San Julian Bay

San Julián Bay cuts into the arid Atlantic coast of southern Patagonia, offering shelter amid a region of strong winds and great tides. Its shores were part of the country of Indigenous Patagonian peoples, whom Magellan’s expedition encountered here in 1520. The expedition’s chronicler called them Patagones, a name later applied to the region.

Magellan anchored at San Julián on 31 March 1520 and decided to spend the winter there. A mutiny broke out among his captains, which he suppressed with severe punishments. The ships were repaired during the long stay, as crews waited for conditions suitable for sailing south. The fleet remained for months before continuing south in search of a passage to the Pacific. Francis Drake also visited the bay in 1578 during his voyage around the world.