Introduction

The year 2021 marked the 500th anniversary of the Spanish-backed enterprise that would come to be famed as the “first voyage around the world.” The Magellan-Elcano expedition bears a heavy weight in history not only because it marked the first successful circumnavigation of the globe, doubtless an astounding feat of geographic and maritime technology, but also because it signalled the “discovery” and subsequent colonisation of the Philippine Islands. Their audacious journey was chronicled by an inquisitive man of letters from the Italian peninsula. Having survived previously uncharted waters and tension-filled encounters, Antonio Pigafetta had the occasion to narrate his marvelous travels to the high courts of Europe, which were extremely fascinated by the “heroic dimensions of [his account’s] incredible historical subject” (Cachey Jr., 2007: xii). In 1525, a quintessential travelogue lent itself to the prying eyes of history. Inspired by Renaissance courtly literature, the aptly titled “Primo viaggio intorno al globo terracqueo.” ¹ ‘First voyage around the globe’ would come to represent the early modern European urge to explore and confront the Other.