Magallanes & Elcano – Around The World To Madrid
To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world by Fernando de Magallanes and Juan Sebastian Elcano, the Espacio Ibercasa Deliciasopened this week an an immersive museum experience that runs until 30th April.
The great feat of seamanship which took three years and which resulted in the death of the majority of the crews as well as that of the Magallanes heralded the beginning of the global Spanish Empire “on which the sun never set.”
The experience will allow visitors to feel what is what like inside one of the ships with a immersive experience aboard a full-scale replica.
Through large murals, screens, and audio guides (available in Spanish and English), visitors will be able to gain insight into the daily life of the crew and listen to recorded actors playing the parts of the sailors who ventured into the unknown.
A unique exhibition that allow you to feel as though you were aboard and part of the crew as you explored the oceans of the Americas and Asia, on your way to discover the mistical Spice Islands before navigating your way back through ferocious southern ocean storms and returning to 16th Century Seville, with your valuable cargo.
The voyage has been commissioned by the King Emperor Carlos V and the five-ship fleet called “Armada de Molucca,” set sail from Sanlucar de Barremeda in 1519.
The fleet consisted of specially adapted ships, known as, carracks, was at first led by the Portuguese explorer, Fernando de Magallanes, but his death at the hands of natives in the Pacific islands meant the expedition continued under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano, who returned on with just 18 men of the original 277 in 1522.
The expedition was deemed a success returning with a precious cargo of 26 tons of spices (cloves and cinnamon) – but the distance to the Spice Island ( modern day Indonesia) meant the commercial aspect was never exploited.
The exhibition is divided into four different parts: Terra Firma, the starting point of the expedition, where various characters including Magallanes, Elcano, Carlos V, and the village rogue – play out their parts.
Then there is High Seas, a real-size replica of the Victoria, followed by Port, where you can visit different places where they docked and finally, the Shop, where you can taste and smell the exotic spices that they were looking for.
