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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan was selected by King Charles I of Spain to search for a
westward route to the Maluku Islands (the "Spice Islands"). Commanding a fleet of five
vessels, he headed south through the Atlantic Ocean to Patagonia, passing through the
Strait of Magellan into a body of water he named the "peaceful sea" (the modern Pacific
Ocean). Despite a series of storms and mutinies, the expedition reached the Spice
Islands in 1521 and returned home via the Indian Ocean to complete the first recorded
circuit of the globe. Magellan did not complete the entire voyage, as he was killed during
the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines in 1521. His gift, the Santo Nino de Cebu image,
remains one of his legacies during his arrival.
-The circumnavigation took place between 1519-1522
-In Europe, spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg which grew only in the far east
were worth their gold.
-Spice islands, Maluku Island, part of Indonesia
-270 crew, 5 ships, 18 men were the only crews to survive.
-Magellan and his men became the first Europeans to reach the Philippines

BIOGRAPHY
Antonio Pigafetta
-1940
-A writer and famous Italian Traveler
-in his younger years, he studied navigation, astronomy, geography and cartography
- he was very curious about the world around him so what he did was he joined the
delegation of msgr. Francisco sheregati keme
-He served on board the galleys of the knights of Rhodes and accompanied msgr.
Francisco Chieregati to Spain.
- Antonio Pigafetta was a key player of one of the most amazing exploration in the
world. The relevance of his own venture fundamentally lies in the fact that he took part
to the first global circumnavigation between 1519 and 1522 and he was able to
accomplish it after the murder of Ferdinand Magellan leaving the details and description
of their journey as a report to the finest trip around the world.
RELEVANCE /
CONTRIBUTION /
SIGNIFICANCE
(Significance on the readers of the past & Significance on the readers of the present)
The account of Pigafetta is the single most important source about the voyage of
circumnavigation
Q:How relevant the document is when it comes to reconstructing past of the Philippines
and its people?
A: Even though the manuscript was lost, it was also rescued and revived in 1797. And
today it is considered as one of the most important documentary evidence relating to
the geographical discoveries of the 16th century. The document gave enough
information about what was in the past about the Philippines and its history. With this
we are able to gain knowledge about our ancestors and our culture. He also showed
that it was possible to sail around the world and have a record of how to do it.
Q: Significance of the manuscript to the following (Scholars, economy, socio-cultural,
political, religion, geography, Filipino youth)
A: Geography: The manuscript proved that the world is not flat but rather an oblate
spheroid. It proved that it is round as the manuscript narrates how they circumnavigate
the world.
Historians / Scholars: This article is important for them because this will serve as one of
the foundations and bases that historians can utilize to understand other happenings in
the past of the Philippine History.
-What this manuscript shows is how magellan’s expedition achieved the first voyage of
circumnavigation around the world. Since then, mankind at last has final conclusive
proof that our planet is a sphere and the greater idea than ever before of its vast size
For the people of the past, most especially the Europeans: Because of this document,
the European benefited and was able to discover some raw materials and products that
were not available in their lands (porcelain, silks, herbs, perfumes, fabrics, carpets,
spice and other oriental products).
Also, it gives us, the modern day people, a clearer picture of how our Filipino ancestors
live before Europeans arrived in our country. It tells us that even before foreign people
came, our native ancestors already have sovereignty and rich culture and practices. It
shows that we already have social system, having datus and kings, we already have our
own clothings, our rich goods and natural and oriental materials and the concept of
being hospitable to visitors which was already exhibited in the text of Pigafetta. Thus,
we can say that as early as we knew, Philippines has already its own identity.

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