BY: ANTIONIO PIGAFETTA

Antonio Pigafetta was a key

player of one of the most
amazing world exploration trips.
He was an Italian seafarer and
geographer. He was a famous
Italian traveller born in Vicenza
around 1490 and died in the
same city in 1534, who is also
known by the name of Antonio
Lombardo or Francisco Antonio
Pigafetta.
Initially linked to the order of Rhodes,
which was Knight, went to Spain in
1519, accompanied by Monsignor
Francisco Chiericato, and was made
available from Carlos V to promote
the company initiated by the Catholic
Monarchs in the Atlantic. Soon
he/she became a great friendship
with Magallanes, who accompanied,
together with Juan Sebastián Elcano,
in the famous expedition to the
Moluccas begun in August of 1519
and finished in September 1522.
This volume is based on the critical edition by Antonio Canova. It includes an extensive
introduction to the work and generous annotations by Theodore J. Cachey Jr who discusses the
marvelous elements of the story through allusions to Magellan's travels made by writers as
diverse as Shakespeare and Gabriel García Márquez.
 On 20 September 1519, Ferdinand Magellan departed Spain with a fleet of five
ships and a crew of less than 240 men intending to reach the orient by sailing
westward around or through South America and across the largely uncharted
expanse of the pacific ocean. Nearly three years later on 6 September 1522 his
successor, Juan Sebastian de Elcano would return to Spain with a single ship the
Victoria and the remnants of the expedition eighteen Europeans and the three east
Indians the first circumnavigation on the globe epitomized the contention between
Portugal (Magellan's homeland which spurned his plan) and Spain (which
accepted) for domination of the east indies and the difficulty of determining where
lands such as the Moluccas lay in relation to the ideal line of demarcation.
On Aug. 10, 1519, Magellan set sail
with 270 men and five ships: the
Trinidad (commanded by Magellan),
the San Antonio, the Victoria, the
Conception, and the Santiago.
1519
 August 10: Departure from Seville.
 September 20: Departure from Sanclucar de Barrameda
 December 13: Entering the bay of Rio de Janeiro
 December 27: Departure from Rio de Janeiro
1520
 January 10: Entering the Rio de la Plata

 February 27: Entering Bahia de los Patos

 March 31: Begin of the overwintering stay at Puerto San Julian.

 April 1 and 2: Mutiny on Victoria, Concepcion and San Antionio; death of Louis de Mendoza. Later
execution of de Quesada, marooning of de Cartagena.
 End of April: Santiago is sent on a mission to find the passage. The ship is caught in a storm and
wrecked.
 July: Encounters with the “Patagonian Giants”

 August 24: Departure from Puerto San Julian

 October 11: Arriving at the Cape of the Eleven Thousand Virgins, entry to what would be known as Strait
of Magellan.
 November 28: The fleet leaves the strait and enters the Pacific Ocean.
1521
 March 6: Guam.

 March 17: Arrival at Suluan in the Philippines.

 April 7: Cebu

 April 27: Death of Magellan participating in the Battle of Mactan.

 May 1: Barbosa is murdered and Serrano was captured, later killed. The three remaining ships escaped.

 May 2: There are not enough men to handle three ships, thus the worm-infested Concepcion is burned
down. Two ships remain: Victoria and Trinidad. The ships sailed to Mindanao and Brunei.
 September 21: Carvalho is replaced by Martin Mendez as Captain General, Espinosa becomes the
Captain of Trinidad and Juan Sebastian del Cano captain of the Victoria.
 November 8: Arriving at Tidore in the Moluccas.

 December 21: Victoria under the command of Elcano leaves the Moluccas to return home sailing west
towards the cape of Good Hope. Trinidad remains at Tidore for repairs.
1522
 January 25: Victoria reaches Timor and starts to cross the Indian Ocean.
 April 6: Trinidad under the command of Espinosa leaves the Moluccas
heading home sailing east.
 May 22: Victoria passes the Cape of Good Hope and enters the Atlantic ocean
 July 9: Reaching Santiago, Cape Verde.
 September 6: Victoria returns to Sanlucar, completing the circumnavigation
 September 8: Victoria arrives at Seville.
 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.
 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.
Gabriel C. Morados Kent Christian R. Carandang