Hero or brutal tyrant? The controversy surrounding the 16th century explorer Magellan

Although established facts about Magellan’s life are limited, the prevailing narrative often revolves around his heroism. Diaz’s Magellan, on the other hand, takes an unflinching look at what we know about his treatment of his crew members aboard the Armada de Maluku, which included executing one of them for alleged sodomy, and as his paranoia grew, stranding the priest Pedro Sánchez de Reina. Mutinies repeated, and in November 1520, one of the fleet’s five ships, the San Antonio, and its entire crew abandoned the mission.

Magellan may have felt forced to carry out such harsh punishments due to insecurity, because by fleeing his country, he had made himself an outcast in both Portugal and Spain. “Magellan had the disadvantage that he was not Castilian, which reduced his power over the Castilian nobility,” João Paulo Oliveira y Costa, a history professor at the University of Lisbon, tells the BBC. “His Castilian captains aimed to control the campaign. Punishment had to be brutal to discourage new rebellions. If Magellan had not killed them, they would have killed Magellan.”

In Díaz’s autobiography, the colonial violence committed by Magellan and his men is also highlighted. When they came ashore on Guam and stole a small boat, the sailors took bloody revenge on the indigenous community, setting houses on fire. Communities in Malacca and the Philippines were subjected to similar atrocities. However, unlike other cinematic depictions of colonial violence, such as The Nightingale (2018) or Soldier Blue (1970), Diaz’s depiction steers clear of explosive, potentially exploitative actions. “The Odyssey of Magellan is an epic saga,” he explains. “But I didn’t want to do it the traditional way; [with] The scene… You were beaten by the police when you were a young reporter and you see the consequences, you don’t see the action. There is a lack of respect for humanity [portraying] That’s it for me.”

Despite Magellan’s shortcomings, Díaz was not interested in demonizing him. “I wanted to see a real character,” Diaz insists. “A real person is ambitious [and] His dreams, and not just for himself or his family. Besides being the first European to make contact with the Philippines, Magellan was also responsible for introducing Catholicism to the region. The statue of the Santo Niño (Holy Child), which Magellan gave to local chief Raja Humabon and which supposedly led to the miraculous healing of sick children in that community, remains “the biggest symbol in the country,” says Diaz. Today, 93% of the Philippines’ population is Christian.