Legazpi, Miguel Lopez de (1510?-1572), a Spanish explorer, claimed the islands of the Philippines for Spain in 1566. He served as the first Spanish governor of the Philippines from 1566 until his death.
Legazpi was born into a Basque noble family in Zumarraga, Spain. In 1545, he went to Mexico, where he became a colonial official.
In 1564, King Philip II sent Legazpi to the Philippines. The Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan had visited the islands in 1521, but no European settlement had been established. In 1566, Legazpi established a Spanish settlement on the site of the modern Cebu City. In 1571, he went north and, after deposing the local ruler, established Manila as a Spanish settlement. He put down any Filipinos who refused to accept Spanish rule. He rewarded his followers with land grants called encomiendas for their service to the Spanish crown.
