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Sorsogon State University

Engineering and Architecture Department
Baribag Campus

Written Report on the Content and

Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary
Source

Antonio Pigafetta’s The First Voyage

Around the World

BSCE-2C Group 1

Dylan Angeles
Trisha Mae Cervantes
Joseph Francis Deri
Clarisse Espenida
Coggie Allen Guban
Christian Encinares
Joshua Janoras
Zyrone Cedric Ofracio

Contents

A. Background of the Author

……………………………………………………………………………………
……. 2

B. Background of the Primary Source

……………………………………………………………….......... 2
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C. Content Analysis of the Primary Source

……………………………………………………………. 3

D. Contribution and Relevance of the Document in Understanding the Grand

Narrative of Philippine History
…………………………………………………………………. 4

E. Relevance of the Document to the Present Time

…………………………………………. 5

F. Notes
……………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………… 7

Analysis of Selected Primary

Source in the Philippines

A. Background of the Author

Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta was a Venetian scholar and
explorer. He joined the expedition to the Spice
Islands led by explorer Ferdinand Magellan
under the flag of the emperor Charles V and
after Magellan’s death in the Philippine
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Islands, the subsequent voyage around the world. Pigafetta was born between 1480 and
1491. He was born in Vicenza, Italy. He died in 1531 also in Vicenza. Pigafetta’s
nationality is Italian and Venetian. Antonio Pigafetta was known for chronicling
Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation. Pigafetta's work is important not only as a
source of information about the voyage itself, but also includes an early Western
description of the people and languages of the Philippines. Of the approximately 240 men
who set out with Magellan, Pigafetta was one of only 18 who returned to Spain.

B. Background of the Primary Source

 Type of Primary Source

Antonio Pigafetta’s the First Voyage Around the World: A Travelogue is a
manuscript that was based off of Pigafetta’s journal that contains for much what
is known about Magellan’s expedition.

 Parts or Chapters
The manuscript contains 8 parts or chapters, the Introduction, Bio-bibliographical
Note, Note on the Text and Translation, Chronology of the Voyage, THE FIRST
VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD, Notes, Bibliography, and Index.

 Locate where the primary can be found

The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library

 Date Published
The First Voyage Around the World was originally published in 1525 after
Pigafetta returned to Italy.

 Determine the Intended Audience

The manuscript was written to amaze, astonish, and was intended for European
audience.

 Look for the purpose or motive the source

The purpose, motive, or intent in writing the account is to journalize the things
that they experienced during the expedition. Pigafetta kept a journal of their
expedition which is evidence to their voyage around the world.

C. Content Analysis of the Primary Source

 Description of the precolonial Filipinos’ lives, cultures, and beliefs such as their
foods, livelihood, appearance (mainly how they dressed), livelihood, and religion,
proving that civilizations and other systems already exists even before they set
foot in the Philippine archipelago.
 Conversion of the natives to Christianity headed by Magellan and his crew.
 Magellan is also responsible for the first mass in the Philippines.
 Ferdinand Magellan’s death in the Philippines.
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Biases

 Racial superiority (Biased against the precolonial Filipinos)

.Pigafetta uses 16th-century European sense and cultures as the standard when
observing and interacting with the locals therefore showing some curiosity and
disdain in their culture.
 Christian centered (Biased against Muslims, Biased towards
Christianity).Pigafetta is pleased to know that the Filipinos back then are pagans
instead of Muslims since Muslims are more resistant to Christianization
 His perspective as a European was affecting how he viewed the events that
occurred in his journal.
 Pigafetta joined Magellan and his crew’s expedition under the flag of King
Charles 1 to the spice island. Which means the audience of the journal was meant
for the Europeans.
 "These people have no arms, but use sticks, which have a fishbone at the end.
They are poor, but ingenious, and great thieves, and for the sake of that we called
these three islands the Ladrones Islands".
 There was also a part in the primary source how Magellan displayed their bias
towards the native by not paying tribute as their king was the emperor of the great
empire and that it would do them better to form friendship with them rather than
forge enmity.
 Pigafetta regarded the indigenous belief and way of life of the natives are inferior
to their religion, Christianity.
 His remarks on how the natives are naked
 His remarks on how the natives are illiterate on European artillery, merchandise
and other goods.
 He remarked that the natives are poor despite witnessing how abundant are the
gold mines and other gold accessories that the natives especially the leaders or
kings wore.
 He also used the houses made out of palm and bamboos as a basis in considering
that the natives are poor.

D. Contribution and Relevance of the Document in Understanding

the Grand Narrative of Philippine History

(Pigafetta’s journal is a vital piece not only of Philippine History, but also of
World History. He narrated the events that transpired in a way that gives the reader of
his journal a clear picture of what it was like to be part of the first voyage around the
world.)

Contribution of the Document

 Elaborated the lifestyle back then and it described what the local islanders wore,
what they ate, how they communicated, and how they lived.
 Pigafetta’s journal is the only known document about Lapu-lapu’s life.

(During the 15th century, Filipinos doesn’t know how to record whatever is
happening in our country. But due to the daily notes Pigaffeta took and details
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about the expedition that he wrote about, He is considered the best source today
of the customs and usages of the Filipinos in the early 16th century.)

 It helped us understand how the Filipinos lived in the past and how they dealt
with Magellan and his men when they arrived in the Philippines.
 Contains the first vocabulary of Visayan words ever penned by a European.

Relevance of the Document

 The book served as evidence that the world is round and not flat.
 This book aids the researchers and students of today in understanding the context
of the Magellan expedition and how the whole Europe-Philippines conflict
commenced.
 Magellan discovered the Pacific Ocean and proved that there was a way to the
east by sailing west.

(Growing up we never understood this issue, we simply assume that as the start of
the Spanish Era we concluded that Magellan was a villain which is true at some
point, or on our POV as that. Without taking into debate the context and different
reasons of expedition.)

 The expedition opened many doors and opportunities not only for Philippines and
Spain but together with many other countries.

(Lead the world to be more globalized society because of how other countries
were revealed to the European countries. Businesses rose because of the
discoveries of different products and collaborations were also made that
benefited the different sides.)

 Helped us know and understand how to Filipinos lived the past by the account of
a primary source who witnessed it firsthand.

(It also helped us know what happened and how Filipinos coped with Magellan
when he and his men arrived to the Philippines.)

 Discovered what religion Filipinos used to have and they became Christians.
(Animism)
 We also found out that the first Filipinos fought and delayed the Spanish
occupation by years.
(The book presented the events in a chronological order that gives readers a vivid
image of what is was like to be part of the first voyage around the world.)

E. Relevance of the Document to the Present Time

Novelty

• It demonstrated that the Philippines existed long before Magellan’s discovery,

It was also shown that the country is wealthy in natural riches, and that the
majority of Filipinos are as welcoming as they are now.
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• The First Voyage Around the World made contributions to the fields of
geography, history, and navigation
This was by demonstrating that the planet is not flat and that native products
existed before the colonial period.

Applicability

• Define the Filipinos’ cleverness and readiness as they fought the voyagers, which
is similar to the present, where Filipinos still bravely fight the enemies or invaders
to protect their homeland.
• Evidence that most of the Filipinos are hospitable even before.
• Pre-colonial practices and beliefs that still exist in our culture even today.
M-emory – how it has been remembered over time

• First globe circumnavigation, between 1519 and 1522, he was able to accomplish
a detailed description of the first ever journey around the world.
• One of the most important documentary pieces of evidence on the geographical
discoveries of the Sixteenth Century.
This documentary was once a lost manuscript which was then rescued in 1797.
E-ffect – how people have been affected

• Opened different doors in the Philippines, businesses advanced because of

various discoveries which made up the different products. Also, collaborations
were also built which benefited both sides. Through this collaboration, Philippines
was able to make an alliance that can support the country.

Notes

Wikipedia contributors. (2022, September 29). Antonio Pigafetta. Wikipedia. Retrieved

October 5, 2022, from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Pigafetta?
fbclid=IwAR1gK4DjkPdVDfb7rd16Lb-
fyxmISXPwf6BWlCZ5QbwE_3qVwaoMsLXLFOY

Bernice. (2013, November 20). Antonio Pigafetta’s First Voyage Around the World: A
Travelogue. Essay Daily. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
http://www.essaydaily.org/2013/11/antonio-pigafettas-first-voyage-around.html

GE-PH: Explaining the Biases and Analyzing Magellan's Voyage Around the World by
Pigafetta. (2021, October 23). Date retrieved 2022, September 25, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=oXGXEXBXvy8&t=134s&ab_channel=JMAntoneVlogs

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD BY

MAGELLAN BY ANTONIO PIGAFETTA and ANALYSIS OF PIGAFETTA’S
CHRONICLE. (2022). Date retrieved 2022, September 25, from
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/adamson-university/readings-in-philippine-
history/antonio-pigafettas-the-first-voyage-around-the-world/17190193
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Padama, D. E. (2020, September 7). First Voyage Around the World by Antonio
Pigafetta. YouTube. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=iFn6JeZGLK4&feature=youtu.be

Alam, G. (2022,March). Analysis of First Voyage Around the World. Studocu.

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cagayan-de-oro-college/education/analysis-of-
first-voyage-around-the-world/24189612?
fbclid=IwAR02Fvy7pW3GADEmU1rskM3dEJ1M6fGcpo5MIaKFLqBx_OG7bvyOsFA
XVEQ