This exhibit recaps the voyage of Fernão de Magalhães and Juan Sebastián Elcano, from the perspective of the peoples’ genetics, population diversity and genetic heritage. The first circumnavigation, between 1519 and 1522, captained by Magalhães and completed by Elcano, was not only the first expedition around the world, but it also granted access to a large diversity of lands, peoples and cultures. Taking this journey as a starting point, we attempt to observe human genetic diversity, in both space and time, in light of today’s scientific knowledge.

The exhibit also explores the interaction between genetics and identity, as well as between genomics and social practices. Given the complexity of our societies, some social practices can end up influencing the shaping of our physical and social identities.

Through visual artistic expression and after doing ancestry tests, a group of artists explored the self-perception of identity based on all the narratives that defined them until then.