MODULE 4 – RPH
FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE
WORLD BY MAGELLAN
UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE
Historical sources are written by various authors with different perspective.
Perspective refers to the point of view of the said writer who was witness to the
event.
Though historical sources are important in writing history, the historian is careful
in using these sources as the write may be biased or prejudiced on the subject
he/she is discussing.
Antonio Pigafetta who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan in his fateful
circumnavigation of the world.
Pigafetta’s work instantly became a classic.
Pigafetta’s travelogue is one of the most important primary sources in the study
of precolonial Philippines.
Pigafetta’s account was a major referent to the events leading to Magellan’s
arrival in the Philippines.
His encounter with local leaders
His death in the hands of Lapu Lapu’s forces in the Battle in Mactan
The departure of what was left of Magellan’s fleet
In Pigafetta's account their fleet reached what he called the Ladrones Islands or
the “Islands of Thieves”.
These people have no arms, but use sticks which have a fishbone at the end.
they are poor, but ingenious and great thieves.”
Ten days after they reached the Ladrones Islands, They reached what called the
isle of Zamal (now Samar)
March 18, nine men came to them and showed joy and eagerness in seeing
them. Magellan realized that the men were reasonable and welcome them with
food, drinks and gifts.
The fleet went to Humunu Island (Homonhon). It is in this place where they found
the first signs of gold in the island. They named the island as the Archipelago of
St. Lazarus
On March 25, Pigafetta recounted they saw two ballanghai (balangay), a long
boat full of people in Mazaua. The leader referred to as king sent his men to the
ship of Magellan.
When the king offered to give Magellan a bar of gold and a chest of ginger,
Magellan declined.
Magellan asked for money for the needs of his ships and expressed that he
came to islands as friend and not as enemy.
Magellan boasted of his men in armor who could not be struck with swords and
daggers. The kings was fascinated and remarked that men in such armor could
be worth one hundred of his men. Magellan showed his other weapons, helmets
and artilleries. Magellan also shared his charts and maps and shared how they
found the islands.
The King was named Raia Calambu, King of Zuluan and Calagan (Butuan and
Caragua).
On March 31 which happened to be Easter Sunday
Magellan ordered the chaplain to preside a Mass by the shore. This Mass would
go down in history as the first Mass in the Philippines.
After the mass, Magellan ordered that the cross be brought with nails and crown
in place.
He explained that the cross, the nail and the crown were the signs of his emperor
and was ordered to plant it in the places that he would reach.
Magellan and his men decide to move and look for islands where they could
acquire more supplies and provisions.
Cebu the largest and richest of the islands, by April 7 he reached the port of
Cebu.
The King of Cebu demanded that Magellan pay tribute as it was customary, but
he refused.
Magellan's interpreter explained to the King of Cebu that Magellan's king was the
emperor of a great empire and would do them better to make friends with them.
14th of April Magellan encouraged the king to be good Christian by burning the
idols and worship the cross. the King of Cebu was then baptize as a Christian.
“The captain took the king by hand and walked about the scaffolding and when
he was baptized he said that he would name him Don Carlos (Charles).
Mass was conducted by the shore everyday. when the Queen came to mass one
day, Magellan gave her an image of the Infant Jesus made by Pigafetta himself.
26th of April – Zula- a principal man from the island of Matan (Mactan) went to
see Magellan and asked him for a boat full of men so he would able to fight a
chief named Silapulapu (Lapu Lapu)
Magellan offered three boats and expressed his desire to go to Mactan himself to
fight Lapu Lapu. Magellan's forces numbered 49 and the islanders of Mactan
were estimated 1,500.
“When we reached land we found the islanders fifteen hundred in number, they
came down upon us with terrible shouts”...The Captain then divided his men in
two bands. Throwing arrows, javelins, spears, stones and even mud. some of
them cast lances pointed with iron at the captain general.”
Magellan died in that battle. The natives perceiving that the bodies of the
enemies were protected with armors, aimed for their legs instead.
Magellan was pierced with a poisoned arrow in his right leg. Magellan was
specifically targeted because the natives knew he was the Captain General.
Magellan was hit with a lance in the face. Magellan retaliated, he tried to draw his
sword but could not lift it because of his wounded arms. Seeing that the Captain
has already deteriorated, more natives came to attack him.
One native with a great sword delivered a blow in Magellan's left leg, brought him
face down and the native attacked him with lances, swords and even with their
bare hands.
Pigafetta said that the king of Cebu could have sent help but Magellan instructed
him not to join in the battle and stay in the balangay so that he would see how
they fought.
The King offered the people of Mactan gifts of any value in exchange of
Magellan's body but the chief refused. They wanted to keep Magellan's body as
a memento of their victory.
ANALYSIS OF PIGAFETTA'S CHRONICLE
Pigafetta was chronicler commissioned by the King of Spain to accompany and
document a voyage intended to expand the Spanish empire.
Pigafetta description of the people, he would always remarked on the nakedness
of the natives or how he was fascinated by their exotic culture.
Pigafetta would always mention the abundance of gold in the Island. An empire
like that of Spain would indeed search for new lands where they could acquire
more gold and wealth to be on top of all European nations.
The obsession with spices might be odd for Filipinos because of its ordinariness
in the Philippines, but scare in Europe.
that era, Spain and Portugal coveted the control of spice islands because it
would have led to a certain increase in wealth, influence and power.
These contexts should be used and understood in order to have a more qualified
reading of Pigafetta's account.
RELEVANCE
1. Credit must be given to the Magellan expedition for proving that the earth is not
flat but an oblate sphere.
2. Magellan and his men completed the first circumnavigation of the world.
3. The Portuguese route is not the only way to Spice Island.
4. The other side of the American continent exist a large body of water which they
named PACIFIC OCEAN (Mar Pacifico).
