Some battles aren’t with truth—they’re with oneself. Let them shout from their shipwreck."  – The Smoking Quill

🪶 THE SMOKING QUILL | May 12, 2025

From Malacca to Luzon: The Trail of Gold According to Mafra, Doc 98… and Mendoza’s Final Nail

Three Spanish testimonies. One unmistakable destination.

This is no longer a debate. This is a reckoning.

🔢 A Foundational Blow to the Ryukyu Theory

When we first released our Smoking Quill article highlighting Spanish Document #98, we made the bold claim that the Lequios Isles—the true destination of Magellan's voyage—were not the Ryukyus, but the Philippines. At the time, the Ginés de Mafra testimony was unavailable in full, that our researchers had found. We only had partial access and honest summaries. 

Ironically, a critic attempting to discredit our incomplete access ended up sharing the full document—one that confirms our case more clearly than ever before.

And so, we thank him.

🏛️ Ginés de Mafra Wasn't Silent—He Was Clear

The complete Mafra document reveals:

1. Magellan's documented route from Malacca to Borneo, up past Champa and China.

2. He passes "las dichas yslas" (the aforementioned islands), and then reaches:

3. A "tierra muy grande" — a very large land situated beyond those coastal islands. [Not Ryukyu in any sense]

This mirrors Spanish Document #98 exactly. In both:

• Malacca ➔ Borneo ➔ China ➔ Archipelago ➔ Large Land = Lequios

“...in front of this land [China] to the sea, beyond the said islands, lies a very large land..."

Mafra's "very large land" cannot be Ryukyu, just as Pinto's 5 Very Large Islands would never be either. The Ryukyus are tiny by comparison and sit closer to Japan. The only candidate that fits this descriptor east of China and beyond the coastal islands is Luzon in the Philippines. But... Mendoza... Just wait!

🌐 "Lequios" = Philippines Confirmed

The Lequios are mentioned multiple times by Mafra:

• As a distinct destination

• Along the same route from Malacca

• As a place with trading kings and documented wealth

This aligns with:

• Pinto

• Barbosa

• Pigafetta

• Mendoza

• Rodriguez

• Chirino

• Multiple Spanish Captains

Not one of them assigns Lequios to Ryukyu... Ever!

🌀 The Blogger's Argument Just Sank

The very blog post meant to discredit our Mafra article has confirmed the opposite. He handed us the text that affirms Magellan's objective was not the Ryukyu Islands (north of 24 degrees), but rather the very large island near 12 to 13 degrees that Magellan charted and sailed toward.

Oops. And, indeed, we will now add that into our research as honest researchers do offering an Editor's note on the previous blog which remains unchanged, and publishing this one, and with even more. But... Mendoza.. You'll see!

"So let me get this straight: Magellan intended to reach the tiny Ryukyus at 24° north, but deliberately charted his course to 12–13°? That’s not just implausible—it’s navigational malpractice."

🔁 Irony of the Century: If the blogger had actually read Ginés de Mafra's full account before weaponizing it, he likely never would have brought it up.
Instead of silencing the argument, Mafra’s testimony confirms everything we've published—and even affirms the exact route described in Spanish Document #98, he also attempted to assail in ignorance.

In short: his own exhibit collapses his claim.
The only thing the Mafra document buried… was the Ryukyu theory.

He is so deeply blinded by his own, publicly admitted obsession with character assault and cyber defamation that he failed to recognize the very document he weaponized completely destroys his position.

That’s not scholarship. That’s self-sabotage in real time. But... then... there is Mendoza.

🎓 Mendoza Confirms It All

In a separate document, Juan Gonzales de Mendoza writes:

[From Java] "...and the kingdom of the Lechios: and in equal distance, are the Japones."

He clearly places the Lechios halfway between Java and Japan — i.e., the Philippines. Not Japan. Not Ryukyu. Again, this matches the same progression:

Java ➔ Luzon ➔ Japan, Equal distance from Java to Lequios and then, Lequios to Japan, manifests Lequios as about half way in the journey. 

Not:

Java ➔ Ryukyu ➔ Japan [That would distort the map completely.]

🏰 Pinto and Mafra: A Match in Description

Resources?

• Mafra mentions the "king of Panques," a ruler with clear Philippine cultural and economic markers.

• The list of goods matches Pinto’s gold, pearls, and vibrant trade.

Geography?

• Mafra's progression confirms a pass-through of isles to a large land.

• This mirrors Pinto's 23-day typhoon drift to the Lequios.

Cultural Details?

• Mafra confirms a seafaring culture with established trade routes and wealth.

Pinto and Mafra were describing the same people and same place: the Philippines.

✨ And Just to Clarify...

In one instance, Mendoza writes:

"...the Japones, Lechios, those of Samatra..."

One person wanted to argue this means the Lechios are of Sumatra. But basic grammar and structure tell us otherwise. This is a list:

1. Japones

2. Lechios

3. Those of Samatra

Lechios are not "of Samatra" any more than the Japones are. It is another example of the Java, Philippines, Japan geography from his previous reference.

🏆 FINAL SCORECARD

15 Criteria Test:

• Philippines: 15/15 ✅

• Ryukyu: 0/15 ❌

Mafra Test:

• Philippines: Route, resources, scale, seafaring culture ✅

• Ryukyu: No fit ❌

Document #98 Alignment:

• Confirmed, word for word ✅

🖊️ Bottom Line

Ginés de Mafra wasn't silent. He was ignored.

He confirms what all the other great explorers of the 1500s documented:

The Lequios Isles are the Philippines.

📝 Editor’s Note: What About Japan?

Some may wonder whether the Leyquios in Mafra’s testimony referred to Japan. But in the same volume that contains Mafra’s log, an anonymous Spanish account clearly describes Japan under its proper name: “Japón.”

This separate chapter, titled “Descripción de la tierra del Japón”, includes numerous Japanese ports, latitudes, and cultural details—none of which appear in Mafra’s Lequios testimony. The Spanish were clearly distinguishing between Japan (“Japón”) and Lequios (the large land facing China, reached through the islands).

Translation:
Lequios ≠ Japón.
Lequios ≠ Ryukyu.
✅ Lequios = Luzon. Case closed.

This separation affirms our conclusion: Lequios was not Japan. It was the Philippines—documented by name, geography, trade, and testimony.

📌 A Note on Our Original Blog

We’ve updated our previous blog titled “The Silence of Mafra” to acknowledge this important discovery and link to this full analysis. This is research in motion—and we invite real academics to join us.