GECC 106: READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Second Semester 2022-2023

Chapter II Lesson 1: Magellan’s Voyage Around the World
Elimelech Hope Jasper U. Bautista
Instructor I, CAS-General Education Department

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 For this lesson, we will focus on the chronicles of Antonio
Pigafetta, as he wrote his firsthand observation and general
impression of the Far East including their experiences in the
Visayas.

Antonio Pigafetta accompanied Ferdinand Magellan in his

fateful circumnavigation of the world and his work instantly
became a classic. His travelogue is one of the most important
primary sources in the study of the precolonial Philippines.
As a result of the Crusades, the Europeans discovered
products which are not available in Europe.

These include porcelain, silk, herbs, perfumes, fabrics,

carpets, spices, and other oriental products.

SPICES became the most expensive and in-demand

commodity among Europeans.

As a result, merchants aspired to monopolize their supply and

distribution of spices in the European markets.
Crusades
“The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and
Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by
both groups. In all, eight major Crusade expeditions occurred between 1096
and 1291. The bloody, violent and often ruthless conflicts propelled the status
of European Christians, making them major players in the fight for land in the
Middle East.”

Pope Urban II

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o Asian goods reached Europe either via the Silk Road or the
Arabian-Italian Trade route.

o Both routes were expensive and oftentimes disrupted by wars,

natural calamities, and bandits.

o The routes closed when the Ottoman Empire conquered

Constantinople (present-day Turkey) in 1453.

o The closing of the land routes forced European Kingdoms to

look for other trade routes/sea routes.

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Moluccas Islands
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Clove
 Spain

Portugal

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Portugal and Prince Henry the Navigator
o Henry (Henrique), Prince of Portugal, Duke of Viseu, Lord of
Covilhã

o He established a maritime school that trained sailors who would

later discover the eastern sea route going to the Spice Island
(Moluccas Islands) and other islands in Southeast Asia via the
Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

o The route enabled Portugal to trade directly with the producers of

spices and other Oriental goods.
Left: Henry the Navigator
Right: Queen Isabella I of Castile and
King Ferdinand II of Aragon
 Spain
o Queen Isabella I of Castile and King
Ferdinand II of Aragon got married in
1469.

o Spain also launched and financed

expeditions.

o Ferdinand Magellan proposed to go

to the east by sailing westward.

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Treaty of Tordesillas

“On June 7, 1494, the governments of Spain and Portugal agreed to

the Treaty of Tordesillas, named for the city in Spain in which it was created.
The Treaty of Tordesillas neatly divided the “New World” of the Americas
between the two superpowers.

Spain and Portugal divided the New World by drawing a north-to-south line of
demarcation in the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 leagues (555 kilometers or 345
miles) west of the Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of northwestern Africa and
then controlled by Portugal. All lands east of that line (about 46 degrees, 37
minutes west) were claimed by Portugal. All lands west of that line were
claimed by Spain.

Spain and Portugal adhered to the treaty without major conflict between the
two, although the line of demarcation was moved an additional 270 leagues
(about 1500 kilometers or 932 miles) farther west in 1506, which enabled
Portugal to claim the eastern coast of what is now Brazil.”
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 Spain: West Portugal: East

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The First Voyage Around the World by Magellan
Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta
o Born around 1490 at Vicenza, Venice, Italy

o Son of Giovanni Pigafetta and second wife Angela Zoga

o 1519 -he joined the delegation of Monsinor Francesco Chieregati

o Casa de la Contracion (office in charge of voyages around the

New World)

o Pigafetta was among the 18 survivors who returned to Spain on

September 6,1522 aboard the Victoria.
Antonio Pigafetta
oHe was the chronicler commissioned by the King of Spain to
accompany and document the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan.

oAfter the expedition, he reported to King Carlos V and gave him a

hand written account of the expedition.

oHe joined the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem

oDied sometime in 1534

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 The Magellan Expedition
240/270 men (18 survivors)

5 ships
oTrinidad
oSan Antonio
oConcepcion
oVictoria
oSantiago

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oSeptember 20, 1519: Magellan set sail from Spain in an effort to
find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia

oPigafetta’s account when their fleet reached the Ladrones

Islands or the Island of the Thieves (presently known as the
Marianas Islands)

“These people have no arms, but use sticks, which have a fish bone at the
end. They are poor, but ingenious, and great thieves, and for the sake of
what we called these three islands the Ladrones Islands.”
Pigafetta’s account when their fleet reached the Ladrones
Islands or the Island of the Thieves (presently known as the
Marianas Islands)
“These people have no arms, but use sticks, which have a fish bone at the
end. They are poor, but ingenious, and great thieves, and for the sake of
what we called these three islands the Ladrones Islands.”
oTen days after they reached the Ladrones Islands, Pigafetta
reported that they reached the isle of Zamal (Samar) but Magellan
decided to land in another island for greater security.

oTwo days later, March 18, nine men came to them and showed joy
and eagerness in seeing them. They gave the Spaniards fish, palm
wine (uraca), figs, two cochos, rice (umai), and other food supplies.

“This palm produces a fruit named cocho, which is as large as the head, or
thereabouts; its first husk is green, and two fingers in thickness, in it they find
certain threads, with which they make the cords for fastening their boats. Under this
husk there is another very hard, and thicker than that of a walnut. They burn this
second rind, and make with it a powder which is useful to them. Under this rind
there is a white marrow of a finger’s thickness, which they eat fresh with meat and
fish, as we do bread, nd it has the taste of an almond, and if anyone dried it he
might make bread of it.”
oThe fleet went to Humunu Island (Homonhon) where they found the
“Watering Place of Good Signs” (where they found gold).

o They left the island of Humunu, then on March 25th, they saw two
balanghai (balangay), a long boat full of people in
Mazzava/Mazaua.

oThe leader or king of the ballanghai sent his men to the ship of
Magellan. The Europeans gave them gifts.

o The king of the balanghai offered to give Magellan a bar of gold

and a chest of ginger, Magellan declined.

o Magellan sent his interpreter to the king and asked for money for
the needs of his ship.
o The king gave Magellan the
needed provisions of food in
chinaware.

o In return, Magellan gave the

king robes in Turkish fashion, red
cap, and knives and mirrors for
the people.

oThe Spaniards named the island

with the nearby islands as the
archipelago of St. Lazarus.
Zuluan and Calagan (Butuan and Caragua)
oMagellan met Raia Calambu (king of Zuluan and Calagan) the
brother of Raia Siagu.

oPigafetta reported that they saw mines of gold. Parts of the house
and ship of Raia Calambu were made of gold.

oMarch 31: Easter Sunday. Magellan ordered the chaplain to preside

a Mass by the shore.

oAfter the Mass, Magellan ordered that the cross be brought with
nails and crown in place. The cross, the nail, and the crown were
the signs of the King of Spain. If other Spaniards will see the cross,
they would know that Spaniards have been in this land and would
not cause them troubles, and any person who might be held
captives by them would be released.
Zuluan and Calagan (Butuan and Caragua)
oMagellan met Raia Calambu (king of Zuluan and Calagan) the
brother of Raia Siagu.

oPigafetta reported that they saw mines of gold. Parts of the house
and ship of Raia Calambu were made of gold.

oMarch 31: Easter Sunday. Magellan ordered the chaplain to preside

a Mass by the shore.

oAfter the Mass, Magellan ordered that the cross be brought with
nails and crown in place. The cross, the nail, and the crown were
the signs of the King of Spain. If other Spaniards will see the cross,
they would know that Spaniards have been in this land and would
not cause them troubles, and any person who might be held
Zuluan and Calagan (Butuan and Caragua)
oMagellan met Raia Calambu (king of Zuluan and Calagan) the
brother of Raia Siagu.

oPigafetta reported that they saw mines of gold. Parts of the house
and ship of Raia Calambu were made of gold.

oMarch 31: Easter Sunday. Magellan ordered the chaplain to preside

a Mass by the shore.

oAfter the Mass, Magellan ordered that the cross be brought with
nails and crown in place. The cross, the nail, and the crown were
the signs of the King of Spain. If other Spaniards will see the cross, they
would know that Spaniards have been in this land and would not cause them
troubles, and any person who might be held captives by them would be
released.
 Magellan’s Cross

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Ceylon (Leyte), Bohol, and Zzubu (Cebu)
o April 7: Magellan and his men reached the port of Cebu.

o Cebu: the largest and richest island

o The king of Cebu (Raia Humabon) demanded that they pay tribute
as it was customary, but Magellan refused.

o Magellan and Raia Humabon performed sanduguan.

o April 14: The king of Cebu was then baptized as a Christian.

Magellan encouraged him to burn his idols and to worship the cross.

o Magellan gave an image of the Infant Jesus made by Pigafetta to

the Queen of Cebu (Humamay).
oMagellan named Raia Humabon as Don Charles (Carlos) and Hara
Humamay as Johanna (Juana).

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oThe highest ranks in society in pre-colonial Philippines were
composed of local chieftains or datus who cooperated or
competed against each other. In some places, there was a
pecking order among the ranks of the datus: vassals or subordinate
datus were less powerful leaders who allied themselves with datus
who controlled trade and had more resources.
oMagellan and his crew witnessed this play of politics, but did not
recognize its dynamics. They even mistook these local chieftains for
“kings,” which they were not. One of the “kings” with whom
Magellan forged a close friendship was Rajah Humabon of the
island of Zubu (Cebu).
oHumabon was a rival of one of the chiefs on Mactan Island, Lapu-
Lapu. Another chief in Mactan, Datu Zula, was also wary of Lapu-
Lapu.
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Matan (Mactan)
o April 26: Zula went to see Magellan and asked him for a boat full of
men so that he would be able to fight the chief named Silapulapu
(Lapulapu)

o Pigafetta writes, “On Friday, April twenty-six, Zula, a chief of the island of
Matan, sent one of his sons to present two goats to the captain-general, and to say
that he would send him all that he had promised, but that he had not been able to
send it to him because of the other chief Cilapulapu (Lapu-Lapu), who refused to
obey the king of Spagnia.”
o Magellan offered three boats. 49 Spaniards in total.

oMactan islanders: estimated to number 1,500

o Magellan fervently believed that his men were so superior to the

natives that he allowed 49 of his crew to face off against a force of
1,500 enraged natives. He was so confident that he refused the
help of his allies, Rajah Humabon and Datu Zula, and asked the
them to just watch how they fought.
o Magellan died in battle. The Mactan islanders kept his body as a
memento of their victory.

o It was Magellan’s arrogance and his overconfidence on Medieval

weaponry that cost him his life.

o Magellan was an excellent explorer and navigator, but he was no

battle tactician.

o Duarte Barbosa: elected as the new captain

o Henry/Enrique: slave/interpreter of Magellan

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oPigafetta wrote a book about Magellan’s expedition.

oHe presented his draft to:

Pope Clement VII
Philippe de Villiers L’Isle-Adam (grandmaster of the Knights of
Rhodes)
Louis Savoy (mother of King Francis I of France)

o1536, a condensed version of his manuscript was published

oTAKE NOTE: THE ORIGINAL JOURNAL OF PIGAFETTA DID NOT SURVIVE

Pigafetta’s accounts recounted:

a. the individual fates of the five ships

b. how they survived the unforeseen challenges and problems (food

shortages, diseases, crew’s lack of confidence in Magellan’s
leadership, hostile attitude of people they have encountered)

c. maps

d. glossaries of native words

e. flora and fauna of places they visited

Analysis of Pigafetta’s Chronicle
oIn reading Pigafetta’s description of the people, one has to keep in
mind that he was coming from the sixteenth century European
perspective.

oHe regarded the indigenous belief systems and way of life as inferior
to that of Christianity and of the Europeans

oHe would always remark on the nakedness and illiteracy of the

natives to the European artillery, merchandise, and other goods.

oHe mentioned about the abundance of spices.

Analysis of Pigafetta’s Chronicle
oPigafetta’s perspective was too narrow. He saw the natives as
naked because they wear fewer clothes. He did not realize that
their attire is appropriate for the weather.

o16th century European economy is mercantilist. As a result, Pigafetta

always mention the abundance of gold.

oHe saw the other belief systems as blasphemous and barbaric.

 Juan Sebastian Elcano
Primus circumdedisti me
("You first encircled me")

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