First Voyage Around the World by Antonio Pigafetta

By Anna Ettore

Antonio Pigafetta was a key player of one of the most amazing world exploration trips. He was
born in Vicenza in 1492, and he was an Italian seafarer and geographer.The relevance of his
own venture, fundamentally lies in the fact that he took part to the first globe circumnavigation,
between 1519 and 1522, and he was able to accomplish it after the murder of Ferdinand
Magellan, leaving a detailed description of the journey in the Report of the first trip around the
world, a lost manuscript that was rescued later, in 1797, and today is considered one of the
most important documentary evidence relating the geographical discoveries of the Sixteenth
Century. Antonio Pigafetta, fascinating and fleeing personality, for scholars he still represents a
partial mystery. About him too little is known to define a satisfactory profile on the biographical
side. Documents and the testimony of contemporaneous are scarces, and his own character
primarily appears from what he wrote in his own report. His own narration about the first world
circumnavigation was one of the greatest achievements in the history of navy exploration and
discovery. In this narration can be found descriptions of peoples, countries, goods and even the
languages that were spoken, of which the seafarer was trying to assemble some brief
glossaries. Pigafetta tells how, being in Barcelona in 1519, he heard about Magellan’s
expedition, and being wishful to learn about the world, he asked for and obtained the permission
to join in the voyage. Magellan’s fleet weighed anchor from Seville on August 10th of the same
year with five smaller vessels, heading towards Canary Islands and down along the African
coast, and across the Equator. From there they sailed towards Brazil coast , where they stayed
for some time, making supplies and weaving friendly contacts with the cannibalistic natives who
dwelled there. Moving on, then they arrived in Patagonia, where they spent winter months in a
desolate solitude. They met local people, who looked like giants in their eyes full of wonder,
because of their robust body types. They survived the mutiny of one of the captains and some
disgruntled sailors, and continued the exploration of the coast. One of the vessels was drowned,
but the whole crew managed to be saved. They proceeded until the discovery of the strait,
named after, Magellan himself, on October 21st 1520, and went through, although one of the
ships deserted, sailing back to Spain.
Finally, they arrived in the Philippines, where they became acquainted with the natives who
proved hospitable and welcomed them as guests in the king’s palace. The indigenous people,
affected by the celebration of Mass and the crucifix planted in the island, promised to convert to
Christianity. Quickly they developed commerce and trade, and the king, the queen and other
notables of Cebu were converted, until the entire population rapidly followed them in the new
religion.
Shortly after, happened the disastrous episode that changed the course of the expedition.
Magellan took part in a conflict between some local tribes and was killed. The rest of the
expedition managed to escape and retired, preparing to leave, but a trap set by Magellan’s
interpreter and the king of Cebu, led to another massacre of the Europeans. The surviving ships
continued toward Borneo and to the city of Brunei, where they managed to stock up, then from
there, traveling southbound, they came to the Moluccas, 27 months after the departure from
Spain, finding a warm welcome by an astrologer king who had predicted their arrival. But at this
point, despite the perspective of good business and the rich exchanges that would lie ahead,
their desire to return to Spain urged them and pushed them to a quick return.