Readings in Philippine History: The Magellan Expedition

• Readings in Philippine History is a 3-unit course with course code RPH 0004 and 10 sections.
• In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer, was killed in Mactan Island, Philippines.
• On March 16, 1521, Magellan discovered the Philippines.
• On March 16, 1521, Filipino ancestors "discovered" Magellan.
• The Magellan-Elcano expedition noted dogs and cats in the Visayas.

Magellan: The First Voyage Around the World, 1519-1522

• Antonio Pigafetta is the author of the book
• it is assigned as a P. Task
• The video "Lapu-Lapu" is assigned as Film Review
• "Customs of the Tagalog" by Juan Plasencia should be reviewed as background information.

Comparative analysis of Historical Sources

• Primary sources are raw materials of historical research that are closely related to the investigation,
  • Includes artifacts, audio recordings, meeting minutes, diaries, autobiographies, letters of instruction, eyewitness accounts, speeches, receipts, decrees, laws, editorials, newspaper articles reporting directly about the event and record transcripts.
• Secondary sources analyze or restate primary sources, often explaining, describing, arguing, and analyzing them to persuade readers to adopt a certain opinion.
  • Includes bibliographies, biographical works, commentaries, criticisms, dictionaries, monographs, newspaper/magazine articles, textbooks and websites.

Concepts of Perspectives Based on Dr. Zeus A. Salazar

• Pantayo Pananaw has a Filipino nationality for both the source and the audience.
• Pansila Pananaw has a foreign nationality for both the source and the audience.
• Pangkami Pananaw has Filipino nationality for the source and a foreign audience
• Pankayo Pananaw has a foreign nationality for the source and a Filipino audience

Magellan: First Voyage around the World

• By Antonio Pigafetta
• Primary Source

RPH Issue Outline Presentation

• Introduction and Background of the Author
• Historical Background of the Document
• Presentation and Analysis of the content/important historical information found in the document
• Contributions and Relevance of the document in understanding the grand narrative of Phil. History
• Conclusion
• References

Magellan Sets Sail

• Ferdinand Magellan, working for Spain with 270 crew members, set out to find a new trade route to the Spice Islands.

Antonio Pigafetta (1491- c.1534)

• Born in Vicenza, Italy around 1491, eldest son of Giovanni Pigafetta and Angela Zoga.
• Pigafetta studied astronomy, geography, and cartography.
• He worked in ships owned by the Knights of Rhodes
• Possessed curiosity of the world
• Joined the delegation of Monsignor Francesco Chieregati to Spain in 1519.
• That same year, he learned about the lucrative spice trade and Ferdinand Magellan's planned voyage.
• presented credentials to Magellan and the Casa de la Contratacion, which manages voyages to the New World.
• He was admitted as one of the sobresalientes (supernumeraries).
• A sobresalientes is a supernumeraries
• He survived challenges, catastrophes and was wounded in the Battle of Mactan.
• Pigafetta returned to Spain with Juan Sebastian Elcano aboard the Victoria on September 6, 1522, with a dozen other survivors.
• Presented his book to Charles V, in which he detailed their voyage.
• His work is known as Magellan's Voyage. A Narrative Account of the First Circumnavigation
• Emperor Charles was not that impressed
• Pigafetta shared what he knew of Magellan's expedition to people in Portugal and France.
• Pope gave him residence while he prepared his manuscript for publication.
• He joined the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem.
• He died in 1534

James Alexander Robertson

• Born in Corry, Pennsylvania, in 1873.
• He was the sixth of eight children born to Canadian parents, John McGregor Robertson and Elizabeth Borrowman Robertson.
• His parents became naturalized U.S. citizens in 1866.
• Robertson gained a professorship at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida in 1923, lecturing for 10 years.
• He moved to Annapolis, Maryland in 1935 to be archivist for the Maryland State Archives' Hall of Records.
• Robertson helped compile the massive multivolume "history of the Philippines" in 1902 as The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803

Historical Context of the Document

• Spices became the most expensive and in-demand among Europeans due to their uses such as medicinal reasons, flavoring, coloring and food additives.
• Merchants sought to monopolize spice supply and distribution in European markets.
• Asian goods reached Europe via the Silk Road or Arabian-Italian trade route.
• Portugal looked for an alternative way to the Spice Islands by water.
• Prince Henry the Navigator trained sailors who would later discover a sea route to Southeast Asia via the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, enabling direct trade.
• Spain and Portugal were both on the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century.
• The competition between Spain and Portugal led the Pope to divide the New World into Spanish and Portuguese parts.
• The Royal Crown of Spain supported Ferdinand Magellan's plan to reach the East by sailing westward.
• Of the five ships that left Spain, only three reached the - Philippines
• Magellan's voyage introduced Christianity but also cost his life in the Battle of Mactan.
• In 1522. Juan Sebastian Elcano and 17 survivors arrived in Spain aboard the ship Victoria.
• Ajournal that became the primary source of information about the initial encounter between the Spaniards and the Filipinos were written by Antonio Pigafetta.
• The original journal did not make it through history with only manuscript copies passed on.
• Three of the manuscript copies are in French
• Two copies are kept in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris
• One was originally owned by British Collector Sir Thomas Phillipp.
• The third one was bought by the Beinecke Rare Book and kept in the Manuscript Library of Yale University in New Haven.
• 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 the fourth copy.
• A French version came in the year after that
• Pinkerton 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 copy by James A. Richardson is widely used and circulated in the Philippines.
• Pigafetta vividly wrote about the social life, religious beliefs/cultural practices of the people they encountered in Samar, leyte and Cebu.
• This info included the help from Enrique de Malaccea, Magellan's interpreter
• Antonio Pigafetta gave us an eyewitness account of the Battle of Mactan which resulted in Magellan's death and his own wounding.

Analysis of the Historical Importance

• All information that can be gleaned is from the account of Antonio Pigafetta in his book. "First Voyage Around the World" is written from the perspective of an outsider. Europeans had a certain view when seeing things. Information written is analyzed using both perspectives. It should be fitting for "pantayong pananaw" to be employed.

Personal Touch

• Important persons in the document includes Ferdinand Magellan, Antonio Pigafetta, Raia Colambu, Raia Siaui, Raia Humabon, Raia Cilapulapu and Raia Zula.

Latitudes and Leagues

• Zamal is 300 leagues from the islands of Ladroni.
• Mazaua latitude is at nine degrees, longitude at one hundred and sixty two degrees.
• Mazaua is twenty-five leagues from the Acquada (Humunu-Homonhon).
• Twenty leagues from Mazaua to Gatighan.
• Fifteen leagues from Gatighan to Zubu (Cebu)
• March 16, 1521 (dawn of Saturday) - Spanish colonizers arrived at Zamal (Samar).
• March 17, 1521 - their captain-general desired to land at Humunu (Homonhon) which he named Acquada da li buoni Segnialli which means "the Watering-place of Good Signs.
• The island becomes referred to as Archepalago of St. Lazaro
• March 18, 1521 - They met and exchanged goods with our ancestors from the island of Zuluan
• March 25, 1521 - they weight anchored and changed course toward the west southwest
• March 28, 1521, they anchored near Mazaua (Limasawa) and met the king in balanghai

Chronology of dates

• March 29, 1521 (Holy Friday) - They finally met the king who entered their ship
• March 31, 1521 (Easter Sunday) - They went ashore to say mass and set up cross on the summit of the mountain
• April 7, 1521 (Sunday) - they entered the port of Zubu (Cebu)
• Monday - their notary together with their interpreter went ashore to met with the king of Zubu
• Tuesday- the king of Mazaua and later the prince of Zubu went aboard their ship
• Wednesday - they consecrated the place and buried their two dead crews
• Friday - they showed ancestors with different merchandise
• April 14, 1521 (Sunday) – They baptized our ancestors from Zubu and few from neighboring islands
• April 26, 1521 (Friday).- Raia Zula will fight the other chief of Matan, Cilapulapu
• April 27, 1521 (Saturday). - The Spaniards wave ashore in the island of Matan and fighting commenced between them and men of Raia Cilapulapu that led to the death of Magallanes
• May 1, 1521 (Wednesday) 21 Spaniards were massacred by the Zubuanos thus forcing the remaining Spaniards to depart Zubu immediately.

Early Filipinos description:

• Seignior (king/ chief)
• Matured (old man in some encounters)
• Some are bit larger than his men and the finest looking man
• Some are painted (tattooed)
• Wore gold earrings
• Some have black hair and hung to shoulders
• Head covered with silk (kerchiefs)
• Wore cotton cloth all embroidered with silk. The silk covered him from the waist to the knees
• Some have spots of gold on every tooth
• Some are perfumed with storax and benzoin
• Wore armlets and other rings for the feet
• Wore necklace of great value

Descriptions of early Filipino men

• Naked, with cloth woven from bark around privates
• Dark, fat and painted (tattooed)
• Anointed with coconut and beneseed oil
• Some have dark hair that hung to waist
• Have their penises pierced from one side to the other near the head with a gold or tin bolt as large as a goose quill.

Descriptions for early Filipino women

• Clad in a tree cloth from the waist down.
• Hair is black and reaches the ground.
• They are as white and as large as the Spaniards.
• Holes on their ears which are filled with gold (earrings)
• Constantly chewing a fruit which they call areca. it resembles a pear
• Women age six upward have their vaginas gradually opened because of the men's penises

Early Filipino terminology

• uraca (arrack) - palm wine, this resembles tuba at present
• (h)umay is rice
• caphri is heathen
• anime is gum of a tree wrapped in palm or fig (banana( leaves for light
• baloto is a small boat
• balanghai is a big boat and resembles fusta in Spanish.
• aghon is gongs and resembles bells in Spanish
• laghan is a large sea snails which kills whales by eating whale's heart.

Christian Conversion to early Filipinos

• Raia Humabon became Don Carlos
• Son of Raia Humabon (prince) became Fernando
• Raia Culambo became Johanni
• A Muslim became Christoforo
• Queen (Amihan) became Johanna
• Daughter (wife of the Prince) became Catherina
• Queen of Mazaua became Lisabeta

Contribution and Relevance

• Pigafetta's document provided detailed chronical of the significant events of the exploration of Magellan.
• It provided a description, location and distances of the places visited thereby enhancing the knowledge of cartography at that time.
• The chronicle contributed immensely to European historiography because it preserved and popularized the achievements of the Magellan-Elcano expedition.
• There was evidence of agricultural activities based on their produce.
• They engaged in trade with neighboring countries such as China
• Early Filipinos had unique musical instruments.
• They had traditional arts, with bodies being tattooed in certain villages
• They performed rituals during dining and certain other social gatherings
• They practiced a lot of burial traditions
• They worshipped anitos (wooden idols) with rituals for the ill.
• The document also narrated the lower status of early Filipinos in certain ways.
• Such ways include warfare/weapons, manner of dressing and their system of writing
• The documents narrated the conversion of early Filipinos into Christianity
• Textbook writers use his book as their source of historical information every time they discuss the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines. Their accounts, written in Pigafetta's book, cover the first mass in the Philippines, the conversion of Rajah Humabon and his wife, and the story of the image of the Sto. Nino.