Events planned to mark 500 years since Spanish explorer’s first round the world voyage

THE Foreign Ministers of Spain and Portugal have said the countries will jointly commemorate 500 years since the first round the world voyage.

Josep Borrell, of Spain, and Portugal’s Augusto Santos Silva said anniversary celebrations for the voyage would take place over three years.

Spain’s Juan Sebastian Elcano and Portuguese sailor Fernando de Magallanes undertook their voyage in 1519. Only Elcando, who captained the Victoria, made it back to Europe alive.

Borrell and Silva said they would call on UNESCO to make the route of the voyage a World Heritage Site. The ministers also called on their opposite numbers in countries along the route to join their efforts.

Spanish and Portuguese embassies in those countries, which include the Phillippines, Argentina and Chile, are set to be instructed on plans for local events to mark the anniversary, ministers said.

Juan Sebastian Elcano and Fernando de Magallanes set sail from southern Spain in 1519 for an expedition to the Philippines in via South America’s Cape Horn. A total of 241 men on five ships took part in the voyage.

Magallanes died during a battle with Filipino natives when the expedition reached the island in 1521.They reached San Lucar, now in the Andalucian province of Cadiz, in 1522.

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Euro Weekly News Media

Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

Comments