Conquering the Pacific : an unknown mariner and the final great voyage of the Age of Discovery

First Title Value for Searching:

Personal Author:

Reséndez, Andrés,

Physical Description:

xiii, 283 pages, 4 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 24 cm.

Summary:

"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. "--

Contents:

A global race -- Dream team -- Navidad -- A disappearance -- Mar abierto -- The tiny islands -- "The island of the thieves" -- The far side of the world -- Vuelta -- Fall from glory -- Survival and revenge -- At the Spanish court -- Epilogue.

Subject Term:

Pilots and pilotage -- Biography.

Explorers -- Spain -- Biography.

Publication Info:

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021.

Subject:

Pilots and pilotage -- Biography.

Explorers -- Spain -- Biography.

Pacific Ocean -- Discovery and exploration -- Spanish.

Barra de Navidad (Mexico) -- History, Naval.

Legazpi, Miguel López de, 1510?-1572 -- Friends and associates.

Martín, Lope

De Legazpi, Miguel López, 1510?-1572

López de Legazpi, Miguel, 1510?-1572

Ship pilots

Discoverers

Navigators

Voyagers

La Barra de Navidad (Mexico)

Navidad (Mexico)

SAILS ISBN:

9781328515971

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Taunton Public Library	959.9 R311C	3RD FLOOR STACKS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Fairhaven-Millicent	959 RES 2021	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Foxboro - Boyden Library	959.901 RESENDEZ	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mansfield Public Library	959.9 RESE	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Norfolk Public Library	959.02 RESE	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Westport Free Public Library	959.02 RES 2021	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

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.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

U.C. Davis history professor Reséndez (The Other Slavery) delivers a riveting account of the 1564--1565 Spanish expedition that 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 in secrecy from its competitor Portugal, and recruiting a skilled, multinational crew. Included were famed explorer and Augustine friar Andrés de Urdaneta and Afro-Portuguese pilot Lope Martín, who had achieved the highest rank available to a "free mulatto." Once underway, the expedition's lookout ship, piloted by Martín, became separated from the others during a storm. Reséndez evocatively 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, yet he managed to escape. Enlivened by lucid explanations of navigational techniques, larger-than-life characters, and colorful anecdotes from the age of exploration, this is a rip-roaring maritime adventure. Agent: Susan Rabiner. (Sept.)

Booklist Review

In the 1400s and 1500s, Portuguese and Spanish adventurers found their way across the Atlantic Ocean and soon charted the winds and ocean currents that made the round trip possible. But the vastness of the Pacific Ocean made the return crossing from Asia to the Americas a much more difficult undertaking than the initial journey west. Reséndez (The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America, 2017) delves into this complex tale and uncovers the little-known story of Black mariner Lope Martín, who struggled to master the art and science of seamanship before becoming a highly skilled pilot. Setting forth as a four-ship squadron from a Spanish port on Mexico's west coast, doughty explorers hoped to reach the Philippines. Martín commanded the smallest ship, the San Lucas, and quickly found his vessel separated from the fleet. Despite hardship, storm, and mutiny, Martín achieved the round trip and reached North America first. The balance of the fleet eventually caught up, but credit fell to the flagship's pilot, Andrés de Urdaneta, not Martín. Reséndez lays out the navigational challenges of this voyage, making the details fascinating and compelling. Readers of sailing and adventure stories will find this true account both enlightening and exciting.

Library Journal Review

In a book that mixes stirring adventure story with inspired scholarship, Reséndez (history, Univ. of California, Davis; The Other Slavery, a National Book Award finalist) details the biracial Black mariner Lope Martín's round-trip voyage from Navidad, on the west coast of Mexico, to the Philippines, in 1564--65. Martín was a navigator in Spain's expedition to undercut Portugal in Asia; the largest of its four ships was 60 feet long, while the smallest, the San Lucas, was only 20 feet. He piloted the San Lucas on its return trip to Mexico, when it became the first European vessel to successfully sail east across the Pacific, against the prevailing ocean currents that impeded earlier attempts, Reséndez writes. On the way, the crew faced hunger, fierce storms, near-shipwreck, and even mutiny, but the San Lucas completed the never-before-accomplished return trip and reached Mexico at least a month before the expedition's largest ship. Reséndez does a superb job explaining the challenges of early sea navigation, including navigating circular ocean currents and the contrary ways of Earth's magnetic fields. The book is complete with extensive maps charting the journey and archival photographs. VERDICT A vivid tale of adventure and discovery that will draw in all history lovers. Reséndez's skillful writing is fast-paced, inviting, and descriptive, setting this book apart.--David Keymer, Cleveland

List of Illustrations	p. ix
List of Maps	p. xii
Preface	p. 1
1 A Global Race	p. 17
2 Dream Team	p. 42
3 Navidad	p. 65
4 A Disappearance	p. 80
5 Mar Abierto	p. 87
6 The Tiny Islands	p. 101
7 "The Island of the Thieves"	p. 113
8 The Far Side of the World	p. 125
9 Vuelta	p. 139
10 Fall from Glory	p. 161
11 Survival and Revenge	p. 171
12 At the Spanish Court	p. 188
Epilogue	p. 196
Note about Dates and Measurements	p. 201
Acknowledgments	p. 203
Notes	p. 205
Analytical Index	p. 273

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents