Analysis of

a
vi
ed
Pigafetta’s

ar
sh
as
Chronicle
w
m e
co rc
o. sou
re
dy

This study source was downloaded by 100000827092397 from CourseHero.com on 06-01-2021 21:19:49 GMT -05:00
 The chronicle of Pigafetta was one of the most cited documents by historians
who wished to study the precolonial Philippines. As one of the ealiest written
accounts, Pigafetta was seen as a credible source for a period, which was prior
unchronicled and undocumented. Moreover, being the earliest detailed
documentation, it was believed that Pigafetta’ s writings account for the “purest”

a
precolonial society. Indeed, Pigafetta’ s work is of great importance in the study

vi
and writing of Philippines history. Nevertheless, there needs to have a more

ed
nuanced reading of the source within a contextual backdrop. A student of history

ar
should recognize certain biases accompanying the author and his identity,

sh
loyalties, and the circumstances that he was in; and how it affected the text that

as
he produced. In the case of Pigafetta, the reader needs to understand that he

w
was a chronicler commissioned by the King of Spain to accompany and

m e
document a voyage intended to expand the Spanish empire. He was also of
noble descent who came from a rich family in Italy. These attributes co rc
o. sou
influenced his narrative, his selection of details to be included in the
re

text, his characterization of the people and of the species that he

dy

encountered, and his interpretation and retelling of the events.

This study source was downloaded by 100000827092397 from CourseHero.com on 06-01-2021 21:19:49 GMT -05:00
Being a scholar cartography and geography, Pigafetta was able to
give details geography and climate of the places that their voyage
had reached. In reading Pigafetta’ s description of the people, one has
to keep in mind that he was coming from a sixteenth century European

a
perspective. Hence, the reader might notice how Pigafetta, whether

vi
implicitly or explicitly, regarded the indigenous belief systems and way

ed
of life as inferior to that of Christianity and of the Europeans. He would

ar
always remark on the nakedness of the natives or how he was

sh
fascinated by their exotic culture. Pigafetta also noticeably emphasized

as
the natives’ amazement and illiteracy of the European artillery,

w
merchandise, and other goods, in the same way that Pigafetta

m e
repeatedly mentioned the abundance of spices like ginger, and of co rc
o. sou
precious metals like gold. His observation and assessments of the
re

indigenous cultures employed the European standards. Hence, when

they saw the indigenous attires of the natives, Pigafetta saw them
dy

This study source was downloaded by 100000827092397 from CourseHero.com on 06-01-2021 21:19:49 GMT -05:00
 Native Filipino’ s Attire and Their
House

a
vi
ed
ar
sh
as
w
m e
co rc
o. sou
re
dy

This study source was downloaded by 100000827092397 from CourseHero.com on 06-01-2021 21:19:49 GMT -05:00
 It should be understood that such observations were rooted from the context of
Pigafetta and of his era. Europe, for example, was dominated by the Holy Roman
Empire, whose loyalty and purpose was the domination of Catholic Church all over
the world. Hence, other belief systems different from that of Christianity were
perceived to be blasphemous and barbaric, even demonic. Aside from this, the

a
sixteenth century European economy was mercantilist. Such systems measure the

vi
wealth of kingdoms based on their accumulation of bullions or precious metals

ed
like gold and silver. It was not surprising therefore that Pigafetta would always

ar
mention the abundance of gold in the islands as shown in his description of

sh
leaders wearing gold rings and golden daggers, and of the rich gold mines. An

as
empire like that of the Spain would indeed search for new lands where they could

w
acquire more gold and wealth to be on top of all the European nations. The
obsession with spices might be odd for Filipinos because of its ordinariness in the

m e
Philippines but understanding the context would reveal that spices were scarce in co rc
o. sou
Europe and hence were seen as prestige goods. In that era, Spain and Portugal
coveted the control of Spice Islands because it would have led to a certain
re

increase in wealth, influence, and power. These Context should be used and
dy

understood in order to have more qualified reading of Pigafetta’ s Account.

This study source was downloaded by 100000827092397 from CourseHero.com on 06-01-2021 21:19:49 GMT -05:00
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)