Spain and Portugal have launched a bid to have the Magellan-Elcano Route recognised as world heritage by UNESCO. The two countries have submitted a bid for the circumnavigation by Fernando de Magallanes and Juan Sebastián Elcano to be included in the ‘Memory of the World’ register produced by the international organisation.
This decision was reached at the 4th Plenary Meeting of the National Commission for Commemoration of the 5th Centenary of the First Circumnavigation Expedition, on 6 April, following a proposal agreed by the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the two countries in January 2019 and announced by the then Minister for Culture of Spain to the 40th UNESCO General Conference. Should the bid be accepted by UNESCO, it will lead to universal recognition for one of Humanity’s greatest achievements.
Raising the profile of this historic achievement was precisely the reason behind the 336 official activities organised both in Spain and the rest of the world since the start of commemorative celebrations in the summer of 2019. These activities include theatre pieces, concerts, films, virtual projects such as the one by Google Arts & Culture and exhibitions like La Fábrica del Mundo, which can be seen at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville until 30 May, which contextualises the complexities that characterised that first circumnavigation.
Seville, starting point and finishing line for the first circumnavigation
Seville is a key part of the incredible feat achieved by Magellan and Elcano. On 10 August 1519, the flotilla captained by Fernando de Magallanes of Portugal and financed by the Spanish Crown to discover a natural passage via America to shorten journey times to the Maluku Islands, the so-called Spice Islands, left from Seville. As the gateway to the New World, Magellan sailed from Seville down the river Guadalquivir to where it meets the sea at Sanlúcar de Barrameda. From there, five ships carrying some 250 men set sail on 20 September 1519. After more than three years at sea and considerable hardship, Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the first circumnavigation by returning to Seville on board the Nao Victoria on 8 September 1522, having navigated the huge oceans of our planet and discovered the true nature of the globe.
A replica of that ship, the Nao Victoria, today allows people to learn more about that outstanding accomplishment by Magellan and Elcano. The Nao Victoria Foundation - a non-profit organisation specialising in the promotion and development of events using its replicas of historic ships - helped create the Espacio I Vuelta al Mundo museum. Visitors to this museum conclude their tour of the installations by stepping on board this replica of the Nao Victoria, which has been built following an exhaustive study of documentary sources from the expedition itself, accounts, treatises on shipbuilding and iconography of the time.
Archivo General de Indias, memory of America and seafaring
Besides being the starting point for the achievement by Magellan and Elcano, Seville played a major role in global shipping since the Discovery of America in 1492. From that point on, Seville - the only port for trade with the New World - began a period of economic and cultural splendour that lasted for several centuries.
Given that the city’s traders would do their business on the steps of the Cathedral (and even inside on rainy days), King Felipe II ordered construction of a new Trade Exchange. Built between 1584 and 1598 by Juan de Minjares, from plans by Juan de Herrera, the building was converted into the Archivo de Indias in 1785 when King Carlos III decided to centralise all documentation relating to the administration of American territories owned by the Spanish Crown. Given World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1987 alongside the Cathedral and Royal Alcázar, it houses some 43,000 files, 80 million pages and 8,000 maps and drawings. Among many other documents of incalculable value is the almanac consulted and copied by Christopher Columbus, facilitating the results of his research.
Seville Cathedral, one of the largest in Europe
The Cathedral stands only a few metres from the Archivo General de Indias. Its minaret, La Giralda, has been an icon of the city for centuries.
Given World Heritage status in 1987 as a magnificent example of the great periods of history in the city (Moorish, Christian and the great metropolis of the 16th century as Gateway to the Indies), it is the largest Gothic cathedral in Europe. One of its first master builders was Master Carlín of Normandy, who had experience on other large Gothic cathedrals. Although structurally complete in 1506, the work on its details continued until 1593 when Hernán Ruiz completed La Giralda.
The Cathedral - one of the monuments receiving the most visitors in Spain and indeed the world (2.3 million in 2019) - houses the mortal remains of Christopher Columbus and several kings and queens of Castile, such as Pedro I the Cruel, Fernando III the Saint and Alfonso X the Wise.
The Alcázar, grand monument and eyewitness to history
The Alcázar is the third UNESCO World Heritage site in Seville and is the oldest royal palace still in use anywhere in Europe. With its roots in Roman Seville, construction of the current Royal Alcázar was ordered by the Caliphate of Córdoba, Abd al-Raḥmān III, in 913 as a palace of government. New governmental buildings were added subsequently, making it the beating heart of official and literary life in the city. It became the seat of the Crown after the Castilian conquest in the 13th century. New palaces and rooms were built in the Gothic and Mudejar styles, which were subsequently joined by Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque constructions. All this is surrounded by gardens and patios in which water plays the starring role.
Ever since the Frenchman Gérard Bourgeois filmed The Life of Christopher Columbus in 1916, this 14th-century Mudejar site has provided a backdrop to dozens of films, TV series, documentaries and adverts, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Reds (1978), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and the more recent TV series Spanish Princess (2018) by the BBC, Warrior Nun (2020) by Netflix and the now iconic Game of Thrones by HBO.