CHAPTER 1
a formal account of the Magellan expedition and have it published.
Spices- the most expensive and in demand commodity among
Europeans
"Europeans are known in their food preservatives, flavor
enhancements, and even medicine, and those spices played a huge
role for it"
Silk road and Arabian-Italian road- this expensive route, distracted
by war and full of bandits are the reason why they start to set sail.
1453- the Europeans decided to explore and look for the spice islands
Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal- he put up a maritime school
and train sailors
Queen Isabella of Castille and King Ferdinand the 2nd of Argon-
leaders of the victory of Catholic Monarchs against Moors in the
battle of Granada and it resulted to the rise of Spain.
Christopher Columbus-who discover the territories on the other
side of Atlantic Ocean
Ferdinand Magellan- a portugese explorer that sets sail to the East
with the finance and help of Spain.
Magellan-Eocano Expedition
- its main objective is to search for a new maritime path to the spice
island that would not violate Spain's treaty with portugal
- left the part of Sanlucar de Barrameda in Seville on August 20,
1519 with 270 men of different nations aboard
5 ships in the Magellan-Eclano Expedition
1.Trinidad 3. Concepcion 5. Victoria
2.San Antonio 4. Santiago
> Victoria ship led by Juan Sebastian Elcano
> Trinidad ship commanded by Magellan
> out of 5 ships that left Spain, only 3 reached the Philippines
Lapu-Lapu
> chieftain of Mactan
"Lapu-Lapu refused to trade with the Spaniards resulting to a war
between both parties. Magellan died from the war and the Spaniards
loss the battle and was left with enough men to sail two ships
(Victoria and Trinidad)
Juan Sebastian Elcano
-Spanish explorer of Basque origin who completed the first
circumnavigation of the Earth.
Antonio Pigafetta (born:1490, died:1534)
- was the eldest son of Giovanni Pigafetta to the second wife Angela
Zoga.
-studied astronomy, geography and cartography and during his
younger years worked in the ships owned by Knight of Rhodes.
- assistant of Magellan that kept a journal that became the main
source of what we know from the expedition before.
- assigned as Papal Nuncio to Spain in 1519.
Pigafetta was admitted as one of the sobresalientes
(supernumerateries) or men coming from prominent families who
will join the trip for the love of adventure and for the advancement of
military service.
He was among the 18 survivors who returned to Spain on September
6, 1522, after the challenges and catastropes that the expedition
encountered along the way, including being wounded in the Battle of
Mactan.
When he returned to Italy, many of his associates asked him to write
In 1536, a condensed version of his manuscript was published in
Venice by Jacques Fabre. The original journal of Pigafetta did not
survive. 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 the fourth copy was written in mixed Italian, Spanish and
Venetian languages.
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 Philippines Islands opus (Volume 33) as well as in
a separate edition.
Pigafetta likewise gave us an eyewitness account of the death of
Magellan in the Battle of Mactan.
March 16, 1521 – Magellan’s group reached Samar.
March 18 (same year) – natives (Filipinos) sent 9 people to talk with
Magellan. They exchanged goods like caps, mirrors, combs, bells,
ivory, bocasine to fish, palm wine (uraca or arrack), and figs
(bananas) cocoanuts
Magellan’s merchandise in the ship are: cloves, cinnamon, pepper
ginger, nutmeg, mace, and gold.
Humunu (Homonhon) – place where Magellan’s group first landed.
Acquada da li buoni Segnialli – the watering-place of good signs
The Archipelago of San Lazaro – first name of the Philippines for it
was discovered by Magellan on the Sabbath of St. Lazarus.
Heathen – a person who does not belong to a widely held religion,
Caphri
Natives wore nothing (they were naked) with just a soft cloth woven
from the bark of trees to cover their private parts. The chiefs on the
other hand have cotton cloth embroidered with silk
Magellan had slave who acted as the interpreter to the natives. He
(Magellan) met with the king (datu) of the tribe and befriended him
so they can easily convert the natives and exchange goods with them.
Pieces of gold, of the size of walnuts and eggs, are found by sifting
the earth by the island of that king who came to led our ships.
The last of March and Easter-day (Sunday, early morning)– the
captain sent the priest with some men to prepare the place where the
Mass was to be said; together with the interpreter to tell the king that
are not going to land in order to dine with him, but to say mass.
After dinner – all returned clad in our doublets, and that afternoon
went together with the two kings to the summit of the highest
mountain there.
April 7 (Sunday, noon) – entered the port of Zubu.
Monday morning – our notary together with the interpreter went to
Zubu.
Wednesday morning- One of our men had died during the previous rule and successfully thwarted the first attempt of the Spaniards to
night. The interpreter and I went to ask the king where we colud bury take control of the Philippines.
him.
Pigafetta’s chronicle - Contributed immensely to European
historiagraphy as it preserved and popularized the achievements of
Sunday morning (April 14)- Forty men went ashore, Two were
Magellan-Elcano expedition.
completely armed and preceded the royal banner. When they reached
land all the artillery was fired. Those people followed us hither and
If Pigafetta did not survive the journey, we would have very little
thither. The captain and the king embraced. The captain told the king
knowledge of Magellan’s numerous contributions in the fields of
that the royal banner was not taken ashore except with fifty men
geography, navigation, history, and other related areas.
armed as were those two. and was fifty musketeers. But so great was
his love for him that he had thus brought the banner. Then we all
1. Credit must be given to the Magellan expedition for proving that
approached the platform joyfully.
the earth is not flat but an oblate sphere.
2. Magellan and his men completed the first circumnavigation of the
A large cross was set up in the middle of the square. The captain told
world.
them that if they want or wished to be a Christians, They should burn
3. They confirmed that the Portuguese route is not the only way to
all their idols and set up a cross in their place.
the Spice Islands. They proved that one can go to the east by sailing
west.
After the dinner the priest and some of the others went ashore to
4. They brought to the attention of the Europeans that on the other
baptized the queen, who came with forty women. We conducted her
side of the American Continent exists a large body of water which
to the platform, and she was made to sit down upon a cushion, and
they named Pacific Ocean also called “Mar Pacifico”
the other women near her, until the priest should be ready. she was
shown an image of our lady a very beautiful wooden child Jesus and
The accounts about the first mass in the Philippines, the conversion
a cross thereupon. Thus they named her Johanna.
of Rajah Humabon and his wife, and the story of the image of the
Sto. Niño were mostly taken from Pigafetta’s book.
One day, the captain general told the king and other people to burn
their idols and to believe in Christ, they still have idols because they
5. Pigafetta has a numerous accounts about the reaction of the
believe that it can treat the sick man but then when the sick man is
Filipinos when they met the spaniards while others refused to interact
baptized a miracle happened.
and trade with them.
Idols are made of wood, hollow and lack the back parts. Their arms Lapu-lapu is the most prominent Filipino character in Pigafetta’s
are open and their feet turned up under them with the legs open. They narrative. He was the first Filipino who led resistance movement
have a large face with four huge tusks like those of the wild boar and against spanish rule and successfully thwarted the first attempt of the
are painted all over. spaniards to take control of the Philippines.

Near the island of Zubu there was an island called Matan (Mactan), It was mentioned earlier that Pigafetta was not the only one who
its chief were Zula and Cilapulapu (Lapu-Lapu) wrote about the expedition. Others also wrote about the expedition
but they are not an eyewitness account their narrative is just based on
On Friday, April 26- Zula the chief of Matan ordered one of his sons the interviews that they conducted with the survivors of the Victoria.
to present two goats to the captain-general, but had not been able to
do so because the other chief (Lapu-Lapu) refused to obey the king of
Spagnia.

On Saturday, April 27- the battle occurred between the Spagnia and
the natives.

Musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore

weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the
arquebus, capable of penetrating heavy armor.

Cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or

slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often
featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard.

Pigafetta’s chronicle contributed immensely to European

historiography.

Magellan expedition proved that earth is not flat and demolished the
myth about the boiling waters in the equator. Magellan and his men
completed the first circumnavigation of the world and they confirmed
that Portuguese route is not the only way to go to the Spice Islands.
They brought to the attention of the Europeans that on the other side
of the American continent exists a large body of water called Pacific
Ocean.

Pigafetta also enriched Philippine historiography because it contains

important details about the Visayan Islands in the 16th Century.

Lapu-Lapu is the most prominent Filipino character in Pigafetta’s

narrative. He was the first Filipino who led resistance against Spanish