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Ixtapa Zihuatanejo - History, William Dampier

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WILLIAM DAMPIER
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1652 - 1715†
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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. |
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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.
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A map of Dampier showing
Mexico |
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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.
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Dampier's voyage around the world |
Despite
his fame as a map-maker and navigator, Dampier died at the age of 63
penniless in London.
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ALEXANDER SELKIRK
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1676 - 1721†
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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. |
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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.
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Selkirk joining the Duke by Robert C. Leslie |
Maybe
if Alexander Selkirk had a chance to see Zihuatanejo, the story of
Robinson Crusoe would have been different.
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