If the Junk Don't Fit... Pinto’s Lequios Were Filipino, Not Ryukyuan. Finding Pinto 6 Lequios 10

Who were the mysterious Lequios described by Portuguese explorer Fernão Mendes Pinto? Were they peaceful tributaries from Okinawa’s Ryukyu Islands… or a sovereign, seafaring power in Luzon? In Peregrinação (~1558), Pinto describes ships that were: ⚓ Vast, ocean-faring, multi-decked ⚓ Built with double-thick planks fastened by iron bolts ⚓ Armed with warrior crews, stronger than Chinese junks ⚓ Both traders and fighters — not just ceremonial emissaries Ryukyu’s small tribute junks simply don...