Rolie N.

Gervacio
BSCE May 5, 2023
Interpretation, Meaning and Analyzation of the First Voyage Around the World by
Magellan
By: Antonio Pigafetta

It was happened way back in 16th century from the chronicles of voyagers and navigators.
By just travelling and wondering around the world, those voyagers and navigators found
different things, discovered different places, and met various people, and the rest was history.

Antonio Pigafetta, who was also known by the name Antonio Lombardo, is a famous
Italian traveler born in Vicenza, he was also known as an Italian nobleman who accompanied
Ferdinand Magellan in his fateful circumnavigation of the world. He was born around 1490 and
died in 1534 in Vicenza. Although Antonio Pigafetta was not presently around, he left with a
vital important information that makes the puzzle of history becomes clear. He has an important
account regarding Ferdinand Magellan’s first voyage around the world. However, before putting
it into pieces, let me introduce Ferdinand Magellan.

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who organized the Spanish expedition,
the leader of voyagers and navigators to the East Indies from around 1519 to 1522, and this
expedition resulting in the first circumnavigation of the earth.

The account of Antonio Pigafetta was considered as one of the most important primary
sources in the study of the precolonial Philippines because it contains the details, events, and
important persons in the history. This primary source was published after Antonio Pigafetta
returned to Italy.

In Pigafetta’s account, their fleet reached what he called the Ladrones Island. This island
was also known as the islands of thieves. Presently, it was known as the Marianas Island. It was
located south-southeast of Japan, west-southwest of Hawaii, north of New Guinea, and east of
Philippines. The people on this islands have no arms- it means that they did not use guns or any
fire arms. They only used sticks, which have a fishbone at the end. With the description used by
Pigafetta, we can say that those people in this island was innocent when it comes to firearms.
Additionally, those people were known for being poor, but considered as ingenious and great
thieves, and for the sake of what we called these islands of Ladrones Islands.

After ten days of roaming around the sea, Ferdinand Magellan reached the isle of Zamal
that was presently known as Samar. Magellan decided not to land on this place. Instead, he
decided to land in another uninhabited island. On my own perspective, Magellan chooses not to
land on Samar because he thinks that if they land on that place will cause chaos. However, it did
not happen. On March 18, nine men came to them and showed joy and eagerness in seeing them.
And what Magellan did was he welcomed them with food, drinks, and gifts, and in return natives
gave them rice, coconuts and other food supplies. People on this island did not want conflict or
controversy, they treated Magellan and his men with care and full of hospitality.
 While they were roaming, they found Humumu Island where Pigafetta referred to as the
“watering place of good signs”. Pigafetta wrote that they found the first signs of gold in the
island. Philippines is really a prosperous country in terms of natural resources and minerals that
is why a lot of foreign country become interested on our country.

On March 25, Magellan saw two balangay or a long boat full of people of Mazzava. They
were entertained and gave them gifts. The king offered to give Magellan a bar of gold and a
chest of ginger. Magellan expressed that he came into the islands as a friend and not as an
enemy. In exchanged, Magellan gave them robes, red cap, knives and mirror. Magellan showed
the king his other weapons, helmets and artilleries. At first, it was clearly that Ferdinand
Magellan did not want to fight against the people of the island he was discovered.

March 31, Easter Sunday, Ferdinand Magellan ordered the chaplain to preside a Mass by
the shore. And the first Mass in the Philippines happened. And then, the Magellan’s cross was
introduced.

April 7, Magellan and his men decided to move and look for islands where they could
acquire more supplies and provisions. The king demanded that they have to pay tribute as it was
a customary but Magellan refused.

On April 9, people were reportedly convinced by Magellan’s preaching about God and
faith. Pigafetta wrote that their men were overjoyed seeing that people wished to become
Christians through their free will and not because they were forced or intimidated. And on April
14, the king of Cebu was baptized as a Christian. And on April 21, Pigafetta counted that all of
the ‘island’s inhabitant were already baptized. However, he admitted that they burned a village
down for obeying neither the king nor Magellan.

It was clearly that aside from introducing the faith to the unbelievers, Ferdinand Magellan
and his men used force and brutal method for the people accept the faith.

Ferdinand Magellan reiterated that all of the newly baptized Christians need to burn their
idols but native gave excuses telling Magellan that they needed the idols to heal a sick man who
was relative to the king. He introduced Jesus Christ. And there is a miracle happened.

On April 26, Zula ask Magellan for a boat full of men that they would be able to fight the
chief name in Mactan, Lapulapu. Magellan offered three boats instead and expressed his desire
to go to Mactan himself to fight the said chief. According to Zula, Lapulapu refused to obey the
king and was also preventing him from doing so.

On April 27, the battle happened. Magellan died in the battle. According to Pigafetta, the
king of Cebu could have sent help but Magellan instructed him not to join in the battle and just
stay in the balangay.

After Ferdinand Magellan’s death, Duarte Barbosa was elected as the new captain, he
was Ferdinand Magellan’s brother in law. And then, the betrayal happened with the named
Henry. Henry told the king that they could acquire the ships and the goods of Magellan. So, the
king invited these men except Pigafetta and the natives had slain all of the men except interpreter
and Juan Serrano who was already wounded.

Cano took charge of one of the two surviving ships, the Victoria, later that year when
Magellan died. He safely brought the expedition home to Spain in September 1522, despite
scurvy, starvation, and harassment by the Portuguese. Only 18 Europeans had survived the
voyage, which constituted the first journey around the world.

Clearly, Antonio Pigafetta’s First voyage around the world by Ferdinand Magellan
illustrates a lot of things. First, they roam because they want to know how rich the other places
are. They found out that the Philippines has a lot to offer when it comes to resources and
minerals, they have discovered that the more island of the Philippines they will reached the more
power and riches they will have, they have interest when it comes to these on what they can gain
or acquire within that place. Second, they did not actually come to fought or to make enemies.
They want friendship, the natives did not saw these purpose that is why they fought with them.
However, because of the interest and greed the battle happened. Natives also fought for power to
defend what was on them. Third, they want to spread the word of God, the faith they have, but
unfortunately, they have used wrong method that is why natives made a rebellion. Resources and
faith is what they want, but the Filipinos felt that what the they are doing is colonialism.

The account of Antonio Pigafetta have marked the important events in the history of the
Philippines. It also gaves us hint about the strategies that the native of Mactan used in order to
win against Magellan.

History depends on who is telling it. However, the history that is fact-based and
evidence-based is what the true history is.