One great desire of the sixteenth century was
to find a faster passage to Asia in hopes of dominating
the European trade of exotic spices and goods. Ferdinand
Magellan and his men made significant inroads in
accomplishing this when they circumnavigated the world for
Spain, but this accomplishment created a dilemma. That
journey took about two years to accomplish and only
eighteen of the original 270 voyagers make it home.
Surely, with all her American colonies, there had to be a
way to greatly shorten this timeframe and the Spanish king
was determined to find the elusive pieces to the puzzle
that would allow his galleons to travel from the East
Indies to Mexico, where the cargoes could be offloaded,
shipped across to the east coast, and embarked on galleons
bound for Spain.
The dilemma sounds easy to solve, but at the time, no
European knows where to find the winds and currents that
will allow ships to sail from west to east. The Pacific
Ocean complicates this because it is so vast that it can
accommodate every continent and island the world has if
gathered together in one spot. Or, if one is foolhardy
enough to swim across this blue expanse from one continent
to another, it will take fantastical luck and a swimmer
willing to go twenty-hours a day, every day for six months
to accomplish the feat.
Conquering the Pacific is the story of finding this
west-east route, how it was accomplished, who was
involved, and what the aftermath of opening this passage
meant for the men involved and for future generations. In
1557, a cluster of ramshackle abodes dotted the landscape
near a lagoon and bay on the west coast of Mexico.
Secluded Navidad is a good place to build in secret, yet
its remoteness makes it a logistical nightmare for getting
necessary supplies and people there and the location isn’t
the healthiest. Don Luis de Velasco, the viceroy of
Mexico, is tasked with carrying out King Felipe II’s plan.
It’s a monumental undertaking for someone with no nautical
expertise; nor is he without faults. Two men, both of whom
have crossed the Pacific Ocean prior to this endeavor,
serve as advisors: Juan Pablo de Carrión, a resourceful
and legendary adventurer, and Friar Andrés de Urdaneta,
once an explorer with firsthand navigational experience
and now a priest. They don’t see eye-to-eye on many
points, especially when it comes to the route that will be
followed. Carrión suggests the Philippines, which lies on
the same latitude as Mexico, but Urdaneta favors a more
southern course to land at New Guinea. And who will
command this expedition? The viceroy favors neither of
these men, choosing instead Miguel López de Legazpi, a
scribe in charge of accountants at the Minting House in
Mexico City. He’s not an explorer and has no navigational
knowledge. To further complicate matters, a royal emissary
investigating the viceroy’s excesses and the members of
the ruling Audiencia get involved.
Finally, in the fall of 1564, the two galleons built at
Navidad – 500-ton San Pedro and 400-ton San
Pablo – are ready to set sail. Two other vessels
complete the fleet, the San Juan, which carries
forty people, and the San Lucas, a tender capable
of carrying half that number. The expedition consists of
380 handpicked men of different class, nationality, and
race with a variety of occupational skills. Among them is
an Afro-Portuguese man named Lope Martín, an extraordinary
man, skilled in mathematics, astronomy, and cartography,
who is a licensed pilot. His job is to guide the San
Lucas from Navidad to the East Indies and back
again. All goes according to plan until the Audiencia’s
secret orders are revealed and Legazpi orders the San
Lucas to scout ahead of the fleet.
Reséndez weaves a fascinating account of who became the
first to find the west-east transpacific route. It
devolves into a race marked by human and natural hazards,
exotic locales, unfamiliar customs, tenuous relations
between islanders and crews, short supplies, mutinies,
maroonings, and accusations of embezzlement, treason, and
murder. Scientific theory and concepts are explained in
easily understood language with modern-day examples
readers will comprehend. He also discusses how Spain and
Portugal come to “own” the lands outside of Europe, as
well as how this causes a dilemma regarding ownership of
the Philippines, the history of navigation, and what
knowledge pilots need to go from point A to B. Twenty-five
maps are strategically placed throughout the book. Also
included are twenty-two illustrations, a note about dates
and measurements, end notes, and an analytical index. (The
last was not available for viewing in the galley I
previewed.) Highly recommended for any maritime history
collection that deals with the ages of exploration and
sail.
Review Copyrighted ©2021 Cindy
Vallar
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