What do you think?
Rate this book
Conquering The Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery
The story of an uncovered voyage as colorful and momentous as any on record for the Age of Discovery—and of the Black mariner whose stunning accomplishment has been until now lost to history
It began with a secret mission, no expenses spared. Spain, plotting to break Portugal’s monopoly trade with the fabled Orient, set sail from a hidden Mexican port to cross the Pacific—and then, critically, to attempt the never-before-accomplished return, the vuelta. Four ships set out from Navidad, each one carrying a dream team of navigators. The smallest ship, guided by seaman Lope Martín, a mulatto who had risen through the ranks to become one of the most qualified pilots of the era, soon pulled far ahead and became mysteriously lost from the fleet. It was the beginning of a voyage of epic scope, featuring mutiny, murderous encounters with Pacific islanders, astonishing physical hardships—and at last a triumphant return to the New World. But the pilot of the fleet’s flagship, the Augustine friar mariner Andrés de Urdaneta, later caught up with Martín to achieve the vuelta as well. It was he who now basked in glory, while Lope Martín was secretly sentenced to be hanged by the Spanish crown as repayment for his services. Acclaimed historian Andrés Reséndez, through brilliant scholarship and riveting storytelling—including an astonishing outcome for the resilient Lope Martín--sets the record straight.
It began with a secret mission, no expenses spared. Spain, plotting to break Portugal’s monopoly trade with the fabled Orient, set sail from a hidden Mexican port to cross the Pacific—and then, critically, to attempt the never-before-accomplished return, the vuelta. Four ships set out from Navidad, each one carrying a dream team of navigators. The smallest ship, guided by seaman Lope Martín, a mulatto who had risen through the ranks to become one of the most qualified pilots of the era, soon pulled far ahead and became mysteriously lost from the fleet. It was the beginning of a voyage of epic scope, featuring mutiny, murderous encounters with Pacific islanders, astonishing physical hardships—and at last a triumphant return to the New World. But the pilot of the fleet’s flagship, the Augustine friar mariner Andrés de Urdaneta, later caught up with Martín to achieve the vuelta as well. It was he who now basked in glory, while Lope Martín was secretly sentenced to be hanged by the Spanish crown as repayment for his services. Acclaimed historian Andrés Reséndez, through brilliant scholarship and riveting storytelling—including an astonishing outcome for the resilient Lope Martín--sets the record straight.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2021
98 people are currently reading
1074 people want to read
About the author
Andrés Reséndez
15 books90 followersI grew up in Mexico City where I worked in various capacities--the best job I ever had was as a historical consultant for telenovelas (soap operas). After getting a PhD in history at the University of Chicago, I taught at Yale, the University of Helsinki, and UC Davis. I have written about the history of border regions (Changing National Identities at the Frontier--Cambridge University Press, 2005), early European exploration (A Land So Strange--Basic Books, 2007), and the enslavement of Native Americans (The Other Slavery--Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016). More recently, I have focused on the "Columbian moment" in the Pacific, beginning with the first expedition that went from America to Asia and back (1564-1565), instantly transforming the Pacific into a vital space of contact and exchange (Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery--Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021). These days I am researching the fallout from that venture. Just as Columbus's voyages triggered a major transfer of plants, animals, and germs across the Atlantic, so did the opening of the Pacific created a biological corridor across the largest ocean on Earth with very significant but little-understood consequences for the world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
October 27, 2021
Not just Lope Martin's incredible life on the sea tale. Very complex and logistics criteria in the 100,000's of minutia details of sail ships. And also for their politico and monetary inertia. Taught me about major geographic wind gales/ streams. Not for the light information reader. Going west across the Pacific from Mexico is far more doable than sailing in the reverse direction in this category of sailing vessels.
January 9, 2025
A fascinating, it somewhat truncated expose on the other (and considerably larger, ruefully neglected) ocean of Earth, the Pacific, as regards nascent maritime exploration by Western powers.
While much is written about Columbus, Drake, Magellan, de Gama and others, who among us has heard about Don Alfonso, Andres de Urdenata and navigator extraordinaire Lope Martin (?).
In an era where determination of latitude presented its own set of challenges and precise measurements of longitude would not surface until the development of the intricate Harrison chronometers, understanding ocean “gyres” (Coriolis directed clockwise movement of ocean currents), utilizing azimuthal and declination tables tied into geomagnetic “lines of flux” was a major achievement, which accorded accurate landfalls for the Philippines and the Spice islands in the 1560s by intrepid mariners. How such small wooden vessels traversed an ocean equivalent to very nearly an entire hemisphere all those centuries ago is nothing short of astonishing.
While much is written about Columbus, Drake, Magellan, de Gama and others, who among us has heard about Don Alfonso, Andres de Urdenata and navigator extraordinaire Lope Martin (?).
In an era where determination of latitude presented its own set of challenges and precise measurements of longitude would not surface until the development of the intricate Harrison chronometers, understanding ocean “gyres” (Coriolis directed clockwise movement of ocean currents), utilizing azimuthal and declination tables tied into geomagnetic “lines of flux” was a major achievement, which accorded accurate landfalls for the Philippines and the Spice islands in the 1560s by intrepid mariners. How such small wooden vessels traversed an ocean equivalent to very nearly an entire hemisphere all those centuries ago is nothing short of astonishing.
October 27, 2021
Not just Lope Martin's incredible life on the sea tale. Very complex and logistics criteria in the 100,000's of minutia details of sail ships. And also for their politico and monetary inertia. Taught me about major geographic wind gales/ streams. Not for the light information reader. Going west across the Pacific from Mexico is far more doable than sailing in the reverse direction in this category of sailing vessels.
March 30, 2023
Conquering The Pacific
By Andrés Reséndez
Andrés Reséndez is a historian at the University of Davis, California.
This book, published in 2021 is a maritime adventure story taking place in the fifteenth century. It is based on true events from painstakingly researched facts and events as recorded by sailor reporters in ancient Spanish and Portuguese documentation.
The work centres on the unheralded mariner, Afro-Portugese pilot Martin Lope, whose accomplishments were overshadowed by a more famous contemporary, friar mariner Urdaneta, pilot of the flagship, who arrived in Acapulco lower California two months later.
Reséndez expertly weaves together a colourful tapestry of maritime exploration, cultural encounters, and geopolitical intrigue that defined the era.
The author's narrative style is both engaging and accessible, making the story of Martin Lope and his crew's extraordinary journey across the Pacific come alive for readers. Reséndez masterfully blends historical detail with vivid descriptions of the vast ocean, the rugged coastline, and the diverse cultures that the crew encountered along the way.
"Conquering the Pacific" is not only a celebration of Martin Lope's remarkable achievements but also a testament to the resilience and courage of the sailors who ventured into the unknown.
This captivating book is a must-read for history enthusiasts, modern sailors, and anyone interested in the Age of Discovery.
By Andrés Reséndez
Andrés Reséndez is a historian at the University of Davis, California.
This book, published in 2021 is a maritime adventure story taking place in the fifteenth century. It is based on true events from painstakingly researched facts and events as recorded by sailor reporters in ancient Spanish and Portuguese documentation.
The work centres on the unheralded mariner, Afro-Portugese pilot Martin Lope, whose accomplishments were overshadowed by a more famous contemporary, friar mariner Urdaneta, pilot of the flagship, who arrived in Acapulco lower California two months later.
Reséndez expertly weaves together a colourful tapestry of maritime exploration, cultural encounters, and geopolitical intrigue that defined the era.
The author's narrative style is both engaging and accessible, making the story of Martin Lope and his crew's extraordinary journey across the Pacific come alive for readers. Reséndez masterfully blends historical detail with vivid descriptions of the vast ocean, the rugged coastline, and the diverse cultures that the crew encountered along the way.
"Conquering the Pacific" is not only a celebration of Martin Lope's remarkable achievements but also a testament to the resilience and courage of the sailors who ventured into the unknown.
This captivating book is a must-read for history enthusiasts, modern sailors, and anyone interested in the Age of Discovery.
May 13, 2024
Closer to being an academic monograph than one usually sees in history for the general reader, Resendez has a mystery of attribution he wants to tease apart. On one hand, the Spanish tended to grant credit for the first transit of the so-called "vuelta" of the Pacific Ocean, a circuit of that ocean without being forced to perform a circumnavigation, to the navigator Andres de Urdaneta in 1565, who received much acclaim. However, several months earlier in 1565, another ship from the same expedition to what became the Philippines arrived back in Mexico first, piloted by an Afro-Portuguese man named Lope Martin. What happened to get Martin erased from Spanish imperial history then becomes the backbone of this book, and quite a tale it is. I'm inclined to let the individual reader discover this story for themselves, as it is a good one.
July 19, 2021
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.
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.
November 19, 2021
A University of California history professor, Resendez's book is a clear and interesting history of how seafaring helped Spain expand its colonial empire. Forgotten among all the big names of the 1500s, Lope Martin was half African, half Portuguese--rather looked down upon, but the most brilliant navigator when longitude was unknown and all other positions were calculated using simple instruments and astronomical tables. Spain sends a secret mission to open trade with the "Spice Islands" of the western tropical Pacific. Their Empire is in hot competition with Portugal, and to avoid open war the two countries agreed to lines of demarcation brokered by the Pope. The mission will need to respect that treaty while still enriching themselves with wealth that may well be within Portuguese claims. Four mighty ships are constructed at an obscure harbor on the west coast of Mexico, and Lope Martin's is the smallest of them. Hoping to sail together, his ships soon becomes separated, and the great adventure begins. The Pacific was virtually an unknown ocean, its huge size underestimated, but navigators did have vague ideas of the great circular patterns of currents, something already well known by the Portuguese in the Atlantic. After finishing this book, Public Broadcasting had a "Secrets of the Dead" program about the history of another book I'd read long ago: "The Samurai" by Shusaku Endo. It's the true story of a Japanese samurai who sails around 1614 with a priest to visit Mexico and Spain with the hope of negotiating a trade agreement and is a great adventure in its own right. Spain's closely held secret of navigating the Pacific, pioneered by Lope Martin, plays a major role in the plot of the commercial effort 40 or 50 years later. "Conquering the Pacific" is well documented with original sources. Spain kept very good records. Resendez tells the story for modern readers.
November 17, 2021
Quick, short read with good maps. A nice blend of history, astronomy, oceanography, and meteorology with the lure of unfairness and racial injustice.
A captivating story of secrets and intrigue as well as a lesson in memory and how history is written. A flotilla of ships was commissioned by King Phillip II of Spain. It had unlimited resources and support. A Manhattan Project of its time to grab navigational and maritime ascendancy from the Portuguese. There was a NFL like draft of talent for navigators, pilots, bosuns, etc.
Everyone knows that Magellan was the first to circumnavigate the earth but few know he only performed this feat because he couldn’t sail back. Forward was the only path. But the man who discovered the gyre that enabled the return or vuelta of Spanish galleon traffic between the Philippines and Mexico is forgotten. Indeed, the man credited with this accomplishment is an Augustinian friar, Urdaneta, who followed in the wake of Lope Martin, a mulatto Portuguese pilot, who beat him by two months in the smallest of the flotilla’s vessels.
The flotilla of four ships set sail from Navidad, Mexico for Asia on November 20, 1564. What ensued was the typical story of separation, suspicion, misunderstanding, hardship, envy, and greed. To the victor belong the spoils. Not in this case. Lope Martin is forced on another crossing to the Philippines to answer for abandoning the original flotilla. He faces a death sentence. So would you return to this fate? Much occurs on this voyage and remains a mystery to this day.
A captivating story of secrets and intrigue as well as a lesson in memory and how history is written. A flotilla of ships was commissioned by King Phillip II of Spain. It had unlimited resources and support. A Manhattan Project of its time to grab navigational and maritime ascendancy from the Portuguese. There was a NFL like draft of talent for navigators, pilots, bosuns, etc.
Everyone knows that Magellan was the first to circumnavigate the earth but few know he only performed this feat because he couldn’t sail back. Forward was the only path. But the man who discovered the gyre that enabled the return or vuelta of Spanish galleon traffic between the Philippines and Mexico is forgotten. Indeed, the man credited with this accomplishment is an Augustinian friar, Urdaneta, who followed in the wake of Lope Martin, a mulatto Portuguese pilot, who beat him by two months in the smallest of the flotilla’s vessels.
The flotilla of four ships set sail from Navidad, Mexico for Asia on November 20, 1564. What ensued was the typical story of separation, suspicion, misunderstanding, hardship, envy, and greed. To the victor belong the spoils. Not in this case. Lope Martin is forced on another crossing to the Philippines to answer for abandoning the original flotilla. He faces a death sentence. So would you return to this fate? Much occurs on this voyage and remains a mystery to this day.
July 15, 2022
Excellent, well researched account of pioneering voyages from America to SE Asia. The Spanish author accessed the historical record in both Spain and Portugal to outline the influences driving this daunting feat of sailing in the 16th century.
Whilst fleshing out the historical characters Resendez details the navigational and meteorological challenges facing the expedition. With economic and political gains in the balance Phillip II’s mariners come through to reach the Philippines. An unusual twist of fortune clouds the return journey, a first of its kind.
The closing pages of the book highlight the impact of this voyage and wrap the account up neatly with a happy ending. The references in the end pages are voluminous.
A worthwhile read.
Whilst fleshing out the historical characters Resendez details the navigational and meteorological challenges facing the expedition. With economic and political gains in the balance Phillip II’s mariners come through to reach the Philippines. An unusual twist of fortune clouds the return journey, a first of its kind.
The closing pages of the book highlight the impact of this voyage and wrap the account up neatly with a happy ending. The references in the end pages are voluminous.
A worthwhile read.
January 13, 2023
I can’t even begin to explain why the history of the Age of “Discovery” is so fascinating to me, but it is! I add this worthwhile book to my collection on the subject, and it’s a good one. I find it focused much less on the unknown mariner than it suggests, which is why it lost a star, but it’s still informative, well-paced, and chock full of fun facts about the massive Pacific that I hadn’t known before.
December 13, 2023
I enjoyed this book so much. Fascinating.
If I had unlimited funds at my disposal, I would buy this amazing Lope Martin artwork for him.
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/mark-st...
Thank you for your excellent work, Mr. Resendez.
If I had unlimited funds at my disposal, I would buy this amazing Lope Martin artwork for him.
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/mark-st...
Thank you for your excellent work, Mr. Resendez.
May 14, 2025
In the beginning of A Land So Strange Andrés Reséndez provides some context to the story he’s about to tell by spending the first chapter of the book summarizing the early history of Spanish colonization in the new world. In what I can only assume is an attempt to one up himself Reséndez begins Conquering the Pacific with a context providing summary of the entire history of the Pacific Ocean. When I say “the entire history” I do not mean the history of humanity in the pacific. I mean the entire history of the ocean. He starts with Pangea, tells us about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, spends some time speculating on common mammalian ancestors of rodents and primates, and gradually works his way up the timeline to Christopher Columbus’s mother in law before finally ending up at Magellan’s globe spanning voyage.
Is all this necessary? Not really. Is reading this like the literary equivalent of that Charlie Day meme with the red lines connecting a bunch of papers on the wall? Absolutely. But it is interesting, and I love the audacity of trying to summarize all this info within a single book preface. Also it’s very funny to me to imagine Reséndez insisting to his editor that the only way anyone can understand how hard it was for medieval sailors to figure out longitude is if they know how and why the velociraptor went extinct.
A rule of thumb I have for history books is that the more the author rambles, the wider ranging the rambling is, and the earlier in the book that the rambling begins, the more likely it is that the author didn’t have enough information in their sources to actually fill an entire book. Despite this being a very short book the rambling begins immediately and it ranges about as far off as it’s possible to go. Make of this what you will.
Conquering the Pacific bills itself as the story of Lope Martín, the pilot of a ship that sailed from Mexico to cross the pacific and then was the first to accomplish the vuelta, the term for turning around and recrossing the pacific back to the new world. Calling this book the story of Martín is stretching the truth a little bit. The first two thirds of the book only mention Martín a handful of times, and some of those references don’t run much deeper than “oh yeah also Lope was probably there too.” These sections of the book are mostly concerned with preparations for the journey, and then an account of the outward leg of the trip.
I’m going to be honest, most of this stuff is pretty dull. A lot of time is spent on logistics and procedure, and on data points that Reséndez uses later to establish the veracity of Martín’s claims. I get what the author is going for here, and it’s certainly informative, but the writing just isn’t up to the task of making this stuff interesting to read about.
The last third of the book focuses in on the vuelta and the fallout from the expedition once Martín makes it back to Mexico. This is where the book really starts to sing. I had a blast with Reséndez’s A Land So Strange because it was at heart a very entertaining, very weird, story about four guys in an impossible situation. The parts of Conquering the Pacific that shine a similar light on Martín’s individual story are equally fascinating. Martín accomplished something extraordinary, and then went to equally extraordinary lengths to keep his head attached to his shoulders once he made it back home. It’s fun stuff, and worth reading even if Reséndez really takes his time in setting the table before he gets around to the main course.
Two stars for the first two thirds of the book, four stars for the last third, as well as for that absolutely bananas preface. To my mind that works out to three stars total.
Is all this necessary? Not really. Is reading this like the literary equivalent of that Charlie Day meme with the red lines connecting a bunch of papers on the wall? Absolutely. But it is interesting, and I love the audacity of trying to summarize all this info within a single book preface. Also it’s very funny to me to imagine Reséndez insisting to his editor that the only way anyone can understand how hard it was for medieval sailors to figure out longitude is if they know how and why the velociraptor went extinct.
A rule of thumb I have for history books is that the more the author rambles, the wider ranging the rambling is, and the earlier in the book that the rambling begins, the more likely it is that the author didn’t have enough information in their sources to actually fill an entire book. Despite this being a very short book the rambling begins immediately and it ranges about as far off as it’s possible to go. Make of this what you will.
Conquering the Pacific bills itself as the story of Lope Martín, the pilot of a ship that sailed from Mexico to cross the pacific and then was the first to accomplish the vuelta, the term for turning around and recrossing the pacific back to the new world. Calling this book the story of Martín is stretching the truth a little bit. The first two thirds of the book only mention Martín a handful of times, and some of those references don’t run much deeper than “oh yeah also Lope was probably there too.” These sections of the book are mostly concerned with preparations for the journey, and then an account of the outward leg of the trip.
I’m going to be honest, most of this stuff is pretty dull. A lot of time is spent on logistics and procedure, and on data points that Reséndez uses later to establish the veracity of Martín’s claims. I get what the author is going for here, and it’s certainly informative, but the writing just isn’t up to the task of making this stuff interesting to read about.
The last third of the book focuses in on the vuelta and the fallout from the expedition once Martín makes it back to Mexico. This is where the book really starts to sing. I had a blast with Reséndez’s A Land So Strange because it was at heart a very entertaining, very weird, story about four guys in an impossible situation. The parts of Conquering the Pacific that shine a similar light on Martín’s individual story are equally fascinating. Martín accomplished something extraordinary, and then went to equally extraordinary lengths to keep his head attached to his shoulders once he made it back home. It’s fun stuff, and worth reading even if Reséndez really takes his time in setting the table before he gets around to the main course.
Two stars for the first two thirds of the book, four stars for the last third, as well as for that absolutely bananas preface. To my mind that works out to three stars total.
March 28, 2022
Ah....this is why we read!!! Andrés Reséndez does a wonderful job researching Spanish and Mexican exploration records from almost 500 years ago to tell the story of conquering the Pacific Ocean. While the westward journey had been made by Spanish and Portuguese sailors 40 years prior, by the year 1564, Spain was ready with a bold, new plan to sail from Navidad, Mexico to the Philippines and then to successfully finding a return route. The science and knowledge of the day showed that by taking advantage of the wind patterns that circle the Pacific, the west to east trip could be successful where all previous attempts had failed.
The first few chapters were packed with details of the planning that took place, the secrecy of where the ships were built and the political jockeying to name the captains and pilots who would guide the voyage. Trickery, secret orders, embezzlement, cost over-runs and fierce rivalries were just as common 500 years ago as today. Once at sea, the hardships that the crew and passengers experienced were brutal. The voyagers faced an unknown return trip and a good chance of dying enroute through disease and lack of nutrition from poor foodstuffs. The dangers of just being at sea and being held at the mercy of storms, leaking boats and the associated workplace hazards were always looming.
The latter half of the book contains all the elements of a good spy thriller. The hardships of life at sea, mutiny, murder, freezing temperatures, and shortages of food, water and basic supplies all plagued the ships' return trip. The main theme of the book, being the racial bigotry that came into play against the gifted pilot, Lope Martín, was brought sharply into focus as the story progressed. The details of how Martín was slighted after his accomplishment of being the first to lead a voyage safely back to the Americas ring strikingly relevant to our current times. Add in fighting off rats just for added measure and a touch of Raiders of the Lost Ark action!
Fantastic read!
The first few chapters were packed with details of the planning that took place, the secrecy of where the ships were built and the political jockeying to name the captains and pilots who would guide the voyage. Trickery, secret orders, embezzlement, cost over-runs and fierce rivalries were just as common 500 years ago as today. Once at sea, the hardships that the crew and passengers experienced were brutal. The voyagers faced an unknown return trip and a good chance of dying enroute through disease and lack of nutrition from poor foodstuffs. The dangers of just being at sea and being held at the mercy of storms, leaking boats and the associated workplace hazards were always looming.
The latter half of the book contains all the elements of a good spy thriller. The hardships of life at sea, mutiny, murder, freezing temperatures, and shortages of food, water and basic supplies all plagued the ships' return trip. The main theme of the book, being the racial bigotry that came into play against the gifted pilot, Lope Martín, was brought sharply into focus as the story progressed. The details of how Martín was slighted after his accomplishment of being the first to lead a voyage safely back to the Americas ring strikingly relevant to our current times. Add in fighting off rats just for added measure and a touch of Raiders of the Lost Ark action!
Fantastic read!
January 7, 2023
Audiobook.
Very short, interesting, and compelling story. What a world that we explore. The book is short, and throughout much of the book I wanted so much more detail. But I love at the end that star of the show, Lope Martin has an opportunity to live on forever. Great writing. Maybe too much foreshadowing, but incredibly fun.
Very short, interesting, and compelling story. What a world that we explore. The book is short, and throughout much of the book I wanted so much more detail. But I love at the end that star of the show, Lope Martin has an opportunity to live on forever. Great writing. Maybe too much foreshadowing, but incredibly fun.
September 25, 2022
An excellent commentary on early sea exploration and politics. Underdog stories are always popular, and the story of Lope Martín is one that needs to be told. After reading the book it is impossible not to be in awe of the bravery that these explorers had.
February 16, 2022
This was an amazing book. I completed a book on the explorations of Henry Hudson just a few weeks before receiving this book as a Christmas present. So I was in mariner explorer mode. Conquering the Pacific tells the story of a little-known voyage across the Pacific Ocean by a small Spanish fleet. Because it was not a voyage of conquest it received very little notice in 1564.
European exploration started in the late 15th century. They were voyages that reached the far ends of the earth resulting in claims of new lands for the sovereigns that financed the endeavor. These voyages were intended to develop a maritime route to the riches of Asia and the Spice Islands. By virtue of a papal decision to divide the New World between Spain and Portugal, the leading exploratory nations of the time, the former decided to use the Western Hemisphere as a springboard to Asia, across the Pacific Ocean, thereby bypassing Portuguese outposts in Africa and India.
The Spanish expedition from 1564–1565 Spanish was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean from the Americas to Asia and return, launching an era of global trade with the Far East. Spain funded the costly expedition out of a port in Navidad, Mexico, building four ships and recruiting a skilled, multinational crew. Included were famed explorers and Augustine Andrés de Urdaneta and Afro-Portuguese pilot Lope Martín, who had achieved the highest rank available to a “free mulatto.”
The expedition’s lookout ship, piloted by Martín, became separated from the others during a storm. The book traces Urdaneta and Martín’s subsequent adventures, including encounters with Pacific Islanders, a mutiny, and a near shipwreck. Though Martín’s smaller vessel was the first to complete the west-east return, Urdaneta, sailing on a much larger ship, received all the glory. Meanwhile, Martín and his captain were investigated in Mexico for leaving the expedition behind. While the captain was allowed to return to Spain, Martín was sentenced to be hanged for treason. Fortunately, he managed to escape. The account of navigational techniques done mostly by self-taught mariners are amazing. We have become so accustomed to GPS on our smartphones that the accounts of navigation with hand instruments and calculations are amazing.
All other subsequent voyages also failed to find a means of returning east to the Western Hemisphere. This story of the discovery of the vuelta, the ocean current necessary to return to North America by way of the Northern Pacific. The vuelta influenced all subsequent voyages even down to the present. Woven into the story are the discoveries of lands and people made in the course of the voyage as well as the rivalries, disputes, disagreements, and conspiracies among those captains and navigators.
Certainly, the mixed-race origin of Martin, the navigator, is deemed a factor in the eventual investigation of the circumstances surrounding the initial separation of the vessel from the fleet, the actions he took subsequently, and to whom should go the credit. The book contains maps, portraits and illustrations reproduced mostly from the time period and includes 72 pages of notes.
European exploration started in the late 15th century. They were voyages that reached the far ends of the earth resulting in claims of new lands for the sovereigns that financed the endeavor. These voyages were intended to develop a maritime route to the riches of Asia and the Spice Islands. By virtue of a papal decision to divide the New World between Spain and Portugal, the leading exploratory nations of the time, the former decided to use the Western Hemisphere as a springboard to Asia, across the Pacific Ocean, thereby bypassing Portuguese outposts in Africa and India.
The Spanish expedition from 1564–1565 Spanish was the first to cross the Pacific Ocean from the Americas to Asia and return, launching an era of global trade with the Far East. Spain funded the costly expedition out of a port in Navidad, Mexico, building four ships and recruiting a skilled, multinational crew. Included were famed explorers and Augustine Andrés de Urdaneta and Afro-Portuguese pilot Lope Martín, who had achieved the highest rank available to a “free mulatto.”
The expedition’s lookout ship, piloted by Martín, became separated from the others during a storm. The book traces Urdaneta and Martín’s subsequent adventures, including encounters with Pacific Islanders, a mutiny, and a near shipwreck. Though Martín’s smaller vessel was the first to complete the west-east return, Urdaneta, sailing on a much larger ship, received all the glory. Meanwhile, Martín and his captain were investigated in Mexico for leaving the expedition behind. While the captain was allowed to return to Spain, Martín was sentenced to be hanged for treason. Fortunately, he managed to escape. The account of navigational techniques done mostly by self-taught mariners are amazing. We have become so accustomed to GPS on our smartphones that the accounts of navigation with hand instruments and calculations are amazing.
All other subsequent voyages also failed to find a means of returning east to the Western Hemisphere. This story of the discovery of the vuelta, the ocean current necessary to return to North America by way of the Northern Pacific. The vuelta influenced all subsequent voyages even down to the present. Woven into the story are the discoveries of lands and people made in the course of the voyage as well as the rivalries, disputes, disagreements, and conspiracies among those captains and navigators.
Certainly, the mixed-race origin of Martin, the navigator, is deemed a factor in the eventual investigation of the circumstances surrounding the initial separation of the vessel from the fleet, the actions he took subsequently, and to whom should go the credit. The book contains maps, portraits and illustrations reproduced mostly from the time period and includes 72 pages of notes.
December 22, 2022
Wow I knew nothing of the 16th century Afro
Portuguese explorer. His great discovery opened the way for Pacific ocean trade.
I will remember the explorer Lope Martin.
Portuguese explorer. His great discovery opened the way for Pacific ocean trade.
I will remember the explorer Lope Martin.
November 1, 2025
Conquering the Pacific recounts the first successful return voyage from Oceania back to the Americas.
Reséndez goes into depth in multiple chapters on early navigation and the difficulties surrounding it, especially the failure of return voyages due to gyres, large circles of wind and currents. I learned so much, and I am in awe of early sailors and the risks they took by boarding a ship. In this day and age, it’s easy to take for granted always knowing where we are and where we are going, while early navigators had to depend on mathematics and charts and a sheer lot of luck. While I appreciated the background information, this book might bore those more versed in sailing.
It takes a while for the story of Lope Martín to begin, and when it does, there’s relatively little information about him. The author often has to guess at Martín’s motives, but the legal injustice done to Martín and his response still make him a fascinating historical figure.
This book should have been described as the story of the expedition as a whole and not just Martín, not because Reséndez didn’t do justice to Martín’s story but because the little history we have on him had to be padded with surrounding information. Even still, it’s important that Conquering the Pacific was published as it finally gives Lope Martín the recognition for the odds he overcame to accomplish what had never been done before.
Reséndez goes into depth in multiple chapters on early navigation and the difficulties surrounding it, especially the failure of return voyages due to gyres, large circles of wind and currents. I learned so much, and I am in awe of early sailors and the risks they took by boarding a ship. In this day and age, it’s easy to take for granted always knowing where we are and where we are going, while early navigators had to depend on mathematics and charts and a sheer lot of luck. While I appreciated the background information, this book might bore those more versed in sailing.
It takes a while for the story of Lope Martín to begin, and when it does, there’s relatively little information about him. The author often has to guess at Martín’s motives, but the legal injustice done to Martín and his response still make him a fascinating historical figure.
This book should have been described as the story of the expedition as a whole and not just Martín, not because Reséndez didn’t do justice to Martín’s story but because the little history we have on him had to be padded with surrounding information. Even still, it’s important that Conquering the Pacific was published as it finally gives Lope Martín the recognition for the odds he overcame to accomplish what had never been done before.
December 31, 2021
A very good telling of the final part of the conquest of the Pacific, the journey from the Philippines to New Spain. It is well researched and tells the story of Lope Martin, an Afro-Portuguese navigator.
A true story of adventure and intrigue.
A true story of adventure and intrigue.
January 27, 2022
A great little book of 200 pages of text about a character type who has become popular in recent years, the historically significant but overlooked person of color, in this case the navigator who pioneered the first eastward traverse of the Pacific Ocean, completed in 1565. (Magellan, Loaisa, Saavedra and Villalobos had crossed the ocean earlier but only from east to west.) This got Spain into the spice trade and ensured its colonial presence in the region for the next 300+ years. What became of the navigator after the traverse is also an interesting and apparently overlooked story.
I appreciated the author’s writing style, perfectly suited for the informed general audience.
I appreciated the author’s writing style, perfectly suited for the informed general audience.
October 3, 2021
I read this book because I wanted to learn about the early history of the Philippines (where I was born) and how it became a Spanish colony. But what intrigued me the most was the mystery of whatever happened to Lope Martin and his companions. Did they survive and perhaps start families around the atolls or smaller islands? Or did they perish soon after they were abandoned? Thank you to the author for bringing this unknown pilot, his adventures and mysterious end to those of us interested in Spanish colonialism.
January 18, 2022
Maritime histories are a genre I enjoy-these explorations are responsible for the state of the world as it is today, for good or bad. This book is an excellent addition to this genre.
It's the 16th Century. The Spanish and Portuguese Empires are at their heights and in fierce competition. They've carved up the lands across the Atlantic Ocean between themselves in the Treaty of Tordesillas, a deal that Spain isn't too happy with, since an effective trade route is blocked off, from the resource rich countries of the Orient. Exploration is getting more scientific, navigators are tabulating their observations and increasing a base of measurements, all carefully pored over by astronomers and mathematicians in their home countries. You could control the world if you mastered the seas, and like the Space Race centuries later, the race to conquer the oceans led to major scientific breakthroughs in measurement, navigation, mathematics, with trigonometry and logarithms developed to aid navigations, mapping the oceans themselves, and oceanic currents. The last uncharted expanse was the Pacific.
This is one of those books where just the foreword, and the footnotes alone are so beautifully written that they're worth the book. Resendez's incredible foreword takes the reader right from the formation of the oceans, and traces evolution, early migrations across the seas and how those affected the land and life on it, through oceanic travels in antiquity, right up to the beginning of the 16th Century, and excellently contextualises the exploration of the South Sea and just how difficult it was. The book goes on to describe the expeditions of Columbus and Magellan, and gives you a proper perspective of what they actually were trying to achieve, beyond the usual "stumbled upon America" and "circumnavigated the world". The main expedition he focuses on, was one to complete the "vuelta"-the hitherto unachieved accomplishment of crossing the Pacific Ocean, reaching China ,and then returning across the Ocean. The need for this was because having colonised the Philippines, the Portuguese attacked any Spanish ships that made it there, and continued to attack them all the way through the Indian Ocean. A flotilla of 3 ships was equipped, and their experiences form the rest of the book. The cast of (real-life)characters who people the book area absolutely fascinating-explorer-soldier turned monk Urdaneta, and genius astronomer/pilot/navigator Lope Martin.
Apart from working as an absolutely thrilling, page-turning adventure story that happens to be real, the book gives you an excellent perspective of how international trade developed, and everything that went into it-the politics, the finances, the slave trade, the incremental and painstaking process of observations, documentation and refining those to develop charts. This should be on all the best non fiction lists of 2021!
It's the 16th Century. The Spanish and Portuguese Empires are at their heights and in fierce competition. They've carved up the lands across the Atlantic Ocean between themselves in the Treaty of Tordesillas, a deal that Spain isn't too happy with, since an effective trade route is blocked off, from the resource rich countries of the Orient. Exploration is getting more scientific, navigators are tabulating their observations and increasing a base of measurements, all carefully pored over by astronomers and mathematicians in their home countries. You could control the world if you mastered the seas, and like the Space Race centuries later, the race to conquer the oceans led to major scientific breakthroughs in measurement, navigation, mathematics, with trigonometry and logarithms developed to aid navigations, mapping the oceans themselves, and oceanic currents. The last uncharted expanse was the Pacific.
This is one of those books where just the foreword, and the footnotes alone are so beautifully written that they're worth the book. Resendez's incredible foreword takes the reader right from the formation of the oceans, and traces evolution, early migrations across the seas and how those affected the land and life on it, through oceanic travels in antiquity, right up to the beginning of the 16th Century, and excellently contextualises the exploration of the South Sea and just how difficult it was. The book goes on to describe the expeditions of Columbus and Magellan, and gives you a proper perspective of what they actually were trying to achieve, beyond the usual "stumbled upon America" and "circumnavigated the world". The main expedition he focuses on, was one to complete the "vuelta"-the hitherto unachieved accomplishment of crossing the Pacific Ocean, reaching China ,and then returning across the Ocean. The need for this was because having colonised the Philippines, the Portuguese attacked any Spanish ships that made it there, and continued to attack them all the way through the Indian Ocean. A flotilla of 3 ships was equipped, and their experiences form the rest of the book. The cast of (real-life)characters who people the book area absolutely fascinating-explorer-soldier turned monk Urdaneta, and genius astronomer/pilot/navigator Lope Martin.
Apart from working as an absolutely thrilling, page-turning adventure story that happens to be real, the book gives you an excellent perspective of how international trade developed, and everything that went into it-the politics, the finances, the slave trade, the incremental and painstaking process of observations, documentation and refining those to develop charts. This should be on all the best non fiction lists of 2021!
September 5, 2023
The subject is the establishing of a reliable enough method for crossing the Pacific Ocean from the Americas and more importantly returning in one piece and opening another trade route. The Spanish supported the venture and hired the best pilots and captains they could . . . well . . . . not always, but never mind. The focus of the book is Lope Martín, a mulatto pilot so competent and brilliant that he was assigned (albeit to the smallest craft) to the flotilla. Resendez begins with a short geological and meteorological précis of the challenges these sailors faced. No established simple way to determine longitude, indeed no clocks to time anything and determine speed, a huge ocean with fiendish winds and currents. I found this first chapter enthralling, actually. The book then proceeds with the building of the ships on the western coast of Mexico, the trip (details that are known) and then the most important of all the return, 'the vuelta' which never had been done before. Lope Martín was the first pilot to successfully achiever the vuelta (just barely). I don't think Resendez is to blame for long (kind of involved and dull) sections of detail about the politicking and scheming of the various men involved, in Spain, in Mexico, on the ships -- the story is convoluted and treachery was inevitable. Martín's ship, the San Lucas, was separated from the rest of the ships early on, whether by design or by accident, impossible to ever know. The Spanish behaved, as all these early explorers did, abominably wherever they found inhabited islands, but one cannot but marvel that all these men were willing to put their lives in such danger. Desperation, greed, and for some a pull toward risk-taking and adventure, a belief that their luck would hold. Lots of hard research here. ***1/2
August 29, 2022
There's something about the fearlessness of sailors back before reliable forms of navigation that intrigues me to no end. In a way, reminds me of Shackleton's voyage, but in Asia and warm weather.
********************************
The year is 1564, you’re sent on a secret mission from Spain to break Portugal’s monopoly trade with the fabled Orient by sailing from Navidad, Mexico to the Philippines … and return. There is no electricity, no GPS, no satellite phones, not even a map. You’ll be on a boat with zero modern conveniences cramped together with other unwashed people, rats, and all kinds of bugs and bacteria without proper food for an estimated 9-12 months. Oh, and no one’s ever done it before. Would you attempt it?
The cojones of sailors in the 1500s boggles my mind. What a wild time.
Lope Martín was a formerly enslaved Afro-Portuguese mariner and the first navigator to truly “open” the Pacific, accomplishing what Columbus did for the Atlantic. He transformed the Pacific into “a vital space of contact and exchange, weaving all continents together and launching our global world,” writes Andrés Reséndez.
Packed full of interesting information regarding the logistics of such a journey, from the sailing ships themselves to circular ocean currents formed by Earth’s wind patterns and rotation (gyres), as well as political and monetary factors, Reséndez’s well researched expedition is a swashbuckling good time.
Forced by circumstance into the harsh life of the sea, Martín rose through the ranks eventually becoming one of the most accomplished and valuable pilots of his time anywhere in the world. Largely ignored or glossed over by history, credit for the first Pacific return trip is often given to the no less remarkable navigator and friar named Andrés de Urdaneta.
This is not just a tale of pioneering adventures and the stolen glory of Martín (who was sentenced to be hanged after the voyage and escaped by leading a mutiny on the ship that was transporting him to his death), this was the beginning of a vast network of transpacific interests that have reshaped the globe and continue to influence geo-political relations.
Highly recommend.
********************************
The year is 1564, you’re sent on a secret mission from Spain to break Portugal’s monopoly trade with the fabled Orient by sailing from Navidad, Mexico to the Philippines … and return. There is no electricity, no GPS, no satellite phones, not even a map. You’ll be on a boat with zero modern conveniences cramped together with other unwashed people, rats, and all kinds of bugs and bacteria without proper food for an estimated 9-12 months. Oh, and no one’s ever done it before. Would you attempt it?
The cojones of sailors in the 1500s boggles my mind. What a wild time.
Lope Martín was a formerly enslaved Afro-Portuguese mariner and the first navigator to truly “open” the Pacific, accomplishing what Columbus did for the Atlantic. He transformed the Pacific into “a vital space of contact and exchange, weaving all continents together and launching our global world,” writes Andrés Reséndez.
Packed full of interesting information regarding the logistics of such a journey, from the sailing ships themselves to circular ocean currents formed by Earth’s wind patterns and rotation (gyres), as well as political and monetary factors, Reséndez’s well researched expedition is a swashbuckling good time.
Forced by circumstance into the harsh life of the sea, Martín rose through the ranks eventually becoming one of the most accomplished and valuable pilots of his time anywhere in the world. Largely ignored or glossed over by history, credit for the first Pacific return trip is often given to the no less remarkable navigator and friar named Andrés de Urdaneta.
This is not just a tale of pioneering adventures and the stolen glory of Martín (who was sentenced to be hanged after the voyage and escaped by leading a mutiny on the ship that was transporting him to his death), this was the beginning of a vast network of transpacific interests that have reshaped the globe and continue to influence geo-political relations.
Highly recommend.
December 28, 2023
I never knew about the Spanish empire's attempts to find an eastern passage from the Asian islands back to North America. This author has performed a great deal of research into the expeditions and men who were responsible for finding a return route across the immense Pacific Ocean. The success at finding that route eventually led to the connection of commerce between Asia and Spanish settlements in North America. I had read a little bit about the commerce carried out between China and European nations based in Asia, and the European settlements in North America in the book "1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created" by Charles C. Mann. But, this book takes place before that time. It's all connected.
So much history has been lost because people didn't keep records. But, the Spanish seemed to be very good and recording their experiences during colonialism. I think part of it was because they were in North America and beyond for profit and prestige from the Spanish crown. They wanted to record their efforts for proof that they deserved to be rewarded.
So much history has been lost because people didn't keep records. But, the Spanish seemed to be very good and recording their experiences during colonialism. I think part of it was because they were in North America and beyond for profit and prestige from the Spanish crown. They wanted to record their efforts for proof that they deserved to be rewarded.
November 10, 2025
This short book packs a punch! With only approximately 200 pages, the reader gets to learn about a relatively unknown pilot and central focus of the book, Lope Martin, an Afro-Portuguese sailor who sailed successfully from the Americas to Asia. Other important characters are Andres de Urdaneta, a former renown pilot turned Augustine friar, Don Alonso de Arellano, the captain of the small San Lucas ship, Commander Legazpi of the flagship, San Pedro, King Philip II of Spain, and many more fascinating individuals who compose this brief but exciting, action-packed story of courageous exploration and discovery.
At times the story can get a tad plodding with the technical information of measuring latitude and longitude and other important scientific calculations, but don't despair, these details provide much-needed context and clarity to an extraordinary nautical adventure.
If you enjoy stories of exploration, discovery, swashbuckling mutiny, and intrigue, this short book delivers on all counts! It's truly a hidden gem that you won't regret turning the pages to!
At times the story can get a tad plodding with the technical information of measuring latitude and longitude and other important scientific calculations, but don't despair, these details provide much-needed context and clarity to an extraordinary nautical adventure.
If you enjoy stories of exploration, discovery, swashbuckling mutiny, and intrigue, this short book delivers on all counts! It's truly a hidden gem that you won't regret turning the pages to!
August 30, 2021
Many historic firsts fly under the radar. It's well known that Magellan's expedition crossed the Pacific Ocean as part of it's circumnavigation of the world. It's less well known that Spain was eager to find how to cross that ocean in both directions. Twice their ships had sailed from Mexico to the Philippines, but hadn't found a way to return from west to east. Andres Resendez has written the story of their next effort. It began in secret and had a cinematic end. Along the way he explains the challenges of such an attempt, from the state of navigation to the politics of the day and tensions among the personalities involved. Resendez finds the Pilot Lope Martin to be central to the story, but several other characters are of importance also. It's quite a story and well written. There are maps, diagrams and illustrations throughout which is most welcome to a reader like me. There are also extensive notes.
I received an ARC of this book compliments of Mariner Books and Netgalley.
I received an ARC of this book compliments of Mariner Books and Netgalley.
February 2, 2022
Engrossing, especially the parts about the Legazpi expedition to the Philippines. The writing about the voyages was very immersive. I would have given it five stars except for the end, which was a very big loose end.
I loved finding out that Miguel Lopez de Legazpi had TWO grandsons, Felipe and Juan de Salcedo. I'd known about Juan de Salcedo for a long time, because he settled in the Philippines. I had never heard of "Felipe de Salcedo, grandson of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi." I at first thought it was a typo. Later the book mentioned that Felipe had a younger brother named Juan de Salcedo. Ye Gods! Legazpi brought TWO grandsons with him on his epic, trans-Pacific voyage!
Legazpi stayed behind in the Philippines and became its first colonial governor. Felipe sailed his grandfather's flagship back across the Pacific, and made it safely to home port in Navidad, Nueva España. He was 18.
I loved finding out that Miguel Lopez de Legazpi had TWO grandsons, Felipe and Juan de Salcedo. I'd known about Juan de Salcedo for a long time, because he settled in the Philippines. I had never heard of "Felipe de Salcedo, grandson of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi." I at first thought it was a typo. Later the book mentioned that Felipe had a younger brother named Juan de Salcedo. Ye Gods! Legazpi brought TWO grandsons with him on his epic, trans-Pacific voyage!
Legazpi stayed behind in the Philippines and became its first colonial governor. Felipe sailed his grandfather's flagship back across the Pacific, and made it safely to home port in Navidad, Nueva España. He was 18.
January 16, 2022
Loved this historical account of heretofore anonymous (at least to me) explorer named Lope Martin, that piloted the first circumnavigation of the Pacific. (It was evidently manageable to get to Asia via Spain/Mexico, ie Magellan, but it was difficult and nearly impossible to return via the Pacific -the vuelta) Through dogged archival research, Resendez tells this tale of this covert mission complete with mutiny, swordplay, surprise ending and lots and lots of interesting facts...Such as: At one point they had to station men to kill rats that were gnawing at their fresh water casks - Kill total:30 to 40 a night! The natives they met (already successful fishmen/navigators) at many of the atolls made their boats (paraos) totally from coconut trees, including the sails, hulls and rigging...go figure. By the way, The San Lucas, the boat, was 8ft-20ft and carried 20 men...eeew.
March 1, 2022
What if it turned out that a Black man of mixed race was the first navigator to travel the Pacific, returning to his original port of call? In fact, that is what happened! In this compelling and engaging narrative, Reséndez unveils a spectacular journey, full of challenges, mutinies, unpredictabilities and immense suffering for those aboard the famed San Lucas. It also paints a picture of the cutthroat nature of 16th Century sailors, and those who funded their voyages.
5 stars. A fabulously told tale, made all the better by its historical veracity. Reséndez presents us with an ineluctable hero, showing the discrimination and "historical erasure" he faced. In so doing, readers are allowed a better understanding of the contributions that marginalised peoples have brought to the unfolding of world history. Unputdownable...
5 stars. A fabulously told tale, made all the better by its historical veracity. Reséndez presents us with an ineluctable hero, showing the discrimination and "historical erasure" he faced. In so doing, readers are allowed a better understanding of the contributions that marginalised peoples have brought to the unfolding of world history. Unputdownable...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews