Seville Exhibition Highlights Juan Sebastián Elcano and the Nao Victoria Documents

The Archivo Histórico Provincial de Sevilla opened a temporary exhibition that runs until the end of September to mark the 500th anniversary of Juan Sebastián Elcano’s death on 4 August 1526. The show displays the three original documents linked to Elcano and the famed nao Victoria: his personal and economic dispositions signed on 1 August 1519, a 1518 declaration of the ship’s acquisition for the Maluco expedition, and a 1523 auction record of its sale after the circumnavigation.

Visitors can also see reproductions of the 1519 crew list, Elcano’s 26 July 1526 testament, a 6 September 1522 letter from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a 1570 Ortelius map of Asia, and a 1529 planisphere by Diego Ribero illustrating the route. Andalusian Culture Minister Patricia del Pozo emphasized the significance, noting that “in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on 4 August 1526, Captain Juan Sebastián Elcano died,” and that his achievement secures a permanent place in history.