Francisco Álvares

Francisco Álvares (c. 1465 – 1536–1541) was a Portuguese missionary and explorer to Ethiopia.

Álvarez lived most of his life in Coimbra, Portugal. In 1515 he traveled to Ethiopia as part of the Portuguese embassy to emperor Lebna Dengel accompanied by returning Ethiopian ambassador Matheus. The embassy arrived only in 1520 to Ethiopia where he joined long sought Portuguese envoy Pêro da Covilhã. There he remained six years, returning to Lisbon in 1526-27. He wrote a report entitled Verdadeira Informação das Terras do Preste João das Índias ("A True Relation of the Lands of Prester John of the Indies") about his time in Ethiopia.