Juan González de Mendoza

Born in 1545, Juan González de Mendoza was a Spanish Augustinian who later became known for writing about Asia at a time when reliable European information about China was still rare. He spent part of his career in church and diplomatic service, and his writing grew out of the expanding global connections of the Spanish empire.

He is best remembered for The History of the Great and Mighty Kingdom of China, first published in 1585. Rather than being a travel memoir based on his own long residence in China, the book drew together reports from missionaries and other contemporary sources, making it one of the most influential European works on China in the late 16th century.

Mendoza died in 1618. Today he is remembered less as an eyewitness than as an important compiler and storyteller whose work helped bring knowledge of China to a wide European audience.