A Brief Summary Of

The First Voyage Around

The World By Magellan
by Antonio Pigafetta
Who is Antonio Pigafetta?
For this chapter, 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. In Pigafetta reached
what he called the Landrones
Islands or the Islands of the
Thieves.
 Landrones Islands is presently known as Marianas
Islands.
 These Islands are located south-southeast of Japan,
West-southwest of Hawaii, north of New Guinea and
east of Philippines.

 After they reached the Landrones Islands they go to Isle

of Zamal now Samar, but Magellan decided to land in
another uninhabited Island for greater security where
they could rest for a few days.

 Pigafetta recounted that after two days, of March 18,

nine men came to them and showed joy and eagerness
in seeing them.
 Magellanrealized that the men where reasonable
and welcomed them with food, drinks and gifts.

 Intern, that natives that give them fish, palm wine,

figs, and two cochos. The natives also gave them
rice, cocos and other food supplies.

 Pigafetta
detailed in amazement and fascination the
palm tree which bore fruits called cocho and wine.
He also describe what seemed like a coconut.
 Pigafetta characterized the people as “very familiar
and friendly” and willingly showed them different
Islands and the names of these Islands. The Fleet
went to Humuno Island (Homonhon) and they
found what pigafetta referred to ask the “Watering
Place of Good Signs”.

 In this place where Pigafetta wrote that they found

the first sign of gold in the Island. They named the
Island with the nearby Islands as the archipelago of
St. Lazarus.
 They left the Island, then on March 25th , Pigafetta
recounted that they saw two Ballanghai (Balangay),
A long boat full of people in mazzava/mazaua. The
leader, who pigafetta referred to ask the King of the
Ballanghai, sent his men to the ship of Magellan.

 The European entertained these men and gave them

gifts. When the King of the Balangay offered to
give Magellan a bar of gold and a chest of ginger,
Magellan declined.
 Magellansent the interpreter to the King and ask for
money for the needs of his ships and expressed that
he came into the Islands as a friend and not as an
enemy, the King responded by giving Magellan the
needed provisions of food in Chinaware.

 Magellan exchanged gift of robes in turkish fashion,

red cap and gave the people knives and mirrors. The
two then express their desire to become brothers.
Magellan also boasted of his men in armor who
could not be struck with swords and dangers.
 Magellan was introduce to the Kings brother who
was also a King of another Island. They went to this
Island and Pigafetta reported that they saw mines of
golds. Pigafetta described this King as the most
handsome of all the men that he saw in this place.

 ThisKing was named Raia Calambu, King of Zuluan

and Calagan, and the first King was Raia Siagu.

 March 31st , Easter Sunday, Magellan ordered the

chaplain to preside a mass by the shore. The King
heard of this plan and sent two dead pigs and
attended the mass with the other King.
 After the mass, Magellan ordered that the cross be
brought with nails and crown in place. He also
explained that the cross, the nail and the crown
were the signs of his emperor and that he was
ordered to plant in the place that he would reach.

 Magellan further explained that the cross would be

beneficial for their people because once other
Spaniards saw this cross, the they would know that
they had been in this land and would not cause
them troubles, and any person who might be held
captives by them would be released.
 The King concurred and allowed for the cross to
be planted. This mass would go down in history as
the first Mass in Philippines, and cross would be
the famed Magellan’s cross still preserved at
present day.

 After seven days, Magellan and his men decided to

move and look for Island were they could accure
more supplies and provision they learned of the
Islands of Ceylon (Leyte), Bohol, and Zzubu
(Cebu) and intended to go there. Raia Calambu
offered to pilot them in going to Cebu, The largest
and the richest of the Islands.
By April 7th of the same year, Magellan and his men
reached the port of Cebu.

 The King of Cebu, through Magellan’s interpreter,

demanded that they pay tribute as it was customary,
but Magellan refused. Magellan said that He was a
captain of a King himself and does would not pay
tribute to other Kings. Magellan’s interpreter
explained to the King of Cebu that Magellan’s King
was the emperor of a great empire and that it would
do them better to make friends with them than to
forge enmity. The King of Cebu consulted his
council.
 By the next day, Magellan’s men and the King of
Cebu, together with other principal men of Cebu,
met in an open space. Their, The King offered a
bit of his blood and demanded that Magellan do
the same.

 The following day, Magellan spoke before the

people of Cebu about peace and God. Pigafetta
reported that the people took pleasure in
Magellan’s speech. Magellan then asked the
people who would succeed the King after his
Reign and the people responded that the eldest
child of the King, who happened to be a daughter,
who be the next in line.
 Pigafettaalso related how the people talked about,
how at old age, parents were no longer taken into
account and had to follow the orders of their
children as the new leaders of the land. Magellan
responded to this by saying that his faith entailed
children to render honor and obedience to their
parents.

 Magellan preached about their faith further and

people were reportedly convinced that Pigafetta
wrote that their men were over joyed seeing that the
people wished to become Christians through their
free will and not because they were forced or
intemidated.
 On the 14th of April, the people gathered with the
King and other principal men of the Islands.
Magellan spoke to the King and encouraged Him to
be a good Christian by burning all of the idols and
worship the cross instead. The King of Cebu was
then baptized as a Christian.

 After 8th days, Pigafetta counted that all of the

Islands inhabitant were already baptized. He
admitted that they burned a village down for
obeying neither the King nor Magellan. The Mass
was conducted by the shore everyday. When the
Queen came to the mass one day, Magellan gave her
an image of the infant Jesus made by Pigafetta
himself.
 The King of Cebu swore that he would
always be faithful to Magellan. When
Magellan reiterated that all of the newly
baptized Christians need tp burn their idols,
but the natives gave excuses telling
Magellan that they needed the idols to heal a
sick man who was s relative to the King.
Magellan insisted that they should instead
put their faith in Jesus Christ. They went to
the sick man and baptized him. After the
baptismal, Pigafetta recorded that than man
was able to speak again. He called this a
miracle.
 On the 26th of April, Zula, a principal man from the
Island of Matan (Mactan) 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 (Lapu
Lapu). Such chief, according to Zula, refused to
obey the King and was also preventing him from
doing so.

 Magellan offered three boats instead and expressed

his desire to go to Mactan himself to fight the said
chief. Magellan’s force arrived in Mactan in
daylight. They numbered 49 in total and the
Islanders of Mactan were estimated to number
1,500. The battle began. Pigafetta recounted:
 Magellan died in that battle. The natives,
perceiving that the bodies of the enemies
were protected with armors, aimed for their
legs instead Magellan was pierced with a
poisoned arrow in his right leg. A few of
their men charged at the natives and tried to
intimidate them by burning an entire village
but his only enraged the natives further.
Magellan was specifically targeted because
the natives knew that he was the captain
general.
 Magellan was hit with a lance in the face.
Magellan retaliated and pierced the same
native with his lance in the breast and tried to
draw his sword but could not lift it because of
his wounded arm. Seeing that the captain has
already deteroriated, more natives came to
attack him. One native with a great sword
delivered a blow in Magellan’s left leg,
brought him face down and the natives
ceaselessly attacked Magellan with lances,
swords and even with their bare hands,
Pigafetta recounted the last moments of
Magellan.
 Pigafetta also that the king of Cebu who was
baptized could have sent help but Magellan
instructed him not to join the battle and stay in
the balangay so that he would see how they
fought. The king offered the people of Mactan
gifts of any value and amount in exchange of
Magellan’s body but the chief refused. They
wanted to keep Magellan’s body as a memento
of their victory.
 Magellan’s men elected Duarte Barbosa as the
new captain. Pigafetta also told how
Magellan’s slave and interpreter named Henry
betrayed them and told the king of Cebu that
they intended to leave as quickly as possible.
Pigafetta alleged that the slave told the king
that if he followed the slave’s advice, then the
king could acquire the sips and the goods of
Magellan’s fleet. The two conspired and
betrayed what was left of Magellan’s men. The
king invited these men to a gathering where he
said he would present the jewels that he would
send for the King of Spain.
 Pigafettawas not able to join the twenty-
four men who attended because he was
nursing his battle wounds. It was only a
short time when they heard cries and
lamentations. The natives had slain all of
the men except the interpreter and Juan
Serrano who was already wounded. Serrano
was presented and shouted at the men in
ship asking them to pay ransom so he would
be spared. However, they and abandoned
Serrano. They left Cebu and continued their
journey around the world.