Five hundred years ago, a long hoped-for journey began in Seville. Its aim was to reach the mythical east and the Maluku (formerly the Moluccas or Spice) Islands, via the uncharted part of the globe. This journey, begun in 1519 by Ferdinand Magellan, concluded three years later, becoming the longest journey of its time. It was the first circumnavigation of the globe, completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano and the crew of the Victoria in 1522.