The tribulations of Alonso Ramírez

A remarkable travelogue, almost novel-like in nature. Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora, a prominent New Spanish writer, penned the work in May 1690 based on the oral account of Alonso Ramírez. The story's protagonist, now a confirmed historical figure, came from a poor family in Puerto Rico and, at the age of thirteen, decided to leave his homeland to seek his fortune in New Spain. He then sailed to the distant Philippines, where he found work as a sailor. His hopes for a more comfortable life were dashed when his ship was captured by English pirates in 1687. Alonso then sailed with them for just over two years before they finally released him off the coast of Brazil. Afterwards, with the remainder of his crew, he sailed his own ship through the Caribbean and ran aground in the shallows off the coast of Yucatán. The list of places Alonso visited would astound even a modern traveller: he worked in the New Spanish cities of Mexico and Puebla, lived in Manila, saw Malacca, Macao, and Java, landed with pirates in Borneo, Australia, and Madagascar, crossed the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, and after six years of travelling the world, returned to Mexico. Alonso experienced various corners of the Spanish Empire and places belonging to other European powers, and he also witnessed the rampage of English pirates, which is vividly described in the work. It was perhaps the details of their cruel behaviour that caught the attention of the Viceroy of New Spain. The ports there often faced pirate attacks, and Alonso's story was useful to the Viceroy to highlight the danger and request aid from the Spanish king. The Misfortunes thus reached the highest circles of the royal court in Madrid and played a role in the Viceroy's political interests. However, the lines of this captivating travelogue may not reflect Alonso's story entirely faithfully. Some details and certain blank spots in the narrative suggest that Alonso may have actually joined the pirates, sailing not as their captive but as one of them. So, are The Misfortunes the tale of a captive, or the tale of a pirate? We will never know the truth, but in any case, Alonso's adventurous journey around the world will captivate readers even today. The publication of this book was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.