Gec105-written-report.docx

Group Two Magellan's Voyage Around the World

Reporter: Nihara B. Datukunug Understanding Perspective Perspective refers to the point of view of the said writer who was a witness to the event. It is basically the way a person sees something. In a single event, different participants can write different accounts that can give varied opinions and statements about the event thus every historian must be careful in using historical sources since these sources' writers may be biased or prejudiced on the subject he/she is discussing. Historical Context Long ago, spices were a very lucrative commodity in Europe due to their numerous uses such as food preservative, flavor enhancer, and even medicine. These Asian goods reached Europe either via the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes established during the Han Dynasty of China, or the Arabian-Italian trade route. These trade routes served principally to transfer luxury goods, raw materials, and foodstuffs between the East and West. Upon the conquest of the Ottoman Empire of Constantinople (present-day Turkey) to the land route of the Spice Trade, Europeans were forced to look for ways to purchase spices directly from the source. They decided to explore the oceans to look for a way to the famed Spice Islands. Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal made a maritime school which trained sailors who later on helped in the discovery of an eastern sea route going to the Spice Islands (the modern-day Moluccas Islands). This route gave numerous economic benefits to Portugal making the other monarchs envious thus prompted to search for a new trade route. Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon won the Battle of Granada in 1492 which was a siege of the city by the armies of the Muslim Emirate of Granada. This victory made Spain as the world power and gave them an opportunity to focus more on their economic options. They financed Christopher Columbus' journey (1492 to 1502) which resulted in the discovery of the territories on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus' discovery prompted the Catholics Spanish Rulers to turn to the Pope to pre-end any claims by Portugal to the new lands. The Pope resolve this dispute by drawing an imaginary line on the world map; the territories in the west for Spain and the east for Portugal. This was called the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Decades later, Ferdinand Magellan,a Portuguese explorer, approached the Spanish monarchs to finance him to his journey to the East by sailing westward, a proposal that Portugal refused to finance, which King Charles I of Spain readily agreed. The expedition started on August 20, 1519 with around 270 men and 5 ships namely San Tiago, San Antonio, Concepcion, Trinidad and Victoria. Out of the 5 ships, only the Victoria piloted by Juan Sebastian Elcano managed to arrive in Spain on September 7, 1522 with 17 survivors. One of them was Antonio Pigafetta, the assistant of Magellan, who kept a journal that became the main source of the first encounter of Spaniards and Filipinos. About the Author Antonio Pigafetta (1491-c.1534), born around 1490 in the town of Vicenza, Venice, Italy, was the eldest son of Giovanni Pigafetta to his second wife Angela Zoga. He studied astronomy, geography, and cartography and during his younger years worked in the ships owned by the Knights of Rhodes. His biographers described him as a well--educated young man possessing an avid curiosity of the world around him. He joined the delegation of Monsignor Francesco Chieregati wherein he became acquainted with the lucrative spice trade and heard the news of the voyage undertaken by Magellan. Pigafetta presented his credentials and later on was 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. About the Book Pigafetta kept a detailed journal of what happened to them from the time they left Seville in 1519 until they returned to Spain three years after. When he returned to Italy, many of Pigafetta's associates asked him to write a formal account of the Magellan expedition and have it published with which he followed. Pigafetta tried to find a financer who would pay for the book's publication but to no avail. During that time, the accounts of Maximilianus Transylvanus and Peter Martyr were already out and interest on Magellan expedition had died down. The original journal of Pigafetta did not survive time. What was handed to us are copies of the manuscript that were never printed in his lifetime. Reporter: Meljoy Dua Excerpts from Magellan’s Voyage Around the World On March 16, 1521, as written by Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan and his men arrived at dawn on Saturday on an Island called Zamal. The next day he had set up two tents on an uninhabited Island above it the following day for security and rest. On March 18, 1521 Monday, nine men including their chief arrived on the island cautious at first but then both had a courtesy and each had presented foods. Among those are cocoanuts in which according to Pigafetti, "Cocoanut are the fruit of the palm tree. Just as we have bread, wine, oil and vinegar, so those people get everything from that tree" and that a family of 10 person could be supported with two trees. The

people became very familiar with them, they were pleasured for they were very pleasant and conversable and to show them a great honor, they showed them their ship and their merchandise- cloves cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, mace, gold, and all the things in the ship. They took their leaves saying that they would return according to their promise.

On March 22 when they returned, they brought several foods . They also came with their king and his brother that is also a king. On Holy Friday, their captain- general had asked if the king had a food on their boat through slave that acted as their interpreter. The king had embraced them and had given them food and other things. In exchange, the captain-general gave them clothes and some other things. Both desired and wished a casi casi relationship, that is to say, a brother. The Kings were Raia Colambu and Raia Siaui of the Island of Butuan and Calaga [Caraga] . They went to the island to which according to the kings, is their meeting and hunting place . Pieces of gold were found on their islands including the gold portioned in their houses. Pigafetta also included descriptions about the differences of the appearance of the king from his people. According to him “His hair was exceedingy black, and hung to his shoulders. He had a covering of silk on his head, and wore two large golden earrings fastened in [to] his ears. He wore a cotton cloth all embroided with silk, which covered him form waist to knees. At his side hung a dagger, the haft of which was somewhat long and all of gold, and its scabbard of carved wood. He had three spots of gold on every tooth, and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold. He wad perfumed with storax and bezonin. He was tawny and painted [i.e tattooed]" The captain had prepared for a mass while the kings also seemed to follow what they do and so the captain sprinkled their entire bodies with musk water. The captain also wanted to put a cross of the Lord on the Island as a sign that they have been there on that Island and they say that would also benefit them as their ships would not displease nor harm their property if they got to notice the cross and free immediately any of their men if captured. When asked if they were Moros(Muslims) or heathen, or what was their belief. They replied that they worship nothing [had no other worship] but that they raised their clasped hands and their face to the sky and that they called ”Abba.” The captain also asked if the king had enemies so that he might go with his ship to destroy them and to render them obedient to them. The King said that they had but told them that it was not yet the season for it. They then decided to go along their journey. When the kings were asked on which port was best to get food , they replied that there were three, namely Cylon [Leyte], Zubu [Cebu], and Calaghann [Calagan] but that Zubu was the largest and the one with most trade. The captaingeneral thanked them and was determined to go there. With Pigafetta’s writings, many ideas could be attained because of the descriptions and details that he included in his journal. On the first part of the excerpt, as what Pigfetta has noticed, the people is doing different process on foods such as getting liquor, vinegar and milk

from the coconut. He seemed awed that the people was able to extract different products from a single kind of fruit and saying in general of how a tree of coconut can feed many people. Form what also he narrated, the people already had government systems before as he said that people that they had met had a ruler or someone they follow and that they refer to as kings. They communicated with the people thorough a native that they captured who was from the place now called Sumatra- an island in Indonesia, though even the captive had used their language, the king was able to understand him. A few details signifying that the people in the Philippines before was communicating with other people not just from their place but even also from neighboring countries of the Philippine Islands. The people had also shown hospitality and openess to them. Trade was also already operating in the country before as Pigafetta stated that they had ask where could they get food and the captain could already name several trading places. Reporter: Crishia Faye B. Alburo Journey to Zubu When they have travelled to Zubu (present day Cebu), the author noticed the people in there. To his point of view, those people were heathens, and go naked with tattoos painted on their skin. He even stated firmly that they were heavy drinkers. Women only covered themselves with tree cloth that only hung from their waist down, having black hair with its ends touching the ground. They, too, have holes filled with gold which are pierced in their ears. It was also stated that these people were constantly gnawing a fruit which they call areca, which according to the author, resembles pear, which they cut into four parts and wrap each one of the with the leaves from the betre (betel) tree, which resembles that of mulberry leaves. They partner this with lime and when they have chewed it thoroughly, they spit it out which makes their mouths extremely red. People from those parts of the world do this for this is cooling to the heart and if this act would be ceased, they would probably encounter death. Aside from the populace, the author also mentioned that there were domesticated animals such as dogs and cats; farm animals such as swine, fowls, and goats; and also other products such as rice, ginger, cocoanuts (coconuts), figs, oranges, lemons, millet, pancium, sorgo, wax, and a quantity of gold in that island. Since the author studied cartography in his early years, he was able to locate the area in the globe. He said that it lied in a latitude of nine degrees toward the Arctic Pole, and in a longitude of one hundred and sixty-two degrees from the line of demarcation, twenty-five leagues from the Acquada and is called Mazaua (Limasawa). Magellan and his men remained in the area for seven days, after which they laid their course toward the northwest passing among five islands Ceylon (Leyte), Bohol, Canighan, Baybai, and Gatighan. The author also narrated their experiences in the lastly stated island which they have passed – Gatighan. According to him, Gatighan had bats that were as large as eagles and when they had the chance, they captured some and had a taste of it. He described the flavour like that of a chicken. Aside from bats, there were also doves, turtle-doves, parrots and certain black birds as large as domestic chickens, which have a long tail. Maybe due to his astonishment, he

was fascinated by how the black birds laid their eggs. He recited that these black birds laid eggs which have the same size of that of a goose and buries them in the sand. The heat made it possible for these eggs to hatch for themselves which were, according to him, good to eat. Knowing that he appreciated little things such as this makes it relevant to us in our world today for us to have a vision of what it was like before. There was only a distance of twenty leagues from Mazaua to Gatighan. They sailed west from the latter, but the king of Mazaua did not follow them closely leaving them no choice but to await him near three islands namely Polo (Poro), Ticobon (Pasijan), and Pozon (Pason). When the king finally had the same speed with the foreign voyagers, he was quite surprised with their speed. Magellan then invited them over to his ship which they were pleased. From that, they headed straight to Zubu, being fifteen leagues. On the seventh of April, they entered the port of Zubu. On their way there, they passed by many villages, wherein their houses were built upon logs. The king ordered to fling the banners, set the sails and fire artilleries, which frightened the people. He then sent his fosterson as ambassador to the king of Zubu with the interpreter. They were welcomed by a vast crowd including the King who were frightened by the mortars. The interpreter then explained that it was not a sign of battle but to their custom, it was some kind of friendliness and peace and that the mortars were to honour the king of the island. With this, the king felt reassured. He then began to ask through his governors what they wanted. The interpreter honestly replied that they have no other intention but to grab supplies, especially food from the island to store for their trip to Molucho, the spice island, for what they heard from the previous kings they encountered was good reports regarding the trading industry in the area. The king said that they were welcome to the island but same as to their tradition in firing artilleries as a sign of peace and gesture, it was also their custom for all ships that enter their ports to pay tribute, and that it was four days since a junk from Ciama laden with gold and slaves had paid him tribute and even pointed out to the interpreter, a merchant from Ciama, who had remained to trade the gold and slaves. From this, we can say that during the pre-colonization period, the Philippines was also practicing slavery. Back to the story, the interpreter then told the king “Cata raia chita” which means, “Look well, sire. These men are the same who have conquered Calicut, Malaca, and all India Magoire. If they are treated well, they will give good treatment, but if they are treated evil, evil and worse treatment, as they have done to Calicut and Malaca.” With this, the Moro related everything to the king who said thereupon that he would deliberate with his men, and would answer the captain on the following day. He then treated Magellan’s men with some refreshments all made from meat and contained in porcelain platters, which obviously makes them special guests, besides many jars of wine bought in. After their men refreshed themselves, they went back to the ship and narrated everything that had happened. The king of Mazaua, who was the most influential after the king and the seignior of a number of islands, went to the island to face the other king in behalf of the captain-general.

The following morning, the foreign voyagers’ notary, together with the interpreter, went to Zubu. When they met, they had a few conversations about some matters. One party threw questions while the other replied with an honest answer. The king was quite curious whether how many captains the ship has and if ever the captain wishes him to pay tribute to his emperor, the captain’s master. The notary replied negative and assured him that their only purpose was to trade with merchandise such as food for them to carry on their next stop, the spice island – nothing more, nothing less. The king was satisfied with his answer and even promised that if their captain would want to visit and decides to be friends with him, he could offer a drop of blood from his right arm and he would do the same as a sign of brotherhood. The notary then answered that the captain would do it. Thereupon, the king told the notary that all the captains who made it to his island would offer a gift to him and he would do likewise. The interpreter then assured that the captain would do it. On Wednesday morning, one of Magellan’s men died during the previous night so they went down and humbly asked the king where they could bury him, at least. The king allowed them to bury their men and consecrate the place, as well as set up a cross there. They buried the deceased with as much solemnity as possible, to set a good example. They then carried out to shore some merchandise that they stored in a house which was taken under the care of the king as well as four men who were left to trade the goods by wholesale. According to the author, people live in accordance to justice and they have their own way of weights and measures. They love peace, ease and quiet. They used wooden balances to measure the weights of things. The youth play on pipes, houses are made of woods out of planks and bamboos which were raised high from the ground on large logs and one must enter them by means of ladder. They have a silong where they keep their farm animals. They also discovered lagham (a shellfish). On Friday, they showed these people a shop full of their merchandises, at which they were surprised. They told them that people would trade gold in exchange for their iron and other metal merchandises, and rice, swine, goats and other foods for those with minimal value. Their captain did not wish to have more gold for there would be sailors who would give all that they have owned for a small amount of gold which would have spoiled the trade for ever. On Saturday, the king promised the captain to become a Christian on Sunday, so there was a platform built in the consecrated square, which was adorned with hangings and palm branches for his baptism. Magellan then sent men to tell the king not to be afraid of the pieces that would be discharged in the morning, for it was their custom to discharge them at their greatest feats without loading them with stones. On Sunday morning, April seventeenth, was the day when the king of Zubu was to be baptised as Christian. Magellan went down from his ship to the shore with fifty men accompanying him, two of which were armed, carrying the banner with them. When they reached the island, the artillery fired once more. The captain was welcomed by the king with an embrace. He then explained said that he shows his love to him through bringing the banner down with them. When the both of them were already in the platform, the king narrated that his chiefs chose not to be converted with him for they were as good as man as he. But Magellan

called them all out and warned them if they did not comply with their king’s order of them be baptised; they would all surrender their properties to the king and have them killed one by one. Of course, they had no choice but to oblige to the order. After those incidents, the baptismal then took place. From then on, they promised to adore the cross and whenever they worship God, they would clasp their hands and do the sign of the cross. Five hundred men were baptised. After the ceremony, the captain invited the king over for dinner but the king humbly refused which the former decided not to force. Before the voyagers went back to their ship, the king and the captain ended the day with another embrace. After dinner, the priest and the others went down to baptise the queen and forty other women. They conducted her to the platform and performed the same ceremony earlier. The author showed her a picture of their Lady, a beautiful wooden child Jesus, and a cross. She was then overcome with repentance which made her even more urged to convert to Christianity. They then named her Johanna. She had the reddest lips and nails and she always wore large hats made out of palm leaves in the manner of a parasol, with a crown made of the same material like that of the Pope and she never goes anywhere without that. She then asked if she could have the wooden figure of the child Jesus to replace the idols that they had. In the afternoon, the king and the queen accompanied with many other people went ashore where the captain discharged mortars and such by which they were most likely delighted. The captain and the king called one another brothers. His name was Raia Humabon. Before that week went by, everyone from Raia Humabon’s island, and some other neighboring island, were baptised. Though they burned one hamlet which was located in a nearby island because they refused to obey them or the king himself. The author also stated that had they were Moros, they were harder to convince to embrace Christianity. Magellan went to shore daily to hear of the mass and told the king many things about the faith. One day the queen went also to hear the mass. Following her were three women with three of her hats in their hands. A great number of women accompanied her, who were all naked and barefoot, except that they had a small covering on their privies, a small scarf around the head, and all hair flowing free. The queen seated herself on a silk embroidered cushion. Before the mass begun, the captain sprayed her with musk rosewater, and the women who were with her, for they delighted exceedingly in such perfumes. Due to the fact that the captain knew how pleased the queen would be if she was to give the child Jesus to her, he did so to replace the idols that they once thought was God, and for the child Jesus was a memory of the son of God. She was deeply gratified with such act that she thanked the captain wholeheartedly. Reporter: Wilkins Jubille Solis The Battle of Mactan by Pigafetta From our history books and the lessons in elementary and high school history classes, we all know that a fierce battle happened right after the discovery of the Philippines. We all know that it involved two of the most famous men in our country's history, Ferdinand Magellan and DatuLapu-lapu and the shores of an island in the Visayas witnessed how Magellan's journey around the world was cut short.

To those who are contented with what's written on the history books, good for you guys. But for those who want to read the account of an eyewitness of the battle, here is an excerpt from the book of Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian scholar, explorer and chronicler of Magellan's Voyage. "On Friday, April twenty-six, Zula, a chief of the island of Matan, sent one of his sons to present two goats to the captain-general, and to say that he would send him all that he had promised, but that he had not been able to send it to him because of the other chief Cilapulapu, who refused to obey the king of Spagnia. He requested the captain to send him only one boatload of men on the next night, so that they might help him and fight against the other chief. The captain-general decided to go thither with three boatloads. We begged him repeatedly not to go, but he, like a good shepherd, refused to abandon his flock. At midnight, sixty men of us set out armed with corselets and helmets, together with the Christian king, the prince, some of the chief men, and twenty or thirty balanguais. We reached Matan three hours before dawn. The captain did not wish to fight then, but sent a message to the natives by the Moro to the effect that if they would obey the king of Spagnia, recognize the Christian king as their sovereign, and pay us our tribute, he would be their friend; but that if they wished otherwise, they should wait to see how our lances wounded. They replied that if we had lances they had lances of bamboo and stakes hardened with fire. [They asked us] not to proceed to attack them at once, but to wait until morning, so that they might have more men. They said that in order to induce us to go in search of them; for they had dug certain pit holes between the houses in order that we might fall into them. When morning came forty-nine of us leaped into the water up to our thighs, and walked through water for more than two crossbow flights before we could reach the shore. The boats could not approach nearer because of certain rocks in the water. The other eleven men remained behind to guard the boats. When we reached land, those men had formed in three divisions to the number of more than one thousand five hundred persons. When they saw us, they charged down upon us with exceeding loud cries, two divisions on our flanks and the other on our front. When the captain saw that, he formed us into two divisions, and thus did we begin to fight. The musketeers and crossbowmen shot from a distance for about a halfhour, but uselessly; for the shots only passed through the shields which were made of thin wood and the arms [of the bearers]. The captain cried to them, “Cease firing! Cease firing “but his order was not at all heeded. When the natives saw that we were shooting our muskets to no purpose, crying out they determined to stand firm, but they redoubled their shouts. When our muskets were discharged, the natives would never stand still, but leaped hither and thither, covering themselves with their shields. They shot so many arrows at us and hurled so many bamboo spears (some of them tipped with iron) at the captain-general, besides pointed stakes hardened with fire, stones, and mud, that we could scarcely defend ourselves. Seeing that, the captaingeneral sent some men to burn their houses in order to terrify them. When they saw their houses burning, they were roused to greater fury. Two of our men were killed near the houses, while we burned twenty or thirty houses. So many of them charged down upon us that they shot the captain through the right leg with a poisoned arrow. On that

account, he ordered us to retire slowly, but the men took to flight, except six or eight of us who remained with the captain. The natives shot only at our legs, for the latter were bare; and so many were the spears and stones that they hurled at us, that we could offer no resistance. The mortars in the boats could not aid us as they were too far away. So we continued to retire for more than a good crossbow flight from the shore always fighting up to our knees in the water. The natives continued to pursue us, and picking up the same spear four or six times, hurled it at us again and again. Recognizing the captain, so many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off his head twice, but he always stood firmly like a good knight, together with some others. Thus did we fight for more than one hour, refusing to retire farther. An Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face, but the latter immediately killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian's body. Then, trying to lay hand on sword, he could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. When they wounded him, he turned back many times to see whether we were all in the boats. Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best we could, to the boats, which were already pulling off. The Christian king would have aided us, but the captain charged him before we landed, not to leave his balanghai, but to stay to see how we fought. When the king learned that the captain was dead, he wept. Had it not been for that unfortunate captain, not a single one of us would have been saved in the boats, for while he was fighting the others retired to the boats. I hope through [the efforts of] your most illustrious Lordship that the fame of so noble a captain will not become effaced in our times. Among the other virtues which he possessed, he was more constant than ever anyone else in the greatest of adversity. He endured hunger better than all the others, and more accurately than any man in the world did he understand sea charts and navigation. And that this was the truth was seen openly, for no other had had so much natural talent nor the boldness to learn how to circumnavigate the world, as he had almost done. That battle was fought on Saturday, April twenty-seven, 1521. The captain desired to fight on Saturday, because it was the day especially holy to him. Eight of our men were killed with him in that battle, and four Indians, who had become Christians and who had come afterward to aid usi were killed by the mortars of the boats. Of the enemy, only fifteen were killed, while many of us were wounded. In the afternoon the Christian king sent a message with our consent to the people of Matan, to the effect that if they would give us the captain and the other men who had been killed, we would give them as much merchandise as they wished. They answered that they would not give up such a man, as we imagined [they would do], and that they would not give him for all the riches in the world, but that they intended to keep him as a memorial." Relevance of Magellan’s Expedition

Pigafetta's chronicle contributed immensely to European historiography as it preserved and popularized the achievements of the Magellan-Elcano expedition. If Pigafetta did not survived the journey, we would have very little knowledge of Magellan’s numerous contributions in the fields of geography, navigation, history and other related areas. Magellan's Major Contributions 1. Proved that earth is not flat but rather an oblate spheroid. 2. Magellan and his men completed the first circumnavigation of the world. 3. Portuguese route is not the only way to the Spice Islands. 4. Name south sea as Pacific Ocean (Mar Pacifico). “The sea is dangerous and its storms terrible, but these obstacles have never been sufficient reason to remain ashore... Unlike the mediocre, intrepid spirits seek victory over those things that seem impossible... It is with an iron will that they embark on the most daring of all endeavors... to meet the shadowy future without fear and conquer the unknown.” ― Ferdinand Magellan.