FIRST VOYAGE

AROUND THE
WORLD
GROUP 1
 CONTRIBUTION AND
01 BACKGROUND
OF THE AUTHOR 04
RELEVANCE OF THE
DOCUMENT IN
HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING THE
02 BACKGROUND OF GRAND NARRATIVE OF
THE DOCUMENT PHILIPPINE HISTORY

CONTENT OF THE
03 IMPORTANT 05 SIGNIFICANCE OF DOCUMENT
HISTORICAL TO PRESENT TIMES
FOUND IN THE
 01
BACKGROUND
OF THE
AUTHOR
ANTONIO LOMBARDO PIGAFETTA
(c.1491-c.1534)

• Born around 1940 in the town of Vicenza, Venice,

Italy, was the eldest son of Giovanni Pigafetta to
second wife Angela Zoga.

• Studied astronomy, geography, and cartography and

during his younger years worked in the ships owned
by the Knights of Rhoder.

• He joined the delegation of Monsignor Francesco

Chieregati when the latter was assigned as Papal
Nuncio to Spain in 1519. It was during this time
when Pigafetta became acquainted with the lucrative
spice trade and heard the news of the voyage to be
undertaken by Ferdinand Magellan.
• After getting the approval of the Spanish Sovereign, he left
Barcelona and went to Seville. He presented hic credentials
to Magellan and to The Casa de la Contratacion, the office
in charge of voyages to the New World.

• Admitted as one of the sobresalientes (supernumeraries), or

men coming From prominent Families who will join the trip
for the love of adventure and for the advancement of
military service.

• •He served as Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate

journal, which became the source of information on
Magellan's voyage.

• Survived the challenges and catastrophes the expedition

encountered along the. way, including being wounded in the
Battle of Mactan. He was among the 18 survivors out of
approximately 240 men, who returned to Spain on.
September 6, 1522 aboard the Victoria with Juan
Sebastian Elcano.
• Before returning to his native Italy, he gave a
handwritten account of what happened to them
during the journey to his Majesty King Carlos V.

• Very little is known as to what happened to him

during the latter part of his life except on some
accounts that he joined the Knights of St. John of
Jerusalem in it's battle against the Turks.

• He died Sometime in 1534.

 02
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
OF THE
DOCUMENT
• Title of Source: Voyage of Magellan; The
Journal of Antonio Pigafetta by Antonio
Pigafetta

• Type of Primary Source: Manuscript/Journal

• The pages of the the First Voyage around the

World is 288. Pigafetta kept a detailed
journal, the original of which is lost. However,
an account of the voyage, written by Pigafetta
between 1522 and 1525, survives in four
manuscript versions: one in Italian and three
in French. This version, in French, is from the
library of Yale University, and is the most
complete and handsomely produced of the
four surviving manuscripts.

• On the eight of September 1522, or exactly 3

years after the departure the document
created
• The Primary source can be found in 1522 Seville,
Spain.

• The intended audience that the author/creator

wanted to convey is the European people.

• Antonio Pigafetta’s primary reason in writing the

document is to discover and learn more about the
world. He was an Italian scholar and Pilgrim from
the Republic of Venice. In Ferdinand Magellan’s
attempt to sail the world, he joined the voyage
and served as an assistant to Magellan because he
desired to record details and account
information about their journey or
expedition. They have faced multiple challenges
that led to Magellan’s death, but Pigafetta
survived along with his journal. However,
Magellan’s desire to prove that the world was
round was corrected and validated.
• .The journal contains details and
information about the discovery of places
and people including the Philippines. He
encountered new people that has become
the ground in knowing how they lived in
the past. In addition, his journal gave
details on how the world look. These notes
became the basis of people on the certainty
that the world is round. In Pigafetta’s aim
to figure out and understand the world, he
was able to write documents that
was a big help in perceiving our
past and became a significant part of
today’s history.
Historical Event

20, September 1519: The fleet sets sail

• Magellan’s fleet of five ships with a crew of 270
leave Sanlúcar de Barrameda in south-west Spain.
Supported by the Habsburg emperor Charles V,
the voyage is funded by German banking money.
The crew is drawn from across Europe and even
Africa, and equipped for a voyage of two years

26, September 1519: A supply crisis

• The fleet reaches the Canary Islands, but is
already dogged with problems. Magellan realises
he has been swindled out of supplies before
departure. He also has to outrun Portuguese ships
trying to arrest him as a traitor in the pay of
Spain.
.
December 1519: Tensions rise
• The fleet successfully crosses the Atlantic and
arrives in Rio de Janeiro Bay. Tensions are
already running high between the Portuguese
commander and the Spanish nobles on the voyage,
who continue to question his authority. Sailing
down the coast of Patagonia they meet ‘giants’,
one of whom is taken onboard.

October 1520: Mutineers strike

• After a gruelling journey south, putting down a
mutiny and wrecking a ship, Magellan discovers
‘Magellan’s Strait’, a route through the southern
tip of South America to the Pacific. Navigating his
way takes over a month through unknown waters
in terrible conditions with the loss of another ship.
.

November 1520: Into the Pacific

• Magellan finally emerges into open sea. He
names it ‘Mare Pacificum’, or ‘peaceful sea’.
He is the first European to sail across the
Pacific, though having underestimated its
size by almost half, the next leg of the
voyage is anything but peaceful. Many of
the crew die from scurvy.

December 1521: Elcano heads home

• Elcano makes the decision to send one ship
back via the Pacific, but it is caught by
patrolling Portuguese vessels. The crew are
arrested, and the ship lost at sea. Elcano’s
remaining ship heads back to Spain via the
Indian Ocean and Cape of Good Hope.
.

• 6, September 1522: The odyssey ends

Elcano arrives back in Sanlúcar, nearly three
years after the fleet’s departure. Only 18 of
the original crew of 270 survive, including the
Venetian chronicler Antonio Pigafetta, whose
book remains the key eyewitness account of the
voyage. News of the voyage spreads throughout
Europe and causes a diplomatic conflict over
the Moluccas between Spain and Portugal.
 03
CONTENT OF THE
IMPORTANT
HISTORICAL
FOUND IN THE
DOCUMENT
 THE SHIPS
The Santiago under Juan Serrano
• The first shiphas been lost
• This ship was wrecked upon Magellan’s searched for a passage West.
San Antonio under Juan de Cartagena
• The second ship that has been lost
• This ship was abandoned in the Strait of Magellan due to a mutiny.

Concepcion under Gaspar de Quesada

• The third ship has been lost
• Like some other ships, it did not return to Spain with the rest of the expedition but was
captured by the Portuguese in the Philippines.

Trinidad under Ferdinand Magellan

• This ship was then continued command by Juan Sebastian Elcano, when Magellan was killed in a
battle with local inhabitants in the Philippines.
• Fourth ship has been lost
• Left shipwrecked
• This ship eventually reached the Moluccas ( Spice Islands), where it was captured by the
Portuguese.
Victoria under Luiz Mendoza soon led by Juan Sebastian Elcano
• The only ship to complete the voyage.
• The ship where Antonio Pigaffeta was on board.
 GEOGRAPHICAL
DESCRIPTIONS
BRAZIL:
Pigafetta observed Brazil's rich greenery, calling it a place filled with thick forests
and unique plants. He also talked about meeting native people and how the
crew first interacted with them.

PAGTAGONIA:
In Patagonia, Pigafetta wrote about the tall and formidable indigenous inhabitants,
whom he called "giants." He also mentioned the tough weather conditions and
how the crew had a hard time surviving in the cold and windy environment

PACIFIC ISLANDS:
Pacific Islands: In the Pacific Islands, Pigafetta wrote about how they found and
named different islands. He often mentioned the beauty of the landscapes, the
hospitality or hostility of the islanders, and their customs and rituals.

PHILIPPINES:

The Philippines: Pigafetta provided extensive descriptions of the Philippines, where

Magellan met his fate. He noted the abundance of spices, the different ethnic
groups, and the initial friendliness of the inhabitants, which later turned into
conflict.
Judgment of Indigenous Beliefs
• Pigafetta wrote that the early Filipino religious belief was
blasphemous, barbaric and demonic.

• The Native Filipinos have their Idols before and a God,

which they called “Abba” but they threw this belief away
as they embrace Christianity which Magellan Introduced.

Cultural Misunderstandings
• These people have no arms, but use sticks, which have a fish bone
at the end. They are poor, but ingenious, and great thieves, and
for the sake of what we called these three islands the Ladrones
Islands" — Antonio Pigafetta 's firsthand observation
 MAGELLAN INTRODUCED CHRISTIANITY IN
THE PHILIPPINES
• Ferdinand Magellan and his crew are historically credited with holding the first
Catholic Mass in the Philippines. This significant event occurred on March 31, 1521,
on the island of Cebu. Magellan and his crew, including Antonio Pigafetta,
celebrated this Mass, which marked the introduction of Christianity to the
Philippines.

• The first cross was then set up in Mazua ( Limasawa) as wished by Magellan for
the benefits of the natives.
 CONTRIBUTION AND
RELEVANCE OF THE
04 DOCUMENT IN
UNDERSTANDING THE
GRAND NARRATIVE OF
PHILIPPINE HISTORY
 The first voyage to the Philippines, led by Ferdinand
Magellan, holds significant contributions and relevance
in understanding the grand narrative of Philippine
history. It contributed to the global understanding of
geography and especially had a lasting impact on the
Philippines through contact with the Western world,
which eventually led to a series of events that would
dramatically shape Philippine history: the introduction
of Christianity, the completion of the circumnavigation,
even though Magellan himself did not live to see the
voyage's completion, and more to mention. This played
a foundational role in the country's history, introducing
elements of European culture and religion while also
contributing to the broader narrative of colonialism
and exploration in the early modern era.
Understanding this voyage is essential for grasping the
diverse grand narrative of Philippine history.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF
05 DOCUMENT TO PRESENT
TIMES
The main significance of his voyage was that he
showed it was possible to sail around the world,
and left a record of how to do it.
• Magellan's voyage vastly increased the
geographical knowledge of mankind and
proved once and for all that the earth is
round.
• Considering the inadequacy of marine
instruments at the time, Magellan's voyage
can be considered as the greatest single trip
ever undertaken. In terms of the hardships
the men endured and the courage they
displayed, Magellan's maritime exploit has
perhaps never been surpassed. The route he
took to reach the Philippines was entirely
new, and the Venetian monopoly of the trade
route to the east was thus broken. Spain
became the supreme power in the building of
a colonial empire.
 “A small body of determined
spirits fired by an unquenchable
faith in their mission can alter the
course of history.”

—MAHATMA GHANDI