The first circumnavigation: documents of Magellan and Elcano

The first circumnavigation, begun by Ferdinand Magellan and completed under Juan Sebastián Elcano, left letters, instructions, narratives and administrative records. In 2023, UNESCO inscribed a selection of these documents on the Memory of the World International Register, following a nomination by Portugal and Spain. They allow readers to investigate the 1519–1522 voyage through its sources, beyond the biography of one navigator.

One voyage, several archives

The expedition was organised in the service of the Crown of Castile. Magellan died during the voyage in 1521; Elcano completed the return in 1522. The records help distinguish commercial and political preparations, navigation and the diplomatic consequences of competition over the Spice Islands.

The inscription is not a physically assembled archive. Its nomination identifies Torre do Tombo in Lisbon, the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, and manuscripts at Yale and Leiden university libraries. Portugal’s connection includes documents held here and Portuguese participation in the voyage’s history; it does not locate every inscribed witness in Portugal.

Two references for research in Portugal

These Portuguese records identified in the nomination provide concrete starting points:

• PT/TT/MSBR/0025 — a Manuscritos do Brasil volume known as the Book of Duarte Barbosa and other papers. The nomination identifies on folios 163–173 a copied voyage narrative attributed to a Genoese pilot. The volume’s title does not make Duarte Barbosa the author of every text it contains.
• PT/TT/GAV/18/5/26 — Charles I’s letter to Manuel I, dated 28 February 1519, about Portuguese interests and the fleet commanded by Magellan and Rui Faleiro. It is diplomatic evidence preceding departure, not a shipboard diary.

Further related records occur in the Corpo Cronológico. That collection has its own documentary inscription: sources about the same voyage do not make the two register entries identical or turn each reference into another inscription.

Reading the sources in context

A voyage narrative, royal letter and recruitment record answer different questions. Compare author, date, recipient and archival reference; distinguish the event’s date from that of a later copy. European descriptions of encountered peoples also require critical reading in the context of contemporary trade and power relations.

Access and consultation

Start with Digitarq and search the full references above. Torre do Tombo’s virtual exhibition provides context and further references. Individual URLs in the 2021 nomination may no longer work on the current platform; shelfmark and holding institution remain useful identifiers.

Check current archival conditions before arranging consultation of an original. An exhibition announced in the past does not guarantee that documents are on display today. Compare these sources with the Treaty of Tordesillas, which helps explain the diplomatic context of Iberian expansion.