Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1502 - August 20, 1572, Manila), also known as El Adelantado (The Governor) and El Viejo (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who established the first colony in the Philippine Islands in 1565.
Lopez de Legazpi and his men sailed the Pacific Ocean for 93 days. In early 1565, they landed in the Mariana Islands, where they briefly anchored and replenished their supplies. They fought with Chamorro tribes and left several huts burned to the ground.
Lopez de Legazpi's troops arrived in the Philippine archipelago and landed in the shores of Cebu on February 13, 1565. After a brief struggle with the natives, they left the island for the nearby islands of Leyte and Camiguin. His ships drifted to the coast of Bohol on March 16, 1565. There, he and his crew obtained spices and gold after convincing the natives that they were not Portuguese. He made a blood compact with the chieftain, Datu Sikatuna, as a sign of friendship between the two peoples.
