In 1792, Spanish naval officer and explorer Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra sailed from San Blas, Mexico, to Nootka Sound, on the west coast of present-day Vancouver Island. For nearly three years, he had been immersed in the aftermath of the Nootka Crisis of 1789, a dispute between Britain and Spain over sovereignty in the North Pacific. He was journeying north as his governments commissioner to hand over Spanish-occupied territory at Nootka. This book offers the first published English translation of Bodegas journal, a remarkable account of his travels along the Northwest Coast of America, encounters with Native peoplesmost notably, Chief Maquinnaand the friendship that developed between Bodega and his British counterpart, George Vancouver.

Until now, Bodegas journal has been available only in Spanish publications or in manuscript form. This much-needed English-language edition results from the collaboration of three preeminent scholars of the Pacific Northwest, who provide an in-depth introduction and extensive footnotes that make the translation accessible to a contemporary audience.

Also included in this edition is a generous selection of Bodegas original charts and illustrations created by the artists who worked with JosE Mariano MoziNo and JosE Maldonado, two scientists whoat Bodegas insistenceaccompanied him on his expedition to Nootka.