PHIHIS

Readings in Philippine History:

CONTROVERSIES
AND CONFLICTING
VIEWS IN
PHILIPPINE
HISTORY
1
SITE OF
THE FIRST
MASS
 Introduction
When it comes to the history of the
Philippines, certain historians have many
different interpretations. Our past is rich
in importance to our culture and benefits
to every Filipino's daily life. Let's examine
the specifics of the dispute where the
First Mass was said.
 Butuan has long been believed as the site
of the first mass. In fact, this has been the
case for three centuries, culminating in the
construction of a monument in 1872 near
Agusan River, which honors the expedition’s
arrival and celebration of Mass on April 8
1521. The Butuan claim has been based on
a rather elementary reading of primary
sources from the event.

 It must be noted that there are only two

primary sources that historians refer to in
identifying the site of the first Mass. One is
the record kept by Francisco Albo, a pilot of
one of Magellan’s ship, Trinidad. He was one
of the survivors who returned with Sebastian
Elcano on the ship Victoria after they
circumnavigated the world. The other, and
the more complete, was account by Antonio
Pigafetta, Primo viaggio intorno al mondo
(First Voyage Around the World). Pigafetta,
like Albo, was a member of the Magellan
expedition and an eyewitness of the events,
predominantly, of the first Mass.
Albo’s Log
 On the 16th of March (1521) as they sailed
in a westerly course from Ladrones, they
saw land towards the northwest; but owing
to many shallow places they did not
approach it. They found later that its name
was Yunagan.

 They went instead that same day

southwards to another small island named
Suluan, and there they anchored. There
they saw some canoes but these fled at
the Spaniards' approach. This island was at
9 and two-thirds degrees North latitude.

 Departing from those two islands, they

sailed westward to an uninhabited island of
"Gada" where they took in a supply of
wood and water. The sea around that
island was free from shallows. (Albo does
not give the latitude of this island, but from
Pigafetta's testimony, this seems to be the
"Acquada" or Homonhon, at 10 degrees
 From that island they sailed westwards towards a large island names Seilani that was
inhabited and was known to have gold. (Seilani — or, as Pigafetta calls it, "Ceylon" — was
the island of Leyte.)

 Sailing southwards along the coast of that large island of Seilani, they turned southwest to a
small island called "Mazava." That island is also at a latitude of 9 and two-thirds degrees
North.

 The people of that island of Mazava were very good. There the Spaniards planted a cross
upon a mountain-top, and from there they were shown three islands to the west and
southwest, where they were told there was much gold. "They showed us how the gold was
gathered, which came in small pieces like peas and lentils.“

 From Mazava they sailed northwards again towards Seilani. They followed the coast of
Seilani in a northwesterly direction, ascending up to 10 degrees of latitude where they saw
three small islands.

 From there they sailed westwards some ten leagues, and there they saw three islets, where
they dropped anchor for the night. In the morning they sailed southwest some 12 leagues,
down to a latitude of 10 and one-third degree. There they entered a channel between two
islands, one of which was called "Matan" and the other "Subu.“

 They sailed down that channel and then turned westward and anchored at the town (la
villa) of Subu where they stayed many days and obtained provisions and entered into a
peace-pact with the local king.
Pigafetta’s Testimony on the
Route of Magellan’s
•
Expedition
Saturday, 16 March 1521 — Magellan's
expedition sighted a 'high land" named
"Zamal" which was some 300 leagues
westward of Ladrones (now the Marianas)
Islands.

• Sunday, March 17 — "The following

day?' after sighting Zamal Island, they
landed on "another island which was
uninhabited" and which lay 'to the right"
of the above-mentioned island of
"Zamal." (To the "right" here would mean
on their starboard going south or
southwest.) There they set up two tents
for the sick members of the crew and had
a sow killed for them. The name of this
island was "Humunu" (Homonhon).
This island was located at 10 degrees
 On that same day (Sunday, March 17), Magellan named the entire archipelago the
"Islands of Saint Lazarus," the reason being that it was Sunday in the Lenten season when
the Gospel assigned for the Mass and the liturgical Office was the eleventh chapter of St.
John, which tells of the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

 Monday, March 18 — the afternoon of their second day on that island, they saw a boat
coming towards them with nine men in it. An exchange of gifts was effected. Magellan
asked for food supplies, and the men went away, promising to bring rice and other supplies
in "four days.“

 There were two springs of water on that island of Homonhon. Also they saw there some
indications that there was gold in these islands. Consequently Magellan renamed the island
and called it the "Watering Place of Good Omen" (Acquada la di bouni segnialli).

 Friday, March 22 — At noon the natives returned. This time they were in two boats, and
they brought food supplies.

 Magellan's expedition stayed eight days at Homonhon: from Sunday, March 17, to the
Monday of the following week, March 25.

 Monday, March 25 — In the afternoon, the expedition weighed anchor and left the island
of Homonhon. In the ecclesiastical calendar, this day (March 25) was the feast-day of the
Incarnation, also called the feast of the Annunciation and therefore "Our Lady's Day." On
this day, as they were about to weigh anchor, an accident happened to Pigafetta: he fell
into the water but was rescued. He attributed his narrow escape from death as grace
 The route taken by the expedition after leaving Homonhon was "toward the west southwest,
between four islands: namely, Cenalo, Hiunanghan, Ibusson and Albarien." Very probably
"Cenalo" is a misspelling in the Italian manuscript for what Pigafetta in his map calls
"Ceilon" and Albo calls "Seilani": namely the island of Leyte. "Hiunanghan" (a misspelling of
Hinunangan) seemed to Pigafetta to be a separate island, but is actually on the mainland of
Leyte (i.e., "Ceylon"). On the other hand, Hibuson (Pigafetta's Ibusson) is an island east of
Leyte's southern tip. Thus, it is easy to see what Pigafetta meant by sailing "toward the
west southwest" past those islands. They left Homonhon sailing westward towards Leyte,
then followed the Leyte coast southward, passing between the island of Hibuson on their
portside and Hiunangan Bay on their starboard, and then continued southward, then turning
westward to "Mazaua.“

 Thursday, March 28 — In the morning of Holy Thursday, March 28, they anchored off an
island where the previous night they had seen a light or a bonfire. That island "lies in a
latitude of nine and two-thirds towards the Arctic Pole (i.e., North) and in a longitude of one
hundred and sixty-two degrees from the line of demarcation. It is twenty-five leagues from
the Acquada, and is called Mazaua.“

 They remained seven days on Mazaua Island.

 Thursday, April 4 — They left Mazaua, bound for Cebu. They were guided thither by the
king of Mazaua who sailed in his own boat. Their route took them past five "islands" namely:
"Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan, Baibai, and Gatighan.“
 At Gatighan, they sailed westward to the three islands of the Camotes Group,
namely, Poro, Pasihan and Ponson. Here the Spanish ships stopped to allow
the king of Mazaua to catch up with them, since the Spanish ships were mtfch
faster than the native balanghai—a thing that excited the admiration of the
king of Mazaua.

 From the Camotes Islands they sailed southwards towards “Zubu.”

 Sunday, April 7 – At noon they entered the harbor of “Zubu” (Cebu). It had
taken then three days to negotiate the journey form Mazaua northwards to the
Camotes Islands and then southwards to Cebu.

It indicates that both Albo and Pigafettas testimonies correspond and

validate each other. Pigafetta gave more details on what they did
during their weeklong stay at Mazaua.
 Pigafetta and Seven Days in
 Mazaua
Thursday, March 28 — In the morning
they anchored near an island where they
had seen a light the night before a small
boat (boloto) came with eight natives, to
whom Magellan threw some trinkets as
presents. The natives paddled away, but
two hours later two larger boats
(balanghai) came, in one of which the
native king sat under an awning of mats.
At Magellan's invitation some of the
natives went up the Spanish ship, but the
native king remained seated in his boat.
An exchange of gifts was effected. In the
afternoon that day, the Spanish ships
weighed anchor and came closer to
shore, anchoring near the native king's
village. This Thursday, March 28, was
Thursday in Holy Week, i.e., Holy
Thursday.
 Friday, March 29 — "Next day. Holy Friday," Magellan sent his slave interpreter ashore in
a small boat to ask the king if he could provide the expedition with food supplies, and to say
that they had come as friends and not as enemies. In reply the king himself came in a boat
with six or eight men, and this time went up Magellan's ship and the two men embraced.
Another exchange of giftsiwas made. The native king and his companions returned ashore,
bringing with them two members of Magellan's expedition" as guesgs for the night. One of
the two was Pigafetta.

 Saturday, March 30 — Pigafetta and his companion had spent the previous evening
feasting and drinking with the native king and his son. Pigafetta deplored the fact that,
although it was Good Friday, they had to eat meat. The following morning (Saturday)
Pigafetta and his companion took leave of their hosts and returned to the ships

 Sunday, March 31 — "Early in the morning of Sunday, the last of March and Easter day,"
Magellan sent the priest ashore with some men to prepare for the Mass. Later in the
morning Magellan landed with some fifty men and Mass was celebrated, after which a cross
was venerated. Magellan and the Spaniards returned to the ship for the noon-day meal, but
in the afternoon they returned ashore to plant the cross on the summit of the highest hill. In
attendance both at the Mass and at the planting of the cross were the king of Mazaua and
the king of Butuan.
 Sunday, March 31 — On that same afternoon, while on the summit of the
highest hill, Magellan asked the two kings which ports he should go to in order
to obtain more abundant supplies of food than were available in that island.
They replied that there were three ports to choose from: Ceylon, Zubu, and
Calagan. Of the three, Zubu was the port with the most trade. Magellan then
said that he wished to go to Zubu and to depart the following morning. He
asked for someone to guide him thither. The kings replied that the pilots
would be available "any time." But later that evening the king of Mazaua
changed his mind and said that he would himself conduct Magellan to Zubu
but that he would first have to bring the harvest in. He asked Magellan to send
him men to help with the harvest.

 Monday, April 1 — Magellan sent men ashore to help with the harvest, but
no work was done that day because the two kings were sleeping off their
drinking bout the night before.

 Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3 — Work on the harvest during

the "next to days," i.e., Tuesday and Wednesday, the 2nd and 3rd of April.

 Thursday, April 4 — They leave Mazaua, bound for Cebu.

 CONCLUSION
1. Using the existing sources, Jesuit priest Miguel A. Bernad in his work Butuan or Limasawa: The site
of the first Mass in the Philippines: Reexamination of Evidence (1981) lays down the argument that
in the Pigafetta version, a crucial aspect of Butuan was not mentioned-the river. Butuan is riverine
settlement, located on the Agusan River. The beach of Masao is in the delta of said river. It is an
interested error in the account of the river, which distinct characteristic of Butuan’s Geography
which seemed to be too important to be missed.

2. “The “Age of Exploration” is a period of competition among European rulers to conquer and colonize
land outside their original territory. Initially, the goal was to find alternative routes by sea to get
Asia, the main source of spices and other merchandises. Existing routes to Asia were mainly by land
and cost very expensive. A sea routes to Asia means that Europeans could access the spice trade
directly, greatly reducing costs for traders. Spain’s major foray into the exploration was through
Christopher Columbus, who proposed to sail westward to find a shortcut to Asia. He was able to
each the Americas, which was then cut-off from the rest of the known world.”

3. “Spain settled parts of North America, Mexico, and South America in the sixteenth century. They
were also able to reach the Philippines and claim for the Spanish crown. Later on, Other European
rulers would compete with the activities of exploring and conquering lands. ”

4. It must be also considered that later on, after Magellan’s death, the survivors of his voyage went to
Mindanao, and seemingly went to Butuan. In this instance, Pigafetta intensely define a trip in a
river. But remember that this account already happened after Magellan’s death.
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