First European Contact with the Pacific Islands

Timeline

1. 1519Sanlúcar de Barrameda · AndalusiaMagellan sailed from the mouth of the Guadalquivir River with five ships including the Trinidad and about 270 crew, heading west into the Atlantic. The goal was to prove that sailing west could reach the Spice Islands and return home by circumnavigation, marking the starting point of Europe's systematic exploration of the Pacific islands.
2. 1519Coast of Brazil · BrazilThe fleet sailed south via the Canary Islands, anchoring off the coast of present-day Brazil in December 1519 to resupply, then continuing southward in search of a strait to the Pacific. This stage was the final preparation before entering the Pacific.
3. 1519–1520Coast of Patagonia · ArgentinaAt the end of 1519 the fleet sailed south along the eastern coast of South America searching for a strait, reaching Patagonia in March 1520 to winter over. Though not yet in the Pacific, the expedition had established the complete plan of crossing the Americas westward, entering the Pacific, and contacting the Micronesian island groups, paving the way for the first European–Pacific island contact in history.