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Isabel Barreto de Castro (Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain), (1567 – 1612) was a Spanish sailor and traveler, one of the earliest known woman to hold the office of admiral in the history.[1] She was purportedly the granddaughter of Francisco Barreto, governor of Portuguese India.[2] Isabel Barreto married Alvaro de Mendaña,[3] Spanish navigator, patron of several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean, and European discoverer of the Solomon Islands and the Marquesas Islands.