Robinson Crusoe published in 1719, was eventually rescued by one of Dampier' ships on his last voyage back to England.

Book

Dampier led several voyages of mapping and exploration around the world and in Mexico and Central America, its is in one of them that he visited Zihuatanejo and thanks to his writings in the ship's log we know a little more of our history.


A map of Dampier showing Mexico		The HMS Roebuck, Dampier's ship

In his writings and drawings, Dampier provides some of the most reliable earliest descriptions of native cultures, as well as coastlines, location of villages and rivers.

Despite his fame as a map-maker and navigator, Dampier died at the age of 63 penniless in London.

ALEXANDER SELKIRK

1676 - 1721†

Born in Largo, Fife, Scotland. He was the Sailing Master of the Cinque Ports when he was put ashore in one of Juan Fernandez Islands called Mas a Tierra, about 400 miles in front of Chile, South America, due to a quarrel with Capt. Charles Pickering who was in charge of the ship. There, he lived in complete solitude for almost 5 years.

Drawing

After his rescue by the vessel Duke under the command of Capt. Woodes Rogers which was part of Dampier's fleet, he returned to his native Largo and in 1712 he continued his career as a sailor. At the time of his death on December 12th, 1721 he was a Master's Mate in the Weymouth.

Capt. Rogers at his return to England published a book called Cruising Voyage Round the World where he describes in part, Selkirk's life on the solitary island.

Maybe if Alexander Selkirk had a chance to see Zihuatanejo, the story of Robinson Crusoe would have been different.

Ixtapa Zihuatanejo - History, William Dampier