First Voyage Around the World

By: Antonio Pigafetta

*Background of the Author: Antonio Pigafetta (1491– c.1534)

Pigafetta's exact year of birth is not known, with estimates ranging between 1480 and 1491. A birth year of 1491
would have made him around 30 years old during Magellan's expedition, which historians have considered more probable
than an age close to 40. He was an Italian scholar and explorer from the Republic of Venice. Pigafetta belonged to a rich
family city of Vicenza in northeast Italy. In his youth he studied astronomy, geography and cartography. At a young age,
Antonio already wanted to travel, to see “the very great and awful things of the ocean.” He served as secretary to the Papal
Ambassador to the Court of King Charles I, in Valladolid, Spain and there he learned that King Charles I was sponsoring an
expedition, backed by Germany’s Frugger family of bankers, to reach the East Indies by sailing west, and will be commanded
by Ferdinand Magellan. During the expedition, he served as Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate journal which later
assisted him in translating the Cebuano language. It is the first recorded document concerning the language.
Pigafetta was one of the 18 men who returned to Spain in 1522, under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano,
out of the approximately 240 who set out three years earlier. He was wounded on Mactan in the Philippines, where Magellan
was killed in the Battle of Mactan in April 1521. These men completed the first circumnavigation of the world. Pigafetta's
surviving journal is the source for much of what is known about Magellan and Elcano's voyage, now known as Magellan's
Voyage, A Narrative Account of the First Circumnavigation, a detailed tale of exploration and exotica.
Upon reaching port in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the modern Province of Cadiz in September 1522, three years
after his departure, Pigafetta returned to the Republic of Venice. He related his experiences in the "Report on the First
Voyage Around the World" (Italian: Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo), which was composed in Italian and was
distributed to European monarchs in handwritten form before it was eventually published by Italian historian Giovanni Battista
Ramusio in 1550–59. The account centers on the events in the Mariana Islands and the Philippines, although it included
several maps of other areas as well, including the first known use of the word "Pacific Ocean" (Oceano Pacifico) on a map.
*Historical Background of the Document ( Contents of the First Voyage Around the World as published by the Filipiniana
Book Guild, 1969)
A. Introduction – Carlos Quirino
B. Bibliographic Note – Mauro Garcia
C. First Voyage Around the World – Antonio Pigafetta
CHRONOLOGY OF THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD
★ Magellan arrives at Seville - October 20, 1518
★ Magellan's fleet sails from Seville Monday, August 10, 1519
★ Magellan sails from San Lucar de Barrameda - Tuesday, September 20, 1519
★ Magellan arrives at Tenerife - September 26, 1519
★ Magellan sails from Tenerife - Monday, October 3, 1519
★ Magellan arrives at Kio de Janeiro - December 13, 1519
★ Magellan sails from Kio - - December 26, 1519
★ Magellan sails from Rio de la Plata - February 2, 1520
★ Magellan arrives at Port St. Julian - March 31, 1520
★ Loss of Santiago
★ Magellan sails from Port St. Julian - August 24, 1520
★ Magellan sails from river of Santa Cruz - October 18, 1520
★ Magellan makes Cape of the Virgins, entrance of Straits - October 21, 1520
★ Desertion of San Antonio - November 1520
★ Magellan issues from Straits into the Pacific, Wednesday, November 28, 1520
★ Magellan fetches San Pablo Island - January 24, 1521
★ Magellan fetches Tiburones Island - February 4, 1521
★ Magellan reaches the Ladrone Islands - Wednesday, March 6, 1521
★ MAGELLAN REACHES SAMAR ISLAND OF THE PHILIPPINES - SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1521
★ MAGELLAN REACHES MAZAUA ISLAND - THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1521
★ MAGELLAN ARRIVES AT ZUBU ISLAND - APRIL 7, 1521
★ DEATH OF MAGELLAN AT MATAN - SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1521
★ Burning of Conception - May, 1521
★ Arrival of San Antonio at Seville - May 6, 1521
★ Arrival of Victoria and Trinity at Tidore, Friday, November 8, 1521
★ Victoria sails from Tidore - December 21, 1521
★ Victoria discovers Amsterdam Island, Tuesday, March 18, 1522
★ Victoria doubles the Cape of Good Hope - May 18, 1522
★ Victoria arrives at Cape Verde Islands, Wednesday, 2 July 9, 1522
★ Victoria arrives at San Lucar Saturday,2 September 6, 1522
★ Victoria casts anchor at Seville - Monday, 2 September 8, 1522
★ Thanksgiving at Church of Our Lady of Victory - Tuesday, 2 September 9, 1522
D. De Moluccis Insulis – Maximilianus Transylvanus
Appendices
*About the Book
Antonio Pigafetta was one of the survivors who kept a journal that became the main source about the first encounter
of the Spaniards and the Filipinos. The original journal of Pigafetta did not survive in history and what was handed down to
us are copies of the manuscript that never came out of the press during his life time. Three of them were in French and two
are kept in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. The third one was originally owned by the British Collector Sir Thomas
Phillipp. 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 language and could be found in Ambrosian Library in
Milan. In 1800, Carlo Amoretti published an Italian version of it and the following year a French version came out in Paris.
Pinkerton of his part translated it to English and published it in 1819. James A. Richardson made his own English version
of the Ambrosian copy and it appeared in The Philippine Islands. (Robertson became involved in the compilation of a
massive multivolume work on the history of the Philippines, initially called The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803). This is the
copy that is widely circulated in the Philippines.

Pigafetta’s travelogue contributed immensely to the enrichment of Philippine historiography. His writing 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 information about the economic activities of the local folks and
the goods they offered for trade. He got all this information through the help Enrique de Malaccca, Magellan’s
slave/interpreter. Lastly, Pigafetta gave us an eyewitness account of the Battle of Mactan which resulted to the death of
Magellan and him getting wounded.
*Food, Spices
Since the Spaniards were on a long journey through the Pacific, and had a shortage of food. They were really in
need of a landfall on the closest island. They found refuge in the island of of Zamal (Samar). The Spaniards will then be
headed to Sebu for a larger supply of food.
Before the 15th Century spices were an essential ancient piece for commerce. It was used for giving flavour to food
as well as making perfume, embalming the dead, preserving meat and creating salves for traditional medicine. By 14th
century when navigational equipments had improved to the point of having long-haul sailing was possible, kings and queens
of Europe have funded spice-hunting missions of their own. Since it was a very lucrative commodity, many merchants aspired
to monopolize its supply and distribution in the European markets. Asian goods reached Europe either via the Silk Road or
the Arabian-Italian trade route. Both are expensive and oftentimes disrupted by wars and natural calamities.
*Analysis of the Important Historical Information
 All information that can be gleaned from the account of Antonio Pigafetta in his book, “ First Voyage Around the
World” is written from the perspective of the writer/author who is a European (Italian in particular) and therefore a view from
the outsider should be understood in the context of the time. Some descriptions of our ancestors; the way they treat visitors,
their homes, their customs and traditions, foods, and others, are explicitly described and others are not for these are new to
the knowledge of the colonizers. For this, one should be careful for some of these information are described in a way that it
needs to be analyzed using both perspectives, European and our own (i.e. words and terminologies). Furthermore, for it is
more fitting, that the “pantayong pananaw” is employed for the presentation of the analysis.
At first encounter, they thought the people lived according to their own will for they have no seignior, had no religion, are
poor but ingenious and very thievish, thus the name Islas Ladrones (Spanish for “Island of Thieves”) → Pigafetta thought
that Samar was part of those thieving people, as they were unfamiliar with the islands at the Pacific, and thought that there
were no other people in the world but themselves, based on the signs which they have made. The chief gave signs of joy for
their arrival and they exchanged goods.
*Way of Life: The Islanders
Women do not work in the fields but stay in the house; does things needed in their houses from palm leaves.
People eat coconuts, camotes, birds, bananas, sugar cane, and flying fish. They anoint the body and hair with coconut and
beneseed oil. Houses are built of wood covered with planks, thatched with banana leaves. They sleep on palm straw, they
use no weapons, except a spear, their amusement is to plough the seas with their small boats.
*The Mass at Limasawa (Mazaua)
-Last day of March 1521, Easter Sunday [April 1, 1521 Local time]
- Magellan sent Henrich to King Colambu for them to prepare for Mass
- After the mass, a fencing tournament was held
-It is in this event where Pigafetta learned that the Islanders had no religion and thankful that they were not Muslims
-Before the mass: the 2 kings were sprinkled with musk water
-During the mass: When the body of Jesus was elevated, the kings remained kneeled and worshipped with clasped hands.
-After the mass: Some of the captain’s men took communion

*Magellan Plants a Cross

Cross - standard given by the king of Spain to Magellan which was set on the summit of the highest mountain on seeing it
every morning, they might adore it.
-In adoring it, neither thunder, lightning, or storms would harm them in the least which also served as a marker for other
sailors that the place has been visited by the Spaniards, and is already their property
-After the erection of the cross: Pater Noster and Ave Maria repeatedly
*Magellan Preaches to the Islanders
- Magellan found out that in the Islander’s tradition, fathers and mothers who grew old received no further honor
- Injected how God made everything and commanded us to honor our mother and father and how we descended from Adam
and Eve, and from the Holy Spirit
-Success in spreading his faith to the Islanders → gained the response of the people to be baptized (conversion of the
islanders)
*Magellan Gives Proof of his Faith
- Gave Queen Juana the image of the child Jesus, saying she should have it in place of her idols
- Told the people who worship paganism to burn their idols and believe in Christ
- Case in point: Testimony of the sick man (the man can’t move or speak for 4 days but after he was baptized and his 10
daughters, he said that he was feeling well with the Grace of the Lord)
*Expedition to Matan (Mactan)
- They were decked in an island called Matan and the chiefs were Zula and Cilapulapu*
- refused to obey the King of Spain, thus they attacked them
- Spaniards had 49 people while the islanders had 1500* people with spears and daggers.
- Magellan had his right leg pierced with a poisoned arrow. Magellan refused to retreat and eventually gets his face lanced
through the face by an Indian; a javelin pierced his right arm, A greatsword through his left leg put him down and was later
swarmed while his men retreated to the ships.