Francis de Ovalle’s 1582 return voyage from Macao to California, sailing through the islands called “Lequios,” proves they were situated within the Philippine maritime corridor—not Ryukyu. His uninterrupted northeast course places Lequios in the path of early Pacific trade between Asia and the New World.

Map Base: Old Polar Projection of the Globe, Antarctica, Pacific Center 1860, James. AdobeStock. Annotations added.

🔥 THE SMOKING QUILL | June 9, 2025

🧭 The 1582 Voyage that Destroys the Ryukyu Lequios Theory

When geography tells the truth… and historians ignore it.

🔎 Forgotten Navigator, Critical Discovery

In 1582, a lesser-known Spanish navigator, Francis de Ovalle, unknowingly shattered centuries of cartographic confusion. His voyage from Acapulco to the Philippines and back, documented in the 1704 edition of The History of Navigation, includes a pivotal observation:

"…passed through the islands called Lequios… and came upon the coast of California in 38 degrees and a half of latitude."
(Churchill, 1704, p. 466)

Let that sink in. Ovalle sailed from Macao through the Lequios and then reached California at 38.5°N — without touching land along the way.

🧭 The Geography That Cannot Lie

We traced his route using his precise navigation data. Here's what we found:

📍 Macao sits at 22.2°N. One exits the bay South of Hainan toward the East (18°N).
📍 California at 38.5°N on a straight Northeast trajectory touching no land.
📍 Philippines lie directly in this corridor (13–21°N).
📍 Ryukyu Islands? Way off course at 24–29°N, east of Taiwan — unreachable on a straight northeast run from Macao to California.

So what? If Ovalle sailed through Lequios and never deviated from that northeast heading, there is no geographic possibility that he passed through Ryukyu. His line of travel crossed the Philippines, not Japan.

📌 Why It Matters

For centuries, historians have stubbornly equated Lequios with Ryukyu, relying on flawed colonial assumptions and dismissing direct evidence. But this map-based reality check:

• Places Lequios clearly within the Philippine archipelago

• Aligns with Pinto, Cabot, Cantino, and multiple early cartographers

• Validates Luzon and surrounding islands as major staging grounds in transpacific trade

• Shows Lequios as central to New Spain–Asia maritime exchange — not Japan

🧳 Reconstructing the Route

Ovalle’s full journey: [Map at top]

1. Acapulco ➝ Island del Engano (13.3°N)

2. ➝ Bay of Manila (14.25°N)

3. ➝ Macao

4. ➝ Islands called Lequios

5. ➝ California (38.5°N) — straight shot, uninterrupted

No deviation. No Ryukyu.
Only Philippine islands match this course.

🧨 Final Blow to the Ryukyu Narrative

This is not interpretation — it’s navigational fact.

No fleet has ever sailed a straight northeast route from Macao to California and passed through Ryukyu. The only way that works… is through the Philippines.

The Lequios = Luzon identification is now cartographically, geographically, and historically irrefutable.

🪶 The Verdict

“Let the maps speak louder than the propaganda.”

With Francis de Ovalle's route now exposed, we add one more smoking feather to the quill that rewrites Southeast Asian history — one truth at a time.

📜 Source:
Churchill, Awnsham, and John Churchill, eds. The History of Navigation: Prefixed to A Collection of Voyages and Travels. Vol. I. London: Printed by assignment from Messrs. Churchill, 1704, p. 466.

🗺️ Old Polar Projection of the Globe, Antarctica, Pacific Center 1860, James. AdobeStock. Annotations added.

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