📍 1. Lequios near the Babuyanes, North of Manila

"On sait en général que vis-à-vis de Manille, du côté du Nord, entre le Cap de Boxeador et celui de l'Enganno, à vingt-quatre milles de terre, on trouve les deux petites îles, qui se nomment les Babuyanes, dont la première est habitée par des Indiens Chrétiens... et l'autre par des Sauvages, qui ne sont pas éloignés des deux Lequios et de l'Île Formose."

🗺 Translation:
North of Manila, between Cape Bojeador and Cape Engaño, lie the Babuyan Islands. The first is settled by Christianized natives, the second by non-Christian “savages” — and they are not far from the two Lequios and Formosa. Ryukyu is still far from Babuyan. 

🧭 Why This Matters:
The Lequios are described in direct geographic relation to the Babuyanes and Formosa, confirming that they were perceived within the Northern Philippines–Taiwan arc — not over 1,000 kilometers north in Ryukyu. This lines up perfectly with Pinto’s references to the warrior-trader isles north of Luzon and matches Cantino’s “Lequios of Sambalas”.

🌊 2. Lequios Along the Chain North from Luzon to Formosa

"Au-delà du Cap Boxeador, à huit lieues de-là, vis-à-vis de la Nouvelle Segovie, on trouve les petites îles basses de Babuyanes, qui s'étendent jusqu'à celles de Formose et de Lequios."

🗺 Translation:
North of Cape Bojeador, near Nueva Segovia (Cagayan), are the low Babuyan Islands, extending toward Formosa and Lequios.

🧭 Why This Matters:
This passage confirms the chain of islands stretching from Luzon through the Babuyanes toward Formosa and Lequios, forming a natural maritime corridor — the very one used in Pinto’s journeys, later mapped by Spanish and Portuguese cartographers as a route of commerce and diplomacy. Ryukyu is completely out of this pathway.

🏺 3. Trade Goods of Lequios — Musk, Cotton, and More

"...le musc de Lequios; les toiles de coton & les étoffes de soie du Bengale..."

🗺 Translation:
"...the musk of Lequios; the cotton cloths and silk fabrics of Bengal..."

🧭 Why This Matters:
Lequios is listed among Asian trade powers for its musk — a famed and prized product. But this is a curious attribution if Lequios were Ryukyu. Musk was not produced in Okinawa in any exportable quantities. But in Northern Luzon, Able's musk and other trade analogs were widely available — and even documented in 17th-century French and Jesuit references. This strongly ties Lequios to Philippine trade, again.

[ Read The Musk of Los Lequios – Rethinking Geography, Trade, and Aromatic Memory in Early Modern Asia ]

💥 Addendum: The Author’s Own Thoughts

The very compilers of Histoire générale des voyages were not blind to inconsistencies in Pinto’s account — or, more precisely, the distortions introduced by his editors. They note the questionable nature of some key details, especially regarding Pinto’s alleged departure from Siam:

“D’ailleurs Pinto n’étoit pas parti de Siam; il s’étoit dans la Jonque d’un Corsaire Chinois... les prétentions d’éditeurs n’ont point persuadé...”

Translation:
Pinto hadn’t even departed from Siam, as claimed. The Chinese junk story was invented by editors, whose pretensions are unconvincing.

Their conclusion?

"Le nom même de la plupart des Pays... avant que d’y avoir pénétré..."
“The names of most of these countries were known [to the Portuguese] before they ever arrived there.”

📍 Key Insight:
They weren’t discovering Lequios — they were renaming what they already knew: Luzon.

This perspective is even echoed by Rebecca Catz, who acknowledges corruption in the earliest printings and editorial insertions, yet continues to cling to the 29° coordinate and a Ryukyu identification that ignores the geography, the trade data, and the entirety of Pinto’s contextual narrative. Many scholars have followed suit — not in deception, but in inherited oversight.

📌 1. 1714 Vander Aa – "Lossonia 5ve"

Labels the east Luzon isles as Lossonia and places "I. Parta" west of Batanes.A direct resurrection of Pinto’s Five Isles narrative.

📌 2. 1640 Jan Jansson Map

Omits Batanes but names Taiwan as "Lequios"Places "I. de Prata" west of a cluster of 5 yellow islets, very close to the Babuyanes.

📍 3. 1700 Valk Map

Labels “5. Insulae” above Luzon and includes Prata Isle, preserving the Lequios identification.

📌 4. 1774 Dutch Map

Offers fine delineation of the five Batanes isles with Prata just west. Labels Luzon as Luconia.

📌 5. 1706 Thornton Map

• Uses “Five Islands” and places Prata directly west of Luzon.

• The R. Hecos or R. Ilecos stands out as the Lequios River from other maps.
  

📌 6. 1700 Vander Aa Map – Pigafetta-Inspired

Clearly ties 5 Isles of Pinto, Prata, and the Philippines into one cohesive region.

📌 7.

1650 Antoine de Fer Map

• Names Luzon as "Leuconia," echoing Lequios, and situates it above Mindanao just below the Tropic of Cancer where Luzon is.
  

📌 8.

1690 Coronelli Map

• Offers a stunning depiction of Luzon as a bifurcated landmass, with terms like "Lucon creduta favolosa" or "Lucon believed to be fabulous" implying mythical fame—possibly a nod to Zipangu/Ophir myths.

• Notice as well the bifurcated island in 2 sections– North and South just as we referenced previously.
  

📌 9.

1645 Spilbergen Map

• Names the northern part of Luzon as “I. Locos”, a variant of “Lequios”. West of Batanes, an isle labeled “Wateb” appears—possibly a distorted Prata or ghost island.

• Wateb as a label also appears as "or Isla de Prata on other maps.

📌 10.

1644-58 Janssonius Map (Colorized)

• Replaces Ilocos with “ILLECOS”, a near-exact spelling of Lequios.

• Preserves I. de Prata and 5 yellow isles.