What Magellan and Elcano Didn't See: The Americas and Beyond

Since opening in 2014, Seville Aquarium has had a special connection with the adventures of Magellan and Elcano; its whole exhibition experience has been designed around the route of the first circumnavigation of the earth.

It is the same universe they traveled through, but one they won't have seen, other than observed species like sharks, whales, flying fish, and dolphins, and those chronicled by Antonio Pigafetta in his extraordinary journal of the voyage.

This exhibition takes the visitor on a tour of the Guadalquivir River, the Atlantic Ocean, the tropical rainforest, the Pacific Ocean, and the Indo-Pacific. Just like Magellan and Elcano 500 years ago.

The second part of the journey is the focus now, from when the expedition reached the Americas, onto the Moluccas and the return journey.

The expedition reached South America on 29th November after two months crossing the Atlantic.

On December 13th, they reached present-day Rio de Janeiro, the South American tropics at the mouth of the Amazon River. The expedition came across one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.

Here, some of the most characteristic reptile and amphibian species of the tropical south american rainforest can be seen. These include green anacondas, lizards, green basilisks, poison dart frogs, iguanas, and crocodiles.

The Amazonian ecosystem is characterized by high levels of rainfall and an average temperature of around 77ºF (25ºC), meaning it has a considerably high humidity.

The poison dart frog is one of the species found in this habitat. Brilliantly colored in adulthood, their skin is impregnated with one of the strongest poisons found in the animal kingdom.

Indigenous people in the area would use this poison, which blocks neural connections to the muscles, to coat the tips of their hunting arrows.

In captivity they are not poisonous, so it is possible they become venomous by ingesting insects that contain an active toxic substance.

The expedition was sailing round the South American coast in search of a route to the Southern Sea, now known as the Pacific Ocean.

On October 21st, 1520, they found a strait and began to ply its deep waters and fjords through huge glacial storms. It was the Strait of Magellan.

And after the storm … there was calm and the Pacific Ocean. A place that was full of light, color, and movement, where jellyfish moved like beating hearts.

The jellyfish tanks take visitors to the depths of the ocean to experience nature's most enigmatic creatures up close.

The bell of the white-spotted jellyfish can reach up to almost 20 inches (50 cm) in diameter.

The Pacific sea nettle jellyfish has a distinctive golden-brown bell with a reddish tint.

After entering the Pacific, it would be two months before the expedition captained by Magellan saw land again. This was when they reached the tropical waters that lap the shores of the so-called Spice Islands.

The biodiversity in these waters is amazing. Ecosystems like mangrove swamps and coral reefs in particular are home to very colorful species.

The lionfish—or scorpionfish—in the picture has an astonishing appearance. Its whitish coloring with brown or maroon-red stripes along the length of its body serve as great camouflage.

The visit ends at the coral reef tank. An explosion of color, typical of these tropical ecosystems that shelter a quarter of all ocean species.

Species like blue tang, angel fish, butterflyfish, and tangs live in these warm waters.

On December 18th, 1521, with the two ships loaded up with cloves, the expedition set out to return to Spain. But that day Trinidad began to leak, so Victoria set off alone toward the West.

The Nao Victoria arrived in Seville on September 8th, 1522 with Elcano as captain. The voyage took three years, and of the 237 who set out, only 18 returned. The Victoria was the only one of the five boats to return.