Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Arts and Sciences

GEC 2 – Readings in Philippine History Period: 1st Semester AY 2020-2021

Subject Instructor: Oscar H. Falcon Time Allotment: Week 3
Handout: UNIT 2: UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE Course/Year/Block: BSCE 1A&1B,
BSOA 1A, BSPA 1A, BSHM 1A,
ENTREP 1A,

Lesson 3: MAGELLAN’S VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD

Introduction
Historical sources are written by various authors with different perspective. Perspective refers to
the point of view of the said writer who was a witness to the event. Though historical sources are important
in the writing of history, the historian is careful in using these sources as the writer may be biased or
prejudiced on the subject, he/she is discussing. For example, missionary chronicles or narratives that were
written by the religious missionaries who came to the Philippines to spread Christianity in the islands
usually referred to the early Filipinos as barbarians or uncivilized. This, of course, is not true as it is known
that Filipinos already had a form of civilization and had contact with Asian neighbors before the Spaniards
arrived.

Different participants who also wrote their accounts can also give varied opinions and statements
about a single event. For example, the Philippine Revolution of 1896 can be read from the point of view of
the Filipinos and from the Spaniards. The same event can be viewed from the lens of foreigners who were
in the Philippines at that time and were just passive observers. In any case, reading a historical event from
the points of view of all sides will enable us to form our own studies about the said event.

Historical Context
One of the benefits that the Europeans gained from the Crusades was the discovery of some
products that were not available in their home country. These included porcelain, silk, incense, herbs,
perfumes, fabrics, carpets, spices, and other oriental products. Of all these Asian products, spices became
the most expensive and in-demand commodity among Europeans because of their numerous uses such as
food preservation, flavor enhancement, and even medicine. Since spices were a very lucrative commodity,
many merchants aspired to monopolize their supply and distribution in the European markets.

Asian goods reached Europe either via the Silk Road or the Arabian-Italian trade route. Both routes
were expensive and oftentimes disrupted by wars, natural calamities, and bandits. The closing of the land
route of the Spice Trade with the conquest by the Ottoman Empire of Constantinople (present day Turkey
and the “gateway to the west” then) in 1453 forced Europe kingdoms to look for ways to purchase spices
directly from the source. They decided to explore the oceans to look for a way to the famed Spice Islands.

Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal put up a maritime school that trained sailors who would later
discover as eastern sea route going to the Spice Islands (the modern-day Moluccas Islands) and other
islands in Southeast Asia via the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. This route enabled them to trade
directly with the producers of spices and other Oriental goods. The numerous economic benefits it gave to
Portugal made other monarchs envious and prompted them to search for a new trade route to Asia. This
led to the discovery of many territories previously unknown to the Europeans, though inhabited already and
known to other races.

The marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon (1469) coupled with the
victory of the Catholic monarchs over the Moors in the Battle of Granada (1492) resulted in the rise of
Spain as a world power. With the domestic problems already under control, Spain started to explore their
economic options outside the Iberian Peninsula. Inspired by the success of Portugal, they aspired to have a
fair share in the spice trade. They financed the trans-Atlantic voyages of Christopher Columbus (1492 to
1502) which resulted in the discovery of the territories on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Decades

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Arts and Sciences

later, the Spanish monarch also supports the plan of Ferdinand Magellan to go to the East by sailing
westward, a proposal that Portugal refused to finance.

The Magellan-Elcano expedition left the port of San Lucar de Barrameda in Seville on August 20,
1519 with around 270 men of different nationalities. One of its main objectives was to search for a new
maritime path to the Spice Islands that would not violate Spain’s treaty with Portugal. Along the way, the
expedition suffered natural and man-made challenges and out of the five ships that left Spain only three
reached the Philippines. The first couple of weeks of their stay in the Philippines were marked with
hospitality and cordial exchanges of goods. The local inhabitants traded with them and some were even
converted to Christianity. Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan, refused to trade with the Spaniards and when
Magellan learned this, he waged war with him. Despite their superiority in term of arms and training, the
Spaniards lost the battle and one of the casualties was Magellan himself. When the survivors returned to
Cebu, they were also treacherously attacked by their former allies. This prompted them to leave the island.
By that time, their number was just enough to man two ships, the Victoria (now under the command of Juan
Sebastian Elcano) and the Trinidad. The expedition finally reached the Spice Islands and managed to
purchase a large amount of spices before leaving. Unfortunately, the Trinidad and her crew were captured
by the Portuguese on their journey back.

On September 7, 1522, Elcano and 17 survivors arrived in Spain aboard the ship Victoria. One of
them was Antonio Pigafetta, the assistant of Magellan who kept a journal that became the main source of
what we know about the first encounter of the Spaniards and the Filipinos.

About the Author

Antonio Pigafetta (1491- c. 1534), born around 1490 in the town of Vicenza, Venice, Italy was the
eldest son of Giovanni Pigafetta to second wife Angela Zoga. He studied astronomy, geography, and
cartography and during his younger years worked in the ships owned by the Knights of Rhodes.

His biographers described him as a well-educated young man possessing an avid curiosity of the
world around him. He joined the delegation of Monsignor Francesco Chieregati when the latter was signed
as Papal Nuncio to Spain in 1519. It was during this time when Pigafetta became acquainted with lucrative
spice trade and heard the news of the voyage to be undertaken by Ferdinand Magellan. After getting the
approval of the Spanish sovereign, he left Barcelona and went to Seville. He presented his credentials to
Magellan and to the Casa de la Contratacion, the office in charge of voyages to the New World. He was
admitted as one of the sobresalientes (supernumeraries), or men coming from prominent families who will
join the trip for the love of adventure and for the advancement of military service. Pigafetta survived the
challenges and catastrophes that the expedition encountered along the way, including being wounded in
the Battle of Mactan. He was among the 18 survivors who returned to Spain on Septembet 6, 1522 aboard
the Victoria with Juan Sebastian Elcano.

From Seville, Pigafetta reported to his Majesty King Carlos V and gave him a handwritten account
of what happened to them during the journey before returning to his native Italy. Very little is known as to
what happened to him during latter part of his life except on some accounts that he joined the Knights of St.
John of Jerusalem in its battle against the Turks. He died sometime in 1534.

About the Book

Pigafetta kept a detailed journal of what happened to them from time they left Seville in 1519 until
they returned to Spain three years after. When he returned to Italy, many of his associates asked him to
write a formal account of the Magellan expedition and have it published. He followed their advice and, after
doing it, he presented his draft to Pope Clement VII, Philippine de Villiers L’Isle-Adam (grandmaster of the
Knights of Rhodes) and to louis of Savoy (mother of King Francis I of France), hoping that they would help
him finance its publication. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a financier who would pay the deposit
required by the printer because by that time, the accounts of Maximilianus Transylvanus and Peter Martyr

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Arts and Sciences

were already out and interest on Magellan’s expedition had died down. Sometime in 1536, a condensed
version of his manuscript was published in Venice by Jacques Fabre.

The original journal of Pigafetta did not survive time. What was handed down to us are copies of the
manuscript that were never printed in his lifetime. Three of them were in French and two are kept in the
Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. The third one was originally owned by British collector Sir Thomas
Phillipps. Later, Beinecke Rare Book bought it and it is now kept in the Manuscript Library of Yale
University in New Haven. The fourth copy was written in mixed Italian, Spanish, and Venetian languages
and could be found in the Ambrosian Library in Milan. In 1800, Carlo Amoretti published an Italian version
and the following year a French version came out in Paris. An English version was published in 1819.
James Alexander Robertson made his own English version of the Ambrosian copy and it appeared in The
Philippine Islands opus (volume 33) as well as in a separate edition.

Of the four known sources that dealt with the Magellan expedition, Pigafetta’s account is the longest
and, most comprehensive. It recounted the individual fates of the five ships (Trinidad, San Antonio,
Concepcion, Santiago and Victoria) that comprised the Magellan expedition. It narrated lucidly how they
gallantly survived the unforeseen problems and challenges, such as shortage of food, various types of
diseases, the crew’s lack of confidence in Magellan’s leadership, and the hostile attitude of the people they
encountered during the journey. Pigafetta’s account also included maps, glossaries of native words, and
geographic information and descriptions of the flora and fauna of the places they visited.

Pigafetta’s travelogue contributed immensely to the enrichment of Philippine historiography. His

writing provided us glimpse of the political, economic, and social conditions of the islands in the Visayan
region during the 16th century. He described vividly the physical appearance, social life, religious beliefs,
and cultural practices of the people they encountered in the islands of Samar, Leyte and Cebu. His account
also contains data about the economic activities of the local folks and the goods they offered for trade. He
got all this information through the help of Magellan’s slave/interpreter, Enrique de Malacca. Pigafetta
likewise gave us an eyewitness account of the death of Magellan in the Battle of Mactan.

The report of Pigafetta is quite long and is not presented herein its entirety. The excerpts are limited
to the narration of what happened of the expedition upon reaching the Philippines-from the time they
landed on Homonhon up to the Battle of Mactan. Since Pigafetta and Enrique de Malacca were not natives
of the Visayan region, there were inaccuracies in the information about and the spelling of the names of
places they visited. Thus, the correct equivalent and translation are provided in this book to make the
excerpts understandable to contemporary students.

Relevance
Pigafetta’s chronicle contributed immensely to European historiography as it preserved and
popularized the achievements of the Magellan-Elcano expedition. If Pigafetta did not survive the journey,
we would have very little knowledge of Magellan’s numerous contributions in the fields of geography,
navigation, history and other related areas. First, credit must be given to the Magellan expedition for
proving that the earth is not flat but an oblate sphere. Moreover, they demolished the myth that there is
boiling water at the Equator. Second, Magellan and his men completed the first circumnavigation of the
world. Third, they confirmed that the Portuguese route is not the only to the Spice Islands. They proved the
theory that one can go to the east by sailing the west. Fourth, they brought to the attention of the
Europeans that on the other side of the American continent exists a large body of water which they named
Pacific Ocean. (mar Pacifico). All these discoveries altered the European map of the world and resulted in
the inclusion of new territories in their world view.

The account of Pigafetta also enriched Philippine historiography because it contains important
details about the conditions of the Visayan Islands in the 16th century. Some of the prominent leaders
during that time, their economic activities, social and cultural practices, and religious beliefs were identified.
Moreover, local textbook writers use his book as their source of historical information about the beginning
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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Arts and Sciences

of Christianity in the Philippines, the accounts about the First Mass in the Philippines, the conversion of
Rajah Humabon and his wife, and the story of the image of Sto. Nino were mostly taken from Pigafetta’s
book, Finally, Pigafetta has numerous accounts about the reaction of the Filipinos when they met the
Spaniards. Some Filipinos were easily befriended by the Spaniards while others refused to interact and
trade with them. Lapu-lapu is the is the most prominent Filipino character in Pigafetta’s narrative. He was
the first Filipino who led the resistance movement against Spanish rule and successfully thwarted the first
attempt of the Spaniards to take the control of the Philippines.

It was mentioned earlier that Pigafetta was not the only one who wrote about the expedition. The
year after the ship Victoria arrived in Spain, Maximillianus Transylvanus’ De Moluccis Insulis (the Moluccas
Islands) came off the press. Its subject matter is the same as that of Pigafetta’s book but it is not an
eyewitness account because the author is not part of the expedition. He based his narrative on the
interviews that he conducted with the survivors of the Victoria. His prominent interviewees were Juan
Sebastian Elcano, Franciso Albo, and Hernando de Bustamante. Compared to Pigafetta’s work, his
account is far much shorter and contains less details. Another survivor who maintained a journal of the
voyage was Francisco Albo (Victoria’s pilot). His work is the shortest and it focused mainly on the location
of the expedition on certain dates. Finally, the contemporaneous source of information about Magellan is
the Italian-born historian of Spain, Peter Martyr d’Anghiera. From 1511 to 1530, he wrote accounts of the
Spanish explorations of the New World which he divided into “decades.” The fifth decade appeared in 1523
and it recounted the conquest of Mexico and the circumnavigation of the world by Magellan.

References:
a. BATIS, Sources in Philippine History, Jose Victor Torres, C&E Publishing Inc. 2018

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