CHAPTER 2: Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary Sources

What is Content and Contextual Analysis?

Content analysis is a systemic evaluation of the primary source be it a text, painting,

caricature, and or/speech that in the process students could develop and present an argument based
on their own understanding of the evidences form their readings. The students will identify
pertinent information from the texts/documents and explain its importance to their understanding
of history in the Philippine setting. While, Contextual analysis considers specifically the time,
place, and situation when the primary source was written. The analysis as well includes the
author’s background, authority on the subject and intent perceptible, and its relevance and meaning
to people and society today (Ligo, et.al., 2018)
Content and contextual analysis is an indispensable approach to strengthen the students
critical and analytical thinking skills and their ability to articulate their own ideas, views and
perspectives on a certain primary data or source. In order to achieve this, primary sources will be
used and utilized for analysis.

Module 3 (3 hours)
Title: First Voyage Around the World
Introduction:

The 15th and 16th centuries brought an era of worldwide exploration and expansion that
resulted from the desire to gain new lands, power, and wealth for the explorers and their countries.
Henceforth, the fall of Constantinople (1453) and the emergence of the Ottoman Turks led to the
exploration of new trade routes for spices among European countries primarily Spain and Portugal.
These events eventually resulted in the historical occurrence of the first voyage around the world.
To have an accurate glimpse of this historical event, a content and contextual analysis of a
primary source is needed. Subsequently, the most accurate account of the said voyage as regarded
by many historians was the account written by Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of Magellan’s
Expedition.
Studying such primary source would give us a clear foretaste of the forgotten past happened
hundreds of years ago. However, it is imperative not just to agree on everything what has been
written on the account but to critically analyze this to have a deeper understanding of our history.
Were there any biases made by the author? What makes the account credible? Did the descriptions
in the account match the actual geographical, demographic, and cultural characteristics of the
people and the archipelago? Did Magellan really circumnavigate the world first? Did Lapu-lapu
kill Magellan in the Battle of Mactan? Did Magellan really “discover” the Philippines? etc.
The students are expected to examine the content and context of the primary account of the
first voyage around the world written by Antonio Pigafetta. However, a brief discussion on the
route and timeline of the voyage is suggested before studying the excerpt of the Pigafetta’s account
to facilitate easier understanding. A quiz bowl may be conducted to affirm their understanding
about the content of the account and a worksheet is to be answered by the students to evaluate their
understanding about its context.
Learning Outcomes:
1. To identify the people who participated in the first voyage around the world.
2. To discuss the route of the Magellan’s voyage.
3. To properly interpret the primary source through examining the content and context of the
document.

Content:

A Brief Timeline of the First Voyage around the World

Ferdinand Magellan was famous as the great explorer who led 5 Spanish ships and 251 men in the
first voyage around the World.
Short Biography of Ferdinand Magellan
• Date of Birth: Born in 1480
• Place of Birth : Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz os Montes in Portugal
• Parents: Mayor Pedro Ruy de Magalhaes (Father) and Alda de Mezquita (Mother)
• Background Facts, Information & Ancestry : Came from a wealthy family who had strong
connections with the Portuguese court.
1480 • Born at Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz os Montes in Portugal.
• Well tutored at home and then spent his early years at the Portuguese court.

1505 • Ferdinand Magellan joined the expedition of Francisco d'Almeida to India.

1512 • Took part in the Portuguese expedition to Morocco and was badly wounded.
• Has a serious disagreement with a commanding officer and leaves the service
without prior permission.

1513 • Requests permission from King Manuel of Portugal to sail to the Spice Islands
in the Far East but is refused following the unfavourable reports from
Morocco.
• Resumes his studies in Portugal for a couple more years but fails to gain favor
with the Portuguese court and therefore renounces his Portuguese nationality.

1518 • Magellan leaves Portugal and heads for Spain.

1519 • March 22: Magellan convinces King Charles I of Spain to support his voyage
to the Spice Islands and the King promises Magellan one-fifth of the profits
from the voyage to the Spice Islands
• Spain provides five ships for the expedition:
• Magellan commands the Trinidad
• Juan de Cartagena commands the San Antonio
• Gaspar de Quesada commands the Conception
• Luis de Mendoza commands the Victoria
 • Juan Serrano commands the Santiago
• Leads the five Spanish ships with 251 men in what was to become the first
voyage around the World
• 20 September: The fleet sail across the Atlantic Ocean to South America and
Rio de Janeiro and then start to search for a passage to the Pacific Ocean

1520 • March: The fleet anchor for the winter at Puerto San Julian in Southern
Argentina
• September: A storm destroys the Santiago and a mutiny breaks out
• October: Ferdinand Magellan and his crew resume their voyage on the
remaining ships
• 21 November: Enters the straits which would be named the Magellan Straits
becoming the first Europeans ever to sail across the Pacific Ocean

1521 • 3 February: Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Equator

• 1521 March 6: Magellan reached the Pacific island of Guam
• 16 March: Discovers the Philippines
• April 27: Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives on the island of Mactan
• Only 110 of the original crew members remained so they abandoned one of
the ships - the Conception. The Trinidad tried to return back to Spain the same
way they had came but was forced to return to the Spice Islands where they
were imprisoned by the Portuguese. The Victoria was the last remaining ship.

1522 • September 6: The Victoria reached Sanlucar de Barrameda in Spain with only
18 survivor

Source: http://www.datesandevents.org/people-timelines/13-ferdinand-magellan-timeline.htm

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahU https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=
KEwig- images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwig-
cjDtvniAhXYc94KHYbZCUYQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsiteproxy.ruqli.workers.dev%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fen cjDtvniAhXYc94KHYbZCUYQjRx6BAgBEAU&
 An excerpt of Antonio Pigafetta’s The First Voyage
Around the World
The narrative of the voyage which was translated by Lord
Stanley is presented on cited reference below. However,
only the necessary and important details of the narrative
were taken based on what is useful for the students. In
brief, the narrative as it was written began with the
description of the preparation for the voyage, the captain
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA, Patrician of Vicenza, and Knight of Rhodes, to the very
illustrious and very excellent LORD PHILIP DE VILLIERS LISLEADEN, the
famous Grand Master of Rhodes, his most respected Lord.
and his men, the dates as to when it left Spain, the time
Source: https://archive.org/details/firstvoyageroundOOpiga
when they crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and
Indian Ocean. In particular, Pigafetta wrote relating to the
description of the different places he had seen, the people he met and their diverse and fascinating
culture. The historic expedition began in 1519 and was successfully completed in 1522 (Ligan,
et.al. 2018)
Read the excerpt of The First Voyage Around the World written by Antonio Pigafetta cited on this
book - Ligan, et.al., (2018). Readings in the Philippine History. Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
Malabon City. pp. 18-26.
❖ The fourth copy was written in mixed
Italian, Spanish and Venetian language
and could be found in Ambrosian Library
in Milan.
❖ In 1800, Carlo Amoretti published an
Italian version of it and the following year
a French version came out in Paris.
❖ Pinkerton of his part translated it to
English and published it in 1819.
❖ James A. Richardson made his own
English version of the Ambrosian copy
and it appeared in The Philippine Islands.
❖ This is the copy the is widely circulated in
the Philippines.
❖ Pigafetta’s travelogue contributed
immensely to the enrichment of
Philippine historiography.
❖ His writing described vividly the physical
appearance, social life, religious beliefs
and cultural practices of the people they
encountered in the islands of Samar,
❖ Antonio Pigafetta was one of the Leyte and Cebu.
survivors who kept a journal that
became the main source about the first
 encounter of the Spaniards and the ❖ His account also contains information
Filipinos. about the economic activities of the local
❖ The original journal of Pigafetta did not folks and the goods they offered for trade.
survive in history and what was handed ❖ He got all this information through the
down to us are copies of the manuscript help Enrique de Malaccca, Magellan’s
that never came out of the press during slave/interpreter.
his life time. ❖ Lastly, Pigafetta gave us an eyewitness
❖ Three of them were in French and two account of the Battle of Mactan which
are kept in the Bibliotheque Nationale resulted to the death of Magellan and him
in Paris. getting wounded.
❖ The third one was originally owned by
the British Collector Sir Thomas
Phillipp.
❖ Later, Beinecke Rare Book bought it
and it is now kept in the Manuscript
Library of Yale University in New
Haven.

References:
Candelaria, et.al. 2018. Readings in the Philippine History. Rex Printing Company, Inc. Manila,
Philippines.
Ligan, et.al., 2018. Readings in the Philippine History. Mutya Publishing House, Inc. Malabon
City.
Torres, J. V.,2018. BATIS: Sources in Philippine History. Rex Printing Company, Inc.
http://www.datesandevents.org/people-timelines/13-ferdinand-magellan-timeline.htm
https://impactofthefallofconstantinople.weebly.com/annotated-bibliography.html
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/the-expansion-of-europe/
https://libweb5.princeton.edu/visual_materials/maps/websites/pacific/spice-islands/demarcation-
lines.html
https://libweb5.princeton.edu/visual_materials/maps/websites/pacific/spice-islands/spice-
islands-maps.html
https://archive.org/details/firstvoyageroundOOpiga