• Celebration: A replica of the route of the Magallanes-Elcano trip to celebrate its fifth centenary

The magnitude of the journey started exactly 500 years ago by the Portuguese Fernando de Magallanes and the Spanish Juan Sebastián Elcano is one of the greatest epics undertaken by man, says Mariano Cuesta Domingo, Professor Emeritus of American History at the Complutense University of Madrid . "He gave the dimension and the image of the hidden face of the Earth, in the same way that the Soviets photographed that of the Moon in 1959," says this expert.

His expedition departed from Seville on August 10, 1519, descending the Guadalquivir River. The original objective of his company was the search for a new commercial route to reach the Moluccan Islands , overflowing with spices, but this economic reason ended up occupying a background in history, such as the hidden face of the trip, which ended up becoming The first trip around the world.

"Magallanes ended up finding the passage through the south with which to overcome the 14,000-kilometer obstacle that America posed to reach the great Pacific Ocean, which was difficult to navigate due to the lack of ships and ports," says Cuesta. " The discovery of that route was more important than the objective itself, " adds the historian, who has participated this week in a summer course at the Menéndez Pelayo International University of Santander on this epic.

It was the circumstances that eventually determined the historical merit of the expedition. With Magellan killed in the confrontation against the inhabitants of the Philippine island of Mactan on April 27, 1521, a dwindling crew due to desertions and deaths, and some ships in a poor state, Elcano, already in command, decides to return by routes known to the Portuguese, to southern Africa. "The moment they return is when Elcano realizes the magnitude of the return to the world . It is what he feels most satisfied," explains Professor Emeritus.

The prominent role of the Spanish sailor, also shaped by circumstances, is not entirely casual. " He was not an ordinary guy, but someone very experienced . He joined the trip fallen out of favor because of his debts, but already on board, the succession of events makes his experience put him at the forefront for the return", says Cuesta. Its decisive attitude allowed that the expedition financed by the Spanish crown could return to its port of origin, in Seville, in September of 1522.

Precisely in the Andalusian capital will take place the official events that begin the celebration of this event. The city fired exactly 500 years ago to a crew of 239 men spread across five ships, to see them return, three years later, with only one ship and 18 squalid people on board .

A tribute of the Spanish Navy to the expedition will be the act that starts the celebrations, with a military parade, a floral offering and the raising of a commemorative flag of the event. In addition, we will proceed to the inauguration of the Interpretation Center of the first round the world and the departure of the PROS sailboat, which will recreate the route over the next three years.

From the Government of Spain it has been insisted that these acts, of an "open and inclusive" nature, are part of an "Iberian deed", with the aim of twinning with Portugal and avoiding controversies over which country corresponds to the paternity of the company. All this after in 2017 there was friction due to the candidacy presented to Unesco by the neighboring country so that the trip was considered a World Heritage Site without Spain, a conflict that was corrected in April this year with the joint candidacy.

In Cuesta's opinion, these rifirrafes are completely sterile and "blur" what in itself should be a fact of unquestionable weight, although he understands that the claims of both Spain and Portugal are equally fair. " Portugal was the birthplace of Magellan, but Spain was where that character was important . We must not forget that in his home country he went from the summit to ostracism." Although Cuesta believes that "behind the political actions there are many hidden intentions," he relies on the wisdom of both governments to turn this anniversary into a joint celebration.

The Government, which has also been represented in the Santander summer courses with the participation of Pilar Torre, from the Ministry of Culture and Sports, also avoids disputes and focuses on the impact of the first round the world. "He recognized the immensity of the land and improved knowledge of the biosphere and cultural exchange," Torre said during his participation in the conference. Tributes scheduled until 2022 will try to do justice to the trip that boasted the hidden face of the earth.

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