Much of the Pacific Ocean wasn’t explored at the beginning of the 16th century. Magellan’s discovery of the strait that cuts through the southern tip of South America, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean, had motivated the Spanish to explore more of the Pacific Ocean.
An expedition left Spain in 1525, under the command of Garcia de Loaisa. Their mission was to explore the Pacific Ocean from the Strait of Magellan.
Unfortunately, with seven ships in the convoy, three did not make it through the passage and the rest became separated by the time they reached the Pacific. Only the ship named Victoria continued sailing.
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi from New Spain arrived in the Philippines in 1564. Thus he claimed the wealthy island for Spain.
The Spanish were slowly gaining understanding of the winds and currents of the Pacific. In 1668 the Spanish founded a colony on Guam as a resting place for west-bound galleons.
For a long time this was the only non-coastal European settlement in the Pacific.