Domingo de Bonechea y Andonaegui (Getaria, September 21, 1713 – Tahiti, January 26, 1775). He was born into a family deeply rooted in the sea, as both his father and several of his brothers served in the Navy and in shipping companies.
He joined the Navy, although he already had previous experience as a navigator. During his military career, he rose through the ranks, becoming a ship captain in 1774, a year before his death. However, he never learned of this latest promotion due to the slow communications of the time.
During his naval career, he participated in several 18th-century conflicts, such as the War of the Polish Succession (1733-1738) and the War of the Asiento against England (1739-1748), also known as the War of Jenkins' Ear, serving as a privateer and coastguard. However, his greatest contribution was two expeditions to Tahiti. On the first, between 1772 and 1773, he explored and mapped recently discovered islands in present-day French Polynesia, including Tahiti and Moorea.
On the second voyage, between 1774 and 1775, in addition to continuing his exploration and mapping work, he established a mission and settlement to strengthen Spanish control and curb other powers. To this end, on the same day the mission was dedicated, the Treaty of Tautira (Tahiti), also known as the Affidavit, was signed, in which Tahitian leaders recognized Spanish sovereignty over those lands. Weeks later, Domingo de Bonechea died of illness and was buried in the mission cemetery. He is also credited with the first observations of Polynesian customs, clothing, and navigation techniques, as well as descriptions of the islands' flora, fauna, and resources.
Portrait made by Elías Salaverria around 1912 for the Basque Oceanographic Naval Historical Exhibition held in 1913 in Donostia-San Sebastián.
