Hernando de Bustamante

Did You Know?

• Bustamante came close to completing a second circumnavigation but died on the return leg.
• He died at sea near the Maldives on a Portuguese ship around 1533.

Early life

Bustamante was born in Alcántara in 1494, according to baptismal records from the parish of Santa María Almócova. He was the son of Juan de Bustamante and Leonor de Cáceres. The 1519 expedition registry lists him as a native of Mérida, a barber surgeon, and a resident of Alcántara, married to María Rodríguez. A later registry for the Loaísa expedition gives his native place as Alcántara.

The Magellan-Elcano expedition

On the Victoria, one of the five ships in the Magellan-Elcano fleet, Bustamante worked as a barber-surgeon, likely pulling teeth, setting bones, and performing amputations. He was one of just 18 crew members to return to Spain aboard the Victoria. Elcano picked Bustamante to join him in reporting to Emperor Charles V. Bustamante’s account, especially his deposition from 18 October 1522, is a key primary source.

The Loaísa Expedition

Bustamante joined the Loaísa expedition a few years after returning to Spain. After the deaths of Loaísa and Elcano, he was appointed treasurer of the flagship Santa María de la Victoria. That ship was the only one of the original seven to reach the Spice Islands in September 1526, with Bustamante among only 24 survivors from the original crew of 450. The expedition faced conflict with the Portuguese India Armadas before striking a deal for return passage.