1480-1521 Portugal. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain in 1519 with a fleet of five ships to discover a western sea route to the spice islands. En route, he discovered what is now known as the Strait of Magellan and became the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean. On March 6, 1521 the expedition landed on the island of Guam and ten days later the fleet dropped anchor on the Philippine island of Cebu. The rest is history and the Spaniards colonized the Philippines. The explorer was only 400 miles from the Spice Islands of Indonesia when he met with the Chief of Cebu and was hit with a poisoned arrow and left to die.
Next Blog: Modern Day Cebu
No comments:
Post a Comment