On September 20, 1519, a fleet commanded by the Portuguese captain Ferdinand Magellan, comprising five ships and around 250 men, sailed out of the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in southern Spain heading for the Atlantic. Its mission: To discover new western routes to the Spice Islands (Moluccas Islands).
The purpose of this journey was to discover a shorter route, which was the intention of Christopher Columbus when he found the American continent. But Magellan made an even greater discovery, one that was to change the course of history. Magellan’s expedition made the first ever journey around the world.

Once the journey began, they traveled through the Canary Islands and first stopped in Tenerife before sailing between the Cape Verde Islands and the coast of Guinea. The fleet then got ready to cross the Atlantic in the direction of America.

After several months of travel and tremendous weather challenges, the fleet approached the coast of America. Finally, on December 13, 1519, they reached land at the port of Santa Lucía, which is today Río de Janeiro.

One of the most difficult moments was the search for a route to the west of the continent. After Río, they traveled south along the coast. It was a hard winter and the conditions for the crew were difficult and this led to the loss of one ship and the desertion of another. After various attempts, they decided to explore an uncharted channel on November 1, 1520.

It was here, and after many difficulties, that they managed to successfully cross through that strait that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Today it is known as “the Strait of Magellan,” but at that time it was called the “Strait of All Saints” because they ventured through it on All Saints’ Day. While they moved through the strait, they spotted numerous fires along the coast that had been lit by the indigenous people living in the area. That’s why the area was named “Tierra del Fuego” or “Land of Fire.”

As they crossed through it and finally saw the entrance to the sea, the crew wept tears of joy. They named the place “Cabo Deseado” or “Cape of Desire.” On November 28, 1520, Magellan and his fleet sailed for the first time in the southern sea that was called “Pacific” because it was so serene and tranquil. Magellan and his fleet could scarcely have imagined what new adventures and challenges were awaiting them in the vast Pacific.

The Pacific was much larger than they had expected and so Magellan and his fleet sailed for four long months. The crew battled hunger and illness as they searched for firm, inhabited land where they could stock up on supplies.

It was not until

March 6, 1521

They reached the Philippines, which Magellan called the “Saint Lazarus’ Islands,” on March 16. Here their adventure took a fatal turn.

On April 7, they disembarked on the first island, Cebu, where Magellan forged a peaceful trade relationship with its king.

But 20 days later, in the early hours of April 27 on the nearby island of Mactan, Magellan and his men came up against the indigenous leader Lapulapu and his followers, with whom they failed to reach the same understanding that they had achieved on Cebu. It was there that Magellan died at the point of a lance, ending his journey and command of the fleet.

After Magellan’s death, the difficulties continued. But the goal of finding a western route to the Moluccas remained unchanged. With only two of the five original ships remaining — the Trinidad and the Victoria, now under the command of Sebastián Elcano and staffed by just half of the original crew — the fleet made its way past various islands until reaching its destination on November 7, 1521.

They docked at Tidore Island on November 8. There they were received in peace and had the opportunity to restock and buy valuable spices to take back to Spain.

On December 18, 1521, the two ships got ready to set off back to Spain, but the Trinidad needed repairs. They agreed that it would return later via the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, the Victoria, with Elcano at the helm and ever fewer crew members, was to try to circumnavigate the globe according to Magellan’s original plan.

The voyagers crossed the Indian Ocean and made their way around Africa, struggling once again with the hunger, dangers and illnesses involved in another long journey on the open sea. Finally, on September 6, 1522, the ship reached Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the port from which it had set sail. There were just 18 crew members on board: the first 18 men to travel right around the world.

On September 8, the damaged but triumphant Victoria reached Seville. It was being towed by another boat but had Elcano and his crew aboard and local officials and residents were there to welcome them.

The next day, on September 9, 1522, the 18 men disembarked for the last time, in their shirts and barefoot. Their voyage to the End of the Earth and beyond had ended and they had succeeded in connecting the entire world for the very first time.