This issue commemorates the most famous travel literature book written in Portuguese: Pilgrimage (Peregrinação in Portuguese), the memoir of Fernão Mendes Pinto (1509-1583), recounting his 20 year long travels in south-western Asia. Mendes Pinto wrote the book from memory, after his return to Portugal. Although it is unlikely to be completely accurate, Pilgrimage is the most reliable and detailed contemporary account of 16th century Asia and the impact of Western colonization, and hence a unique source for historians. Quite unusual for the time, the book shows Mendes Pinto’s openness to foreign culture and customs, and his criticism of greedy colonialism posing as religious mission. Mendes Pinto was unable to secure funding to print his book, which was only published 31 years after his death. It became a success, with multiple editions in various European languages.
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- Pinto in Japan
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- Sea battle
The set was designed by Lima de Freitas, lithographed by the Mint on enamelled paper sheets of 5×10 stamps with perforation 12×11½ and a phosphor band, and circulated from 30 June 1980 to 31 August 1989.
| Stamp | Print run | Afinsa | Gibbons | Michel | Scott | Yvert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.50 | 5,000,000 | 1472 | 1803 | 1496 | ||
| 10.00 | 1,000,000 | 1473 | 1804 | 1497 |
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