The Last Ancient Giants -The Patagones | Forbidden Archaeology
Explore the enigmatic region of Patagonia, known as the Land of Giants. From its breathtaking landscapes to its rich history and legends, this video dives deep into why early explorers believed Patagonia was inhabited by giants. Discover the incredible accounts from Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, the detailed records of Antonio Pigafetta, and other historical sightings of these towering beings.
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Without Antonio Pigafetta, we would only have a scarce information of the famous first ever circumnavigation of the globe. The Venetian chronicler and cartographer was a diligent and an accurate recorder of events throughout the voyage as mentioned in the video. Fortunately, he was one of the 18 survivors that made it back to Spain in 1522 to tell the tale.
Understandably, Pigafetta was more prepared than most crewmembers onboard the ship since he grew up during the golden age of Venice that had a population of 100,000 on the island city. The population growth during his time had a positive impact on the gondola industry which resulted in the construction of 8,000 to 10,000 gondolas on the Venetian lagoons. Those peak numbers would never be seen again. Currently, the island city population is 50,000 and there are only 425 gondolas available for locals and tourists to ride on.
When was the golden age of Venice?15th centuryBy contrast, Venice in the15th century, with a population of perhaps 100,000 in the city and 1,000,000 on the mainland, enjoyed a golden age and could be considered a major European power.
1. Gondolas Have Their Roots in Ancient History
Graceful gondolas have been used to get around this Adriatic city for more than 10 centuries, the earliest recorded use dating back to 1094. They were once the main form of transportation around the Venetian canals. Towards the end of the 16th century there were an estimated 10,000 gondolas creating aquatic traffic jams throughout the city. Today, however, there are only about 425 gondolas in Venice.
