15191519–1522 · Seville

First voyage around the world: Magellan and Elcano

Battista Agnese's 1544 world map, tracing the route of Magellan's voyage around the globe — Archival image: Battista Agnese. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Five ships under Ferdinand Magellan left Seville in August 1519 to reach the Spice Islands by sailing west. They found a strait at the tip of South America and crossed the Pacific, but Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521. Under Juan Sebastián Elcano a single ship, the Victoria, returned to Seville in September 1522 with 18 survivors, having sailed around the globe.

Sites

Site 1: Torre del Oro and the Guadalquivir quaysThe riverside tower near the quays where the fleet loaded and the Victoria returned.Map ↗
Site 2: General Archive of the IndiesThe archive of Spain's overseas empire, which holds the expedition's records.Map ↗
Site 3: Sanlúcar de BarramedaThe river-mouth port where the fleet put to sea and the Victoria made landfall.Map ↗

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