Lesson 3

LESSON 3:
CONTENT & CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS of “ ”

by Antonio Pigafetta
RATIONALE:
Lesson 3 introduces to students content and contextual analysis as a tool in

evaluating selected primary sources in Philippine history. It aims to develop student’s skills in
analyzing and interpreting primary sources.
Particularly, in this lesson, Antonio Pigafetta’s “First Voyage Around the World” will
be examined through content and contextual analysis as he wrote his firsthand observation
and general impression of the far east including their experiences in the Visayas.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Analyze the context, content and perspective of different kinds of primary

sources
2. Determine the contribution of different kinds of primary sources in
understanding Philippine history.
3. Develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to primary sources.
4. Appreciate the early Filipino civilization and the heroism of our Filipino
ancestors.
Contextual and Content Analysis
considers the following:

The historical context of source ( time and place it was written and the
situation at the time)
The author’s background, intent (to the extent discernable) and authority
on the subject
The source relevance and meaning today
, on the other hand, applies appropriate techniques depending

on the type of source (written, oral, visual).
FULL TEXT of the READING
Antonio Pigafetta. . Taken from . Vol.

XXXIII, 1519–1522. Edited and annotated by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson
Accessed at: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42884/42884-h/42884-h.htm#xd21e280

Antonio Pigafetta Famous is an Italian traveler 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 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.
He was wounded at the battle of the island of Cebu (Philippines) in which Magellan
found death. The output of Seville made it aboard of the Trinity; the return, along with a
handful of survivors (17 of the 239 who left this adventure).
In the last years of his life, he traveled by land from France to finally return to
Italy in 1523.
1. The account of Pigafetta is the single most important source about the voyage of
circumnavigation, despite its tendency to include fabulous details. He took notes daily, as he
mentioned when he realizes his surprise at Spain and see that he had lost a day (due to its
driving direction). Includes descriptions of numerous animals, including sharks, the Storm petrel
(Hydrobates pelagicus), the pink spoonbill (Ajaja ajaja) and the Phyllium orthoptera, an insect
similar to a sheet. Pigafetta captured a copy of the latter near Borneo and kept it in a
box, believing a moving blade who lived in the air.
2. His report is rich in ethnographic details. He practiced as an interpreter and came

to develop, at least in two Indonesian dialects.
Pigafetta’s work instantly became a classic that prominent literary men in
the West like WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, MICHEL de MONTAIGNE, and
GIAMBATTISTA VICO referred to the book in their interpretation of the New
World.
3. Pigafetta’s travelogue is one of the most important primary sources in the

study of the precolonial Philippines.
In Pigafetta’s account, their fleet reached what he called the LADRONES ISLANDS
or the “Islands of the Thieves.” He recounted: “These people have no arms, but use sticks,
which have a fish bone at the end. They are poor, but ingenious, and great thieves, and for
the sake of that we call these three islands the Ladrones Islands.”
The Ladrones Islands is presently known as the Marianas Islands. Ten days after
they have reached Ladrones Islands, Pigafetta reported that they have what he called the
Isle of Zamal, now Samar but Magellan decided to land in another uninhabited island for
greater security where they could rest for a few days. On MARCH 18, nine men came to
them and showed joy and eagerness in seeing them. Magellan realized that the men were
reasonable and welcomed them with food, drinks and gifts.
Pigafetta detailed in amazement and fascination the palm tree which bore fruits called cochos
and wine. He characterized the people as “very familiar and friendly” and willingly showed them
different islands and the names of these islands. The fleet went to Humunu Island (Homonhon) and
there they found what he referred to as the “Watering Place of Good Signs.” for it is in this place
that they found the first signs of gold in the island. They named the island together with a nearby
island as the archipelago of St. Lazarus.
On March 25th, Pigafetta recounted that they saw two balanghai (balangay), a long boat full
of people in Mazzava/Mazaus. The leader whom he reffered to the king became closely bonded with
Magellan as they both exchanged gifts to one another. After a few days, Magellan was introduced to
the king’s brother who was also a king of another island where Pigafetta reported that they saw mines
of gold. The gold was abundant that parts of the ship and of the house of the king were made of
gold. This king was named Raia Calambu, king of Zuluan and Calagan (Butuan and Caragua), and the
first king was Raia Siagu.
On March 31st (Easter Sunday), Magellan ordered the chaplain to preside a Mass by
the shore. The king heard about this plan and sent two dead pigs and attended the Mass
with the other king. Pigafetta then wrote: “…when the offertory of the mass came, the two
kings, went to kiss the cross like us, but they offered nothing, and at the elevation of the
body of our Lord they were kneeling like us, and adored our Lord with joined hands.” This
was the first Mass in the Philippines, and the cross would be famed Magellan’s Cross which
is still preserved at present day.
This was the same cross which Magellan explained to the kings as a sign of his
emperor who ordered him to plan it in the places were he would reach and further explained
that once other Spaniards saw this cross, then they would know that they had been in this
island and would not cause them troubles.
By April 7th, Magellan and his men reached the port of Zzubu (Cebu) with
the help of Raia Calambu who offered to pilot them in going to the island. The
king of Cebu demanded that they pay tribute as it was customary but Magellan
refused. By the next day, Magellan’s men and the king of Cebu, together with
other principal men of Cebu, met in an open space. There the king offered a bit
of his blood and demanded that Magellan do the same.
On April 14, Magellan spoke to the king and encouraged him to be a good
Christian by burning all of the idols and worship the cross instead. The king of
Cebu was then baptized as a Christian. After 8 days, all of the island’s
inhabitant were already baptized.
When the queen came to the Mass one day, Magellan gave her an image of the
Infant Jesus made by Pigafetta himself.
On 26th of April, Zula, a principal man from the island of Matan (Mactan) went to
see Magellan and asked him for a boat full of men so that he would be able to fight the
chief name Silapulapu (Lapulapu). Magellan offered 3 boats instead and went to Mactan to
fight the said chief. They numbered 49 in total and the islanders of Mactan were estimated
to number 1,500. Magellan died in battle. He was pierced with a poison arrow in his right leg.
The king of Cebu who was baptized offered help but Magellan refused so that he could see
how they fought. The king also offered the people of Mactan gifts of any value and
amount in exchange of Magellan’s body but the chief refused and wanted to keep Magellan’s
body as a memento of their victory.
Magellan’s men then elected Duarte Barbosa as the new captian. Pigafetta also accounted
how Magellan’s slave and interpreter named Henry betrayed them and told the king of Cebu that
they intended to leave as soon as possible.
Henry and the king of Cebu conspired and betrayed what was left of Magellan’s men. The
king invited these men to a gathering where he said he would present the jewels that he would
send for the King of Spain.
Pigafetta was left on board the ship and was not able to join the 24 men who went to
the gathering because he was nursing his battle wounds. The natives had slain all the men except
the interpreter and Juan Serrano who shouted at the men on this ship to pay ransom so that he
would be spared but he was left on the island for they refused to go back to shore. The fleet
abandoned Serrano and departed. They left Cebu and continued their journey around the world.
KEYPOINTS:
considers the following:

The historical context of source
( time and place it was written and the situation at the time)
The author’s background, intent (to the extent discernable) and
authority on the subject
The source relevance and meaning today
Content analysis, on the other hand, applies appropriate techniques depending on the type of source (written,
oral, visual)
The account of Pigafetta is the single most important source about the voyage of circumnavigation
KEYPOINTS:
Pigafetta wrote his firsthand observation and general impression of the Far East including their
experiences in the Visayas.
In his account, they reached the Ladrones islands (island of the thieves). By March 16, 1521 they
reached the Visayas islands where he called the Philippine archipelago then as the ‘Archipelago of St.
Lazarus’. During their stay in the Visayas, Magellan ordered the first Mass and baptized several tribe
leaders whom he had made blood compact with. The battle of Mactan where Magellan was killed was also
foretold.
In the Filipino point-of-view, the claim that the Spaniards “discovered” the Philippines is misplaced,
since civilizations were already existing at the time the colonizers came.
It is important to note, that the accounts of Pigafetta were written in foreign perspective.

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LESSON 3:

CONTENT & CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS of “ ”

Lesson 3 introduces to students content and contextual analysis as a tool in

1. Analyze the context, content and perspective of different kinds of primary

considers the following:

, on the other hand, applies appropriate techniques depending

Antonio Pigafetta. . Taken from . Vol.

Accessed at: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42884/42884-h/42884-h.htm#xd21e280

2. His report is rich in ethnographic details. He practiced as an interpreter and came

3. Pigafetta’s travelogue is one of the most important primary sources in the

considers the following:

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