Jorge Salandanan
BSBA1
PRIMARY SOURCE: Francisco Antonio
Pigafetta
Authenticity:
Although the original journal of Antonio
Pigafetta was lost, an account document of the
voyage between 1522 and 1525 survived in
four manuscripts which were translated in
Italian and French. These manuscripts proved
to be authentic given that the translations were
chronologically consistent and in line with the
aforementioned surviving account.
Provence: Histography:
In context, Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian On March 16, 1521, the first of the Philippines
scholar and explorer. He joined Ferdinand to be seen by Europeans, is sighted. Anchor is
SECONDARY SOURCE: The Philippine
Islands 1493 – 1898 Volume XXXIII
Text:
At dawn on Saturday, March sixteen,196 1521,
we came upon a high land at a distance of three
hundred leguas from the islands of Latroni—
an island named Zamal [i.e., Samar]. The
following day, the captain-general desired to
land on another island which was uninhabited
and lay to the right of the abovementioned
island, in order to be more secure, and to get
water and have some rest. He had two tents set
up on the shore for the sick and had a sow
killed for them. On Monday afternoon, March
18, we saw a boat coming toward us with nine
men in it. Therefore, the captain-general
ordered that no one should move or say a word
without his permission. When those men
reached the shore, their chief went
immediately to the captain-general, giving
signs of joy because of our arrival. Five of the
most ornately adorned of them remained with
us, while the rest went to get some others who
were fishing, and so they all came. The
captain-general seeing that they were
reasonable men, ordered food to be set before
them, and gave them red caps, mirrors, combs,
bells, ivory, bocasine,197 and other things.
When they saw the captain’s courtesy, they
presented fish, a jar of palm wine, which they
call uraca [i.e., arrack], figs more than one
palmo long [i.e., bananas],198 and others
which were smaller and more delicate, and two
cocoanuts. They had nothing else then, but
made us signs with their hands that they would
bring umay or rice,199 and cocoanuts and
many other articles of food within four days.
Magellan’s voyage to the Spice Islands. cast at a small desert island called Humunu,
During the said expedition, he served as near Samar, where two tents are quickly set up
Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate for the sick, whom Magallan himself tends
journal, which later assisted him in translating with solicitude.
the first recorded document of the Cebuano
language. This proves that he was part of the March 18, they gain their first acquaintance
expedition, making every detail of his written with the natives, who prove hospitable, and
document of Magellan’s voyage authentic. promise fresh provisions. These are brought on
the twenty-second of March, and the
Europeans have their first sight of a tattooed
Visayan chief, who, as well as his men, is
decked out in gold ornaments. After a week’s
stay, the ships again set sail, Pigafetta almost
coming to an untimely end by slipping over the
side of the vessel while fishing.
Text:
Sabato a ſedize de marſo 1521 deſſemo neLa
aurora soura vna tera alta lõgi trecento legue
delle yſolle de li latroni laqaL e yſola et ſe
chiama Zamal eL capo gñale nel giorno
ſeguente volſe diſmontare in vnalta yſola
deſhabitata ꝓ eſſere piu seguro q̃ era di dietro
de queſta ꝓ pigliare hacqua et qalque diporto
fece fare due tende in terra ꝓ li infermi et
feceli amazare vna porcha Luni a 18. de
marſo vedeſſemo dapoi diſnare venire ꝟſo de
nui vna barca cõ noue homini ꝓ ilque lo capo
generale comando q̃ niuno Si moueſſe ne
diceſſe parolla alguna ſenza ſua liſentia
Quando ariuorono queſti in terra ſubito Lo ſuo
principalle ando aL capo gñale moſtrandoſe
alegro ꝓ la nrã venuta reſtarono cinqʒ de
queſti piu ornati cõ nuy li alti andorono a
leuare alguni alti q̃ peſcauano et cuſſi venirono
tucti vedendo Lo capo gñale que queſti erano
homini cõ ragionne li fece dare da mangiare
et li donno bonneti roſſi spequi petini ſonagli
Auorio bocaſſini et alte coſe Quando
viſtenno la corteſia deL capo li preſentorono
peſci vno vaſo de vino de palma q̃ Lo
chiamano Vraca figui piu longui dun palmo et
altri piu picoli piu ſaporiti et dui cochi alhora
nõ haueuano alto ne fecoro ſegni cõ La mano
q̃ in fino aquatro giorni portarebenno vmay q̃
e riſo cochi et molta altra victuuaglia.
II. ANALYSIS
The secondary source is a compilation of details on explorations by early navigators, descriptions
of the islands and their peoples. These as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts,
showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their
earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century. Relatively,
Pigafetta’s journal of Magellan’s voyage was included in the secondary source. The two text
excerpts prove that the two historical sources were coherent and historically related with each
other. However, the lost journal may serve as an antithesis to reject the validation of the two
historical documents given that the journal is the complete and detailed diary of the whole voyage.