Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 1736 - December 19, 1788) was a Novo-Spanish explorer for the Spanish Empire.

Life
The town of Anza, California is named after Juan Bautista de Anza. The small town of roughly 7,000 people lies on highway 371 in the mountains above Palm Springs. The Juan de Anza House in San Juan Bautista, California is a National Historic Landmark. De Anza is also the namesake of several streets, schools, and organizations in California, including De Anza Boulevards in San Mateo and Cupertino respectively, De Anza College in Cupertino, De Anza High School in Richmond, Juan De Anza K-5 in the Wiseburn Elementary School District, Hawthorne, De Anza Middle School in Ventura, De Anza Hotel in San Jose, and Juan Bautista De Anza Community Park in Calabasas.