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Primary sourceDiary entry1497-1499 (English translation 2009 printing of 1838 account)

Vasco da Gama's Arrival in India

Álvaro Velho or João de Sá (translated by Glenn J. Ames) · 1497-1499 (English translation 2009 printing of 1838 account)

A firsthand sailor's journal of da Gama's 1497-1499 voyage and landing at Calicut, translated into English by Glenn J. Ames.

This eyewitness journal records da Gama's command of the first voyage and the fleet's arrival at Calicut.

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Vasco da Gama's Arrival in IndiaPDF · 5 pages
Journal of the First Voyage of Vasco da Gama to India, 1497-1499, trans. Glenn J. Ames.

About this source

What it is

This text is a journal kept by a sailor on Vasco da Gama's first voyage to India, recording the fleet's journey and arrival at Calicut in 1498. It was translated and edited into English by Glenn J. Ames and published as Em nome de Deus.

Why it matters

Written by someone who was actually on the voyage, this journal is one of the most direct surviving accounts of da Gama's first journey, including the tense first contact with local people at Calicut. It shows both the excitement and suspicion that met the Portuguese when they reached India.

Look closer

  • What does the hostile greeting the sailors received tell us about how the Portuguese were seen on arrival?
  • Why might the account describe local people and language in the way it does?
  • How does hearing this story from an ordinary sailor differ from hearing it from da Gama himself?

This diary entry is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Vasco da Gama on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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