Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery
- Downloads：8002
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-04 11:21:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Andrés Reséndez
- ISBN：035863833X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Mystic Miraflores
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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 Spa 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。 。。。more
The Colonial
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With a string of books already written about the unknown and early history of North America， celebrated historian and professor Andrés Reséndez returns with a fresh look on a forgotten explorer and his maritime expedition during the Age of Discovery。 Described as a “mulatto” by many of the historical records and primary sources obtained， Lope Martín was an able-bodied seaman who’s transpacific voyage would be remembered not only for its benefit to exploration， but the mutiny， excitement， death， With a string of books already written about the unknown and early history of North America， celebrated historian and professor Andrés Reséndez returns with a fresh look on a forgotten explorer and his maritime expedition during the Age of Discovery。 Described as a “mulatto” by many of the historical records and primary sources obtained， Lope Martín was an able-bodied seaman who’s transpacific voyage would be remembered not only for its benefit to exploration， but the mutiny， excitement， death， and endurance included as well。 In an intelligent preface that highlights the history， geography， and indeed mystery of the Pacific Ocean， Reséndez fascinates his audience early on with concise lessons ranging from oceanic drift to the breaking of Pangea。The opening chapters briefly introduce Lope Martín， an Afro-Portuguese sailor whose talents in navigation eventually led to him becoming a licensed pilot—the highest maritime occupation obtainable for a free mulatto。 Pivoting from the seafarer， Reséndez instead demonstrates the ingenuity， advancement， and importance of longitude and latitude measurements used by such figures as Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan; the altitude of the sun specifically being a technique crucial for those navigating far off oceans and continents。 He also approaches the purpose of Martín’s eventual voyage by chronicling King Philip II of Spain’s request for a trading route to the “Islands of the West” by way of Mexico—specifically the budding port of Navidad where the mariner would be recruited。Not only is the writing highly engaging and descriptive， but quite welcoming are the plentiful amount of illustrations provided: either showcasing pertinent portraits of the age， or further helping to understand the nautical aspects being referenced on a given page。 Maps are also in abundance， covering the exploratory expedition and highlighting select routes， cities， countries， and even trade winds that Reséndez introduces。 Conquering the Pacific fully encompasses the reader with meticulous research and valuable insight on sixteenth-century life at sea， noting the various backgrounds and trades of the many sailors involved， and—often overwhelmingly—delivering the dire circumstances and hardships that they experienced upon embarking:To understand the sailors’ circumstances in a way that makes sense to us， we must imagine a good-sized urban apartment occupied by about one hundred strangers。 A single toilet—but no shower or sink—would have to do for everyone， along with a rudimentary kitchen and no furniture other than sea chests （wooden boxes） scattered all over the deck and below and serving as chairs and tables as needed。 Two or three times a day， pages brought out platters of food into which everyone stuck their fingers liberally to get the best pieces of meat or servings of chickpeas。 At night， everyone but the most privileged had to find a reasonably level surface to sleep on—always too close to others—and try to get some rest in spite of the noises， odors， and constant movement。As the journey continues and the ships locate the scattered and constantly-evolving Marshall Islands， Lope Martín and the rest of the crew are astonished by the native Pacific Islanders’ sailing techniques and canoes， as well as the resourcefulness and variety of food that they acquire。 One repetitive aspect evident is that too much attention is paid to compass utilization and the potential problems that come with sixteenth-century navigation—as this is already appropriately addressed in the Preface。 Fortunately， Reséndez picks up speed by pointing out the instances of danger and theft that the Spanish voyagers encountered when visiting and trading with the islanders of Guam， and those of the vast number of tiny islands in the Philippines。The final chapters arguably hold the most excitement and insight on Lope Martín’s handling of an epic—and then uncharted—return trip from the “west to the east，” charting from East Asia to New Spain。 It’s here that the pilot and his crew race against time with hopes of avoiding the dreaded monsoon and typhoon seasons， quell a number of almost ever-present mutinies， and fight on the brink of starvation and exhaustion。 Helpfully， Reséndez refers back to mistakes made earlier by the mariners in their voyage， all of which would inevitably come back to haunt them—notably the lack of water supplied for the expected return trip。 Even with Lope Martín’s brilliant navigating that finally leads the ship from Asia to Baja California， their plights and misfortunes at sea are still not overcome when just barely days away from Navidad。Astonishingly， instead of being honored for the merit in discovering and establishing the Transpacific route， Martín is met with a harsh and misguided sentence on his head for allegedly conspiring from the outset to leave the fleet。 In an epic conclusion that mirrors the excitement of Treasure Island， The Count of Monte Cristo， and other swashbuckling adventure tales， Reséndez brilliantly chronicles yet another death-defying ship bound journey that closes with both suspense and mystery。 A fact-driven account full of excitement， discovery， and a wealth of new historical insight on the sixteenth century—it’s all too fitting that the Epilogue proclaims， “Lope Martín and Andrés de Urdaneta wove together all the major landmasses of the world for the first time in history。” Read the Full Review and More 。。。more
Tawney
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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 c 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。 。。。more
Руслан
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There aren't that many good books on the subject， which is disappointing。 That's why this title comes on time。 I liked the approach of showing why the Pacific is important and what place it occupies in the minds of people， but also in the history of our planet。 Exceptional range of data， including the history of exploring the area - I'm glad I read the book in advance。 There aren't that many good books on the subject， which is disappointing。 That's why this title comes on time。 I liked the approach of showing why the Pacific is important and what place it occupies in the minds of people， but also in the history of our planet。 Exceptional range of data， including the history of exploring the area - I'm glad I read the book in advance。 。。。more
Cindy Vallar
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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 s 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。 。。。more
Jan
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I requested and received a free temporary copy from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley。 BUT。 It was only available to the app on the phone screen and although I was able to only read about 25% in this manner due to vision issues， it seemed like an unusually good Publish or Perish。 Written in a style that was engaging and informative， I really wish that I could have read the whole book without distress。 The print copy should be well worth it whether the reader is of Spanish heritage or not。 I requested and received a free temporary copy from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley。 BUT。 It was only available to the app on the phone screen and although I was able to only read about 25% in this manner due to vision issues， it seemed like an unusually good Publish or Perish。 Written in a style that was engaging and informative， I really wish that I could have read the whole book without distress。 The print copy should be well worth it whether the reader is of Spanish heritage or not。 Hoping it comes out in large print。 。。。more
Lisa Konet
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I had to read this on the small screen of my cellphone on the Netgalley shelf app， so that was kind of annoying BUT this book is full of so much intrigue and wonder that it did not bother me too much。 I felt like I was there and this is a book of nonfiction！ You can tell the author did a lot of careful research for this book and the effort shows。 Very well written and I love when nonfiction reads like a novel。Recommended。Thanks to Netgalley， Andres Resendez and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an A I had to read this on the small screen of my cellphone on the Netgalley shelf app， so that was kind of annoying BUT this book is full of so much intrigue and wonder that it did not bother me too much。 I felt like I was there and this is a book of nonfiction！ You can tell the author did a lot of careful research for this book and the effort shows。 Very well written and I love when nonfiction reads like a novel。Recommended。Thanks to Netgalley， Andres Resendez and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 9/14/21 。。。more
Ron Baumer
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