1492 saw Columbus sail the ocean blue, beginning the golden era of Spanish exploration. Spain would become the most powerful nation on earth. Her armada would carry explorers and priest to strange new lands. One of these explorers was Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, discoverer of the west coast of North America.

On September 28, 1542, fifty years after Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Cabrillo sailed his two ships, the Victoria and the San Salvador into what he called "The Bay of San Miguel." Cabrillo became the first European to set foot on what was to become the West Coast of the United States.

It would be fifty years before another European explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino, would once again set foot upon the shores of The Bay of San Miguel. Renaming the area in honor of one of his ships (San Diego), Vizcaino completed a map of the surrounding coast and suggested it would be a most excellent location for a permanent settlement.

Come join "Buzz Bear" as he sets upon his journey to tour this modern day west coast city.