Who was Enrique of Malacca? Enrique of Malacca was the first person to circumnavigate the globe linguistically—he traveled so far in one direction (west) that he came to a place where his own language was spoken. Enrique may have also circumnavigated the globe completely, a full circle of the earth beginning and ending in Malacca or somewhere in the Philippines. Enrique’s 10-year journey began in 1511 when Ferdinand Magellan took him as a slave following the Portuguese invasion of Malacca, and continued on Magellan’s Armada de Molucca. Enrique was last seen at Cebu. Read more about Enrique of Malacca.