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Title details for Conquering the Pacific by Andrés Reséndez - Wait list

Conquering the Pacific

An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery

by Andrés Reséndez
Phil Morris
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
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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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 14, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780358676348
      • File size: 175847 KB
      • Duration: 06:06:20

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In 1564, crossing the Pacific Ocean from Navidad, Mexico, to the present-day Philippines in a ship less than 100 feet long was fraught with danger and physical hardship--but it had been done. However, fighting against trade winds and ocean currents to return from Asia to the Americas had never been accomplished. With a bright upbeat delivery, narrator Phil Morris, tells the story of Lupe Martin, an Afro-Portuguese sailor and master pilot whose navigational skills led a tattered ship north past Japan, back east to North America, and home, opening the entire globe to European trade. Morris's ease with Spanish and nautical terms is a plus. Martin is later accused of mutiny and his name all but erased from history. B.P. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from July 19, 2021
      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.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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