1. What is the primary reason of Antonio Pigafetta in writing the document?

Antonio Pigafetta is a “gentilhombre vicentino”, as he describes himself on the cover

of his book about the first journey around the world (Pigafetta, 2012: 185), he is an Italian
seafarer and geographer born in Vicenza, Italy in 1492. When he heard about Magellan’s
expedition, he asked for permission to join in the voyage because he really wanted to learn
about the world. And in this document lies in the fact that he took part to the the first globe
circumnavigation with Ferdinand Magellan, between year 1519 and 1522. Pigafetta was
actually a chronicler commissioned by the King of Spain to accompany and document a
voyage intended to expand the Spanish empire. The primary reason of Antonio Pigafetta in
writing the document is to record the important details on their discovery of the Islands and
the people inhabiting in the places they have been explored and yet, his documents leave a
detailed description of the journey in the Report of the first trip around the world.

Moreover, the first voyage was all about what Pigafetta sees and what Pigafetta
knows. He wrote his observations in a journal, now lost. But four manuscripts were
produced with different text derived from the notes in Pigafetta’s original logbook (Cachey,
2007, XLVI), three in French and one in Italian. He was able to accomplish this document
after the murder of Ferdinand Magellan. And today is considered as one of the most
important documentary evidence relating the geographical discoveries of the Sixteenth
Century.

2. What is the main theme in the document?

The main theme in the document is their expedition. The fact that Pigafetta narrating
their journey in the document, navigating route designed by Magellan and his sailors during
the First Circumnavigation around the World. Pigafetta’s journal became the basis for his
1525 travelogue, The First Voyage Around the World. Since the document also has
geographical and symbolically linked different cultures and civilizations, providing
exchanges and achievements in commerce, scientific knowledge and cultural, artistic and
religious practices. According to scholar Theodore Cachey Jr., the travelogue represented
“the literary epitome of its genre” and achieved an international reputation (Cachey, xii-
xiii).
 “Antonio Pigafetta’s account of the first voyage around the world (1519-22) is of
manifold significance. On the one hand, it is an allusive compendium of cartographic,
historical, political, religious, and economic components. On the other, it transcends its time
and established itself as a primordial text that directly or indirectly has affected the
interpretation of the New World. Moreover, Pigafetta’s relation of Magellan’s voyage is
equally germane to the understanding of apposite cultural and aesthetics concerns and
practices evident” (Guaraguao, 2008). In sum, through their expedition and the Magellan
Route represents the confirmation of the Earth’s roundness, is at the origins of the concept
of globalism and the universality of knowledge.

3. Which specific information in Pigafetta's narrative helps you understand and appreciate
….more our history?

Pigafetta's uses narrative writing, for us to relate the stories or to recount historical
events that he wrote. It is from Pigafetta’s account that we’ve learned Magellan’s death may
have been due to his own foolishness because he had refused the help of a rival Cebu
chieftain, Zula, against Lapulapu. And it is also from Pigafetta’s account that we’ve learned
that first Easter Day Mass was celebrated in the Philippines. He narrates that the first Easter
Day Mass was celebrated in the Philippines in a place called Limasawa. Despite a law in the
1960s declaring that this happened in Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte, there remain
adherents to the theory that the site was Butuan, in a swampy area that had been called
Mazaua.

Apart from historical events, he wrote down his observations even the ordinary details
of the lives of early Filipinos. He devotes paragraphs to describing Filipinos’ use coconut in
many ways; a source of liquor, oil, vinegar, bread, and milk. He talks about how Butuan
was full of gold “the size of walnuts and eggs” and how its king, Rajah Colambo, was the
“finest looking man” they saw. Moreover, there are descriptions of the food served to them
(roast pork, roast fish, ginger, bananas), attire, drinking ceremonies, burial rituals. For that
reason, we did know and we can tell then through Pigafetta’s accounts, that we have already
a respectable degree of civilization, we have forms of government, we have customs and
traditions, we have appreciation of art, we are also practicing basic agriculture. And lastly,
we have developed the technology of boat-making and land-navigating and seas.
4. Provide your personal evaluation on the impact of the document in the understanding
of the 16th century people and their culture in the islands.

Antonio Pigafetta document has a great impact in understanding the 16th century
people and their culture. Pigafetta encountering people and writing about them help us to be
able to know what 16th century people look like, where they live, what they eat, and what they
say. Also, Pigafetta’s document helps us to appreciate our heritage in a broad prospective,
making us to value more the contributions from the past that are now the foundation of our
culture and tradition. Even though his text has been frequently condensed, expanded,
amended, and translated. And as we all know that meanings can vary significantly between
languages, still his document have a huge impact in understanding of the 16th century people
and their culture in the islands.

With his document we have additional evidences that our 16th century people already
had an advance civilization. Through his document we have known that our ancestors’
literacy rate was already high and there are also several professions already existed. They
already have works in arts and literature and already know how to make advance weapons.
They were also self-sufficient and already possessed a working judicial and legislative
system. And lastly they have already enjoyed a higher form of government.