Readings in Philippine History

Prelims
Activity 1

Name Matthew Evan Ang Date Submitted: 08/19/2022

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Content:
 Antonio Pigafetta – the chronicler of the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan.
 He is one of the survivors of vessel Victoria and made it back to Spain to publish his
account of his voyage in a book titled Relazione del Primo viaggio intorno al mondo
(Report on the First Voyage Around the World).
 According to Pigafetta’s report, the stayed on an island to get some rest when a boat
containing 9 men approached them. At first, they were wary however, as they
exchanged greetings and received hospitality, both parties offered gifts to each
other.
 Pigafetta praised the importance of coconuts to native Filipinos. He extensively
noted the different uses of the different parts of the coconut.
 The Spaniards and Filipinos of Humunu and Zuluan islands established a good
relationship – getting familiar and exchanging gifts. The captain-general even took
them aboard the ship to showcase their merchandise.
 The account of Pigafetta describes their journey through the different islands of the
Philippines.
 Magellan shared their culture, religion, and belief on the natives and eventually
gained the trust of the king or sultan of Cebu and established with sanduguan a kind
of blood pact.
 Magellan started forcing their culture and religion on the natives and harassing
them if they do not obey and believe on either God or the Emperor which led to the
battle of Mactan.
 One of the sultans, Lapu-lapu, did not openly welcome the foreigners unlike the
other sultans. Once they knew of the Spaniards’ forceful and violent ways, they
challenged Magellan onto a war which they eventually won.

Creator/Citation:
 Antonio Pigafetta kept records as a chronicler on his voyage with Ferdinand
Magellan. He was born and raised from a noble Italian family from the city of
 Vicenza. He later on studied astronomy, cartography, and geography. When his
captain-general, Ferdinand Magellan, was killed in the battle of Mactan, he and the
other 17 survivors managed to go back to Spain where he published his book, titled
Relazione del Primo viaggio intorno al mondo (Report on the First Voyage Around
the World).
 His book will be cited in an APA citation format:
Pigafetta, A. (1994). Magellan’s Voyage: A Narrative Account of the First
Circumnavigation (Reprint ed.). Dover Publications.

Context:
The contents of the Report on the First Voyage Around the World of Antonio
Pigafetta was written from 1519 – 1522 when he sailed around the world as the chronicler
of Ferdinand Magellan. There were many uncharted seas and unexplored lands during this
era which is why his records were proven essential during his times.

Connection:
In elementary, school teach students about how Ferdinand Magellan discovered
Philippines and how the legendary battle of Mactan took place. This event marks the
beginning of the Spanish colonization in the Philippines. From my initial knowledge, my
initial thought is that the relationship of Filipinos and Spanish were bad from the start.
With Pigafetta’s documentation, it became clear that the relationship between Spaniards
and Filipinos were not sour at all. It is a relief that at one point in time, Spaniards were not
as bad as I initially thought they were.

Communication:
Antonio Pigafetta wrote the contents of the Report on the First Voyage Around the
World from his first-hand experience. Furthermore, he is a scholar, meaning that his
records must be kept as true as possible. These facts make the contents of his book more
credible than any other book. However, it must be noted that his personal biases such as
culture and own interests might have affected his writing as he is speaking from his own
opinions.

Conclusion:
The knowledge from the Report on the First Voyage Around the World greatly
contributed to my initial knowledge on the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan. Such details were
not mention on the books and was not taught by teachers in Elementary. It certainly made
their story clearer and expanded my opinion on Spaniards during that period.