Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University

Mid – La Union Campus

City of San Fernando, La Union

Magellan’s Voyage Around the World

QUIZ 1 (FEBRUARY 6, 2018)

Submitted to

Ms. Lady Mae B. Calderon, MBA

Submitted by

Denver C. Nieveras
1. Who is Antonio Pigafetta? What is his role in the Magellan-Elcano expedition?

Antonio Pigafetta who is also known as Antonio Lombardo or Francisco Antonio

Pigafetta, was born in Vicenza, a city in Republic of Venice in northeastern Italy, around 1490
and died in the same city in 1534. He belonged to a wealthy family of Giovanni Pigafetta and
Angela Zoga.

When he was young, he studied astronomy, geography and cartography. He also served
to Knights of Rhodes, a medieval military order, where he was working on their ships. He also
escorted Monsignor Francesco Chieregati, the papal nuncio or the papal ambassador, to Spain
in 1519. He was part of the first circumnavigation of the world and his contribution in history of
the Philippines is very important.

In September 20, 1519, through a royal commission, Ferdinand Magellan was assigned
to be the head or the captain of the expedition. The Spanish Armada de Molucca or the name of
the Spanish fleet headed by Magellan, was provided by King Charles V and it consists of five
ships: the Santiago which was under Juan Rodriguez Serrano, the San Antonio which was led by
Juan de Cartageña; the Concepcion which was under the leadership of Gaspar de Quesada, the
Victoria under Louis de Mendoza, and the Trinidad or the flagship of the fleet under the Captain
General Ferdinand Magellan. The fleet has about 237 crews included men from Portugal, Spain,
Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Greece, and England.

As Antonio Pigafetta learned the expedition, he took immediate action to join the said
event. By his great interest to the world, he did his best to join Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition
and fortunately, the Spanish sovereign approves and by presenting his credentials to Magellan
and to the Casa de la Contratacion, the office – in – charge of the voyages to the New World, he
then admitted for the voyage as one of the sobresalientes or men from prominent families.

The primary goal of the expedition is to find a new sea way to the Spice Island (the
Mollucas) without violating Spain’s treaty with Portugal. Together with Juan Sebastián Elcano
who is also a Spanish explorer, the expedition to the Moluccas begun in August of 1519 and
finished in September 1522.

Luckily, he is one of the eighteen survivors of the voyage. He is the one of the witnesses
and the origin of the information on what happened on the first encounter of the Spaniards and
the Filipinos.

The role of Antonio Pigafetta in the expedition is he wa to tell the stories happened
during that historical event. By writing a detailed journal, he stated the challenges encountered
during the voyage, the happenings where they, the voyagers, deal with the people in the
Philippines during that time, the war happened, the cultures of the island men or the locals they
have encountered, the increasing influence of the Spaniards, how the majority of the island
men became Christians and many more things about their expedition. He served as an
eyewitness and a storyteller of the history they did on that span of time.
2. According to Pigafetta, how did the locals of the island welcome Magellan and his crew?

According to him, in March 16, 1521, upon arriving in the Philippines, specifically in
Samar, the voyagers set up tents near the shore of that island and have their rest. The presence
of the voyagers in the Philippines has different impacts and effects to the locals of the island.

On the positive side, when the island men had their first encounter to the voyagers, the
voyagers became cautious at first because they might be a potential threat but the captain
general of the voyagers, Ferdinand Magellan, had a positive impression to the island men seeing
that they are reasonable men so they offered red caps, mirrors, combs, bells, ivory bocasine
which is a woven linen fabric, and other things. The offerings of the voyagers were appreciated
by the island men so as a return, they also offered some local products like fishes, palm wine,
bananas, coconuts and others.

The first encounter of the Spanish and the Filipinos is in good state as it can be
reflected to what Antonio Pigafetta stated to his journal. The locals of that island welcomed the
voyagers in a positive sense like how Filipinos nowadays welcomed the people from different
countries or foreigners. It can be learned that even the Filipinos in the olden days has its well-
known hospitality trait.

The locals and the voyagers became very close and their companionship became
stronger as Antonio Pigafetta said in his journal that the locals became familiar with them (the
voyagers). He stated in his journal that the locals told many things like their names and some of
the islands in the place. He described them as very pleasant and conversable.

On the other hand, the captain general also showed his merchandises and weapons in
the ships to the locals or the island men. Then, the island men gave coconuts, sweet oranges,
palm wine and a rooster to the voyagers as their promise. In these happenings, the good
relationship of the voyagers and locals on that place were maintained.

When the voyagers were in another island, there was a time that the captain general
asked the king for food and said that they came in that island as friends. Then, the king
responded positively as he gave porcelains jars of full of raw rice, fishes like orade, and other
things. This leads to deeper relationship of the two as they were like brothers. In the island of
Zubu, the voyagers were also welcomed peacefully by the king.

There were also some locals who also welcomed the voyagers in a positive way like
Rajah Humabon, and the king and queen of Mazaua. On the other hand, not all island men were
very welcoming to voyagers like Lapu - lapu and his crews which the first war of Spaniards and
Filipinos happened that leads to the death of the captain general. Majority of the island men
welcomed Magellan and his crew peacefully except those island men in the Mactan.
3. How are the islander’s way of life, cultural practices, and religious beliefs described? What
does Pigafetta’s account tell us about the conditions of the Visayan islands in the 16th
century?

Antonio Pigafetta also witnessed on how the island men lived and he saw the cultures
and traditions of the Filipinos in the 16th century specifically on Visayas. He first noticed the
food that the islanders have when they offered some during the first encounter. He said in his
journal that they have only rice, coconuts and many articles of food.

He also noticed on how the islander got everything from the coconut tree. He
mentioned on how they get wine from the coconut tree where they bore a hole into the
palmito or the heart of the tree and turned it into liquor. He learned that the coconut tree was
very helpful for the islanders.

It’s not only the food of islanders which Pigafetta included in his journal but he also
described the appearance of the islanders. He saw an islander covered in tattoos which he
described as painted and the accessories that the islander wore like gold earrings in the ear,
gold armlets in the arms, kerchiefs on their heads and others.

He also saw the other islanders with holes on their ears wearing earrings and described
that it is so large that they can passed their arms through it.

On the clothes wear by the islanders, he saw that they were naked with a soft woven
cloth on their private parts and it was very different to what some chiefs were wearing. It was a
cotton cloth embroidered with silk.

He described the islanders as dark, fat and painted. He also describes their hair which
is very black and very long that it falls to the waist.

On the weapon used by them, Antonio Pigafetti told that they were using daggers,
knives, spears, shields, fascines. They also used fishing nets that is like rizali or a fine woven net
and boats which he said that it is like the Spanish boats.

On a royalty house, he said that the dishes were gold and some parts of the house
were also made in gold. The earth in the island have also gold on it and by sifting it, there will be
pieces of gold in the size of walnut and eggs. The king wore a silk on his head and there were
also golden earrings on his ears. He also described the king with a cotton cloth in his waist to
the knees, has three spots of gold on every tooth and perfumed with storax and benzoin.

Regarding on religious aspect, the islanders worshipped nothing but instead, according
to the journal of Antonio Pigafetta, they just raised their clasped and face in the sky and their
god is called Abba. Other islanders were worshipping objects such as trees, animals, caves, and
other things or they are animistic. They treated the nature with respect for they believed that it
was a sacred place.

He also mentioned the practice of hunting animals and cultivating of the fields. Some
islanders were also described as heavy drinkers and the women wore tree cloth in their waist
down, hair is black and so long as it touches the ground, and have piercings on their ears.

The islanders were constantly chewing a pear-shaped fruit called areca where they also
mixed the betre tree leaves with a little lime then spit it out that makes their mouth red. It was
said in the journal that they would die if they will not do it.

There were also animals like dogs and cats and livestock animals such as swine, fowls
and goats, and products like lemons, millet, pancium, sorgo and wax.

In short terms, the islanders were the type of people that they are just contented on
what they have and they are so dependent on nature. The Pigafetta’s account showed that the
people of the Visayan islands in the 16th century lived a simple life but they are gradually
changing because of the influence of the voyagers. They were uncivilized but they were rich in
cultures and traditions.

4. Based on Pigafetta’s account, how did the battle of Mactan start?

The refusal of Cilapulapu or Lapu-lapu to obey the king of Spagnia triggered all events
that lead to the happening of battle of Mactan. He refused to accept Christianity but the captain
general and Zulu, one of the two chiefs of Mactan, were so determined to achieve their goal.

Captain General Ferdinand Magellan already allied to the other chiefs so it means that
they are also allied to the Spaniards. The threat that the Spaniards conquered India and Malacca
made Humabon, the king of Cebu, allied to the Spaniards because he was afraid to be
conquered if he refused to the captain general.

On the other hand, the Zula’s plan to ally with the Spaniards can be seen on the day
when he sent his son offer two goats to the Spaniards. Making Lapu-lapu recognize the king of
Spain was the promise of Zula to captain general which he did not achieve it so his desperation
leads him in asking captain general for help to defeat Lapu-lapu. Magellan wanted teach Lapu-
Lapu a lesson.

With Humabon, sixty men and other chiefs in 20 to 30 balanghais, Magellan reached
Mactan in three hours before dawn. Then, he gave a message to the Moro giving them a chance
to withdraw their refusal, obey the king of Spain, accept the Christianity and pay tribute. But the
Moro stand their ground and resisted what the captain general wanted. That’s the signal of the
starting battle between the Moro and the Conqueror. Until then, the Spaniards knew its defeat
in the end.

5. Why was Pigafetta’s journal not published?

The primary reason why Antonio Pigafetta’s journal was not published is because he
was unable to find a financier or sponsor that would pay for the printing of the said written
work.

Originally, for the hope that he could get a financier, he presented his draft about the
Magellan’s expedition to Pope Clement VII, who was a head of the Catholic Church and ruler of
the Papal States, Philippe de Villiers L’Isle-Adam, who was the grandmaster of the Knights of
Rhodes and Louis of Savoy, who was the mother of King Francis I of France.

Unfortunately, the accounts of other authors were already published and the
popularity and the interest of the people to the Magellan’s expedition decreased causing the
possibility of printing the Antonio Pigafetta’s account became low.

The secondary reason was the original journal did not survive time. Having no financier
to print that original account is the reason why there are no duplicate or copies of that literary
work. There’s a possibility that if that journal was kept and survive, the journal might be
published.

Sources:

 https://thebiography.us/en/pigafetta-antonio
 http://philippinediaryproject.com/about-the-philippine-diary-project/about-the-
diaries/about-antonio-pigafetta/
 https://brainly.ph/question/1777964
 https://www.slideshare.net/ChescaLuckBroNo/the-magellan-expedition
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armada_de_Molucca
 https://brainly.ph/question/1676227
 https://brainly.ph/question/1712915
 https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/398045/reexamining-pigafettas-battle-of-mactan
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_VII