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- Title:
- Ransomed for Food
- Description:
- Throughout Pigafetta's trip around insular Southeast Asia, a major concern was stocking water, fire wood and food. In those days there was yet no food with a long shelf-life. Although fabrics, clothing, metal, hats, glass beads and other items were carried to trade for food, capturing a boat and taking prisoners to be ransomed for food was a common strategy. Word spread it was best to feed the foreigners and let them be off on their quest. On July 29, 1521 (3 months after Magallanes died), Pigafetta's colleagues captured a feared captain-general of the Bornean king. He turned out to be the son of the "king of Luzon." Pigafetta used "king" for lack of another term to mean the head or chief of a community or state whatever its size. Giovan Carvaio, their pilot, let the prince go in exchange for gold! Finding food to feed the voyagers continued as they continued circling the globe. Image shows real gold barter rings. They came as small as a thumbnail to larger than a big bracelet.
- Subjects:
- Antonio Pigafetta Giovan Carvaio
- Exhibition:
- Magellan Menu
- Source:
- GINTO: History Wrout in Gold by Ramon Villegas for Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
- Type:
- Image;Still Image
- Format:
- image/png
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- "Ransomed for Food", Philippine Food History, Felice P. Sta. Maria
- Reference Link:
- felicepstamaria.net/items/coll032.html