Enrique, First Man to Go Around the World
The first man to go around the world is always subject to dispute. Isit Ferdinand Magellan or Sebastian Elcano? Behind these two Europeans, there is a possibility that Enrique was the first man to go around the world. What is even amazing is there is a possibility that Enrique was a Filipino. Magellan before coming to the Philippines sailed for Portugal. He volunteered foran expedition to the Moluccas, known as Spice Islands. His ship reached Malacca and had he gone hundred more miles north he could have landed in the Philippines that he did years later coming from the opposite direction. Sometime during his stay in Moluccas he picked up a Malay boy who came back with him to Europe. The boy was given the name Enrique and this is just another speculation of mine that this was probably done after the great Portuguese , King Henry, the Navigator (anglicized for Enrique). Magellan left Portugal and persuaded the King of Spain to finance his westward voyage. The rest is history but Magellan was killed in Mactan Island before he could really complete thecircumnavigation of the word. Sebastian Elcano successfully steered the onlyremaining vessel, Victoria back to Seville, Spain. Where did Enrique fitin this historic voyage? He was aboard the ship when it landed in the Philippinesin 1521. He served as Magellan interpreter and even Pigafetta the expedition'shistorian did not trust him because the way he mingled with the local Filipinos.He was very friendly and spoke the dialects well with the natives. Tradeand commerce between these islands as far as Indonesia was already well established.People from the Philippines were already sailing the region. It is very probable that Enrique was visiting Malucca Island when Magellan first came in contact with him . When Magellan discovered the Philippines, it was also Enrique's homecoming. That day should be as marked as the day when the first man went around the world as significant as man landing in the moon. It is only fitting that the first man to accomplice the feat would come from the descendants of the ancient mariners of the Pacific.
One of the Magellan's Biographers wrote:
The landing in the Philippines on his westward
voyages around the world:
....Now came the wonder. The Islanderssurrounded
Enrique chattering and shouting, and the Malay slave was dumbfounded,for
the understood much of what they were saying. He understood much of whatthey
saying. He understood their questions. It was a good many years sincehe was
snatched from his home, a good many years since he had last hearda word of
his native speech. What amazing moment, one of the remarkable inthe history
of mankind! For the first time since our planet begun to spinupon its axis
and to circle in its orbit, a living man, himself circlingthat planet, had
got back to his homeland. No matter that he was underling,a slave, for his
significance lies in his fate and not his personality. Heis known to us by
his slave-name Enrique; but we know, likewise, that hewas torn from his home
upon the island of Sumatra, was brought by Magellanin Malacca, was taken
by his master to India, to Africa, and to Lisbon; traveledthence to Brazil
and to Patagonia; and first of all the population of theworld, traversing
the oceans, circling the globe, he returned to the regionwhere men spoke
a familiar tongue. Having made acquaintance on the way withhundred of people
and tribes and races, each of which had different way ofcommunicating thought,
he had got back to his folk, whom he could understandand could understand
him.
(I could not explain it any better)
William Manchester's best selling book, A World Lit Only by
"Shortly after
they had landed in the Visayan Islands of the enormous
Philippine archipelago, Magellan heard a great cheering and, moving on toward
the noise, found his servant Enrique surrounded by merry natives. It took
awhile to sort things out. Born in the Visayas, Enrique had been sold into
slaveryin Sumatra and sent to Malacca, where Magellan had acquired him. Since
leavingthe Malayan Peninsula in 1512, he had accompanied his owner to India,
Africa,Portugal, Spain and, the past eighteen months on this voyage. An apt
linguist,he was fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish, but hereon Limasawa,
for the first time since his childhood, he had overheard people speaking
his native language.He had joined in, and they had welcome him as one of
their own.
phix7@yahoo.com
Nestor Palugod Enriquez
1. First Circumnavigation of the World
2.The Children Version of Enrique
3.Breenwood & Butuan History book
4. From Other Sources
5. First Underwater Circumnavigation of the World
6.Mazaua:Magellan's Lost Harbor-V DeJesus
7. Commentaries/Feedbacks
8. Enrique de Malacca-New-New-June2002
9. From Other Web Sites
10. From New Sites
11.Another version by Jack Tan-Sept 2005
Join me in celebrating this event that happened half millennium ago
Email me of your opinion or what you had heard or read. Thanks
Nestor Palugod Enriquez, greatxgreat grandson
phix7@yahoo.com
Nestor Palugod Enriquez
1995
