“Henry of Malacca (Spanish: Enrique de Malaca; Portuguese: Henrique de Malaca) was a Southeast Asian member of the Magellan expedition that completed the first circumnavigation of the world from 1519 to 1522. He was acquired as a slave by the Portuguese navigator, Ferdinand Magellan, in 1511 at the estimated age of 14 years, probably in the early stages of the Siege of Malacca (now a part of modern Malaysia). Magellan gave him the name “Henrique” or “Henry”, perhaps because he was that year captured, purchased, or baptized on July 13, the feast day of Saint Henry, patron saint of Finland.”
In his article, “A Great Filipino: Enrique of Limasawa”, writer Compadre Damaso explores claims about Enrique’s Filipino roots and his role in the history of world circumnavigation. Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3xzvAsQ
The portrait, “Enrique of Limasawa” (2021, acrylic on canvas, 48” x 48”), inspired by the Enrique de Malacca Memorial Project, is in Spontanrealismus style painted by Celeste Lecaroz on the occasion of this Quincentennial Anniversary of the first person ever to circumnavigate the globe. Permission is granted to publish this photo of the painting as long as it appears with the article above in its entirety, “A Great Filipino: Enrique of Limasawa”.
