Martín Cortés de Albacar

Commemorative plaque dedicated to Martín Cortés de Albacar on the town hall of Bujaraloz. Martín Cortés de Albacar (1510–1582) was a Spanish cosmographer. In 1551 he published the standard navigational textbook Arte de navegar (also known as Breve compendio). A decade later (1561), Arte de navegar became the earliest known English navigation manual up to date with all of the strategies used at the time. He was an early proponent of a hypothetical celestial magnetic pole. His upbringing of exposure to seafaring was likely a reason for his interest and successes in his career. Starting in 1530, he taught cosmography and the art of navigation to pilots in the city of Cádiz. He had the book translated into English by Richard Eden and published in 1561 entitled The Art of Navigation. It was the primary text for European navigation throughout the 16thC and the early 17thC. It was revised and extended through nine editions from 1561 to 1630. The text contained the earliest known description of the nocturnal, and how to make and use a sea astrolabe.

Cortés' calculations were critical in allowing explorers to ascertain their location when out of sight of land.