FERDINAND MAGELLAN

Magellan’s Landing in Homonhon Island

Contrary to old textbook depictions of Ferdinand Magellan arriving in the Philippines to invade the
country, the actual purpose of Magellan’s voyage was to prove that Earth is not flat by circumnavigating
the world by traveling westward to get to the East. The expedition team sighted the highest peak on
Samar Island on March 16, 1521. On Magellan’s orders, the crew waited until the following day until
they landed on the beach of Homonhon, an uninhabited island. When they landed on Homonhon,
Magellan's crew was detected by Rajah Humabon, the chief of a nearby island called Limasawa.
Humabon sent scouts to Homonhon to investigate. When the scouts reached the shore, Humabon went
immediately to Magellan, giving signs of joy because of their arrival. Magellan seeing that they were
reasonable men, Magellan presented the natives with mirrors, bells, red caps, combs, and ivory. When
they saw Magellan’s courtesy, they presented fish, a jar of palm wine, which they call uraca (alak) and
bananas.

Magellan Was Caught Between Feuding Chieftains

The highest ranks in society in pre-colonial Philippines were composed of local chieftains or datus who
cooperated or competed against each other. Magellan and his crew witnessed this play of politics, but
did not recognize its dynamics. They even mistook these local chieftains for “kings,” which they were
not. One of the “kings” with whom Magellan forged a close friendship was Rajah Humabon of the small
island of Limasawa. Humabon was a rival of one of the chiefs on Mactan Island, Lapu-Lapu. Another
chief in Mactan, Datu Zula, was also wary of Lapu-Lapu. April 26, Zula, a chief of the island of Matan,
sent one of his sons to present two goats to Magellan, and to say that he would send him all that he
had promised, but that he had not been able to send it to him because of the other chief Cilapulapu
(Lapu-Lapu), who refused to obey the king of Spagnia. Because of this, Magellan promised to eliminate
the “king” who would not recognize the superiority of Spanish crown. It was Magellan’s arrogance and
his overconfidence on Medieval weaponry that cost him his life. In one of their encounters with datus
aboard the Victoria, Magellan demonstrated the superiority of Spanish armor and weapons, to the
amazement of the locals.

The Victoria, the only ship that survived Magellan's voyage

Then Magellan had a man armed as a soldier, and placed him in the midst of three men armed with
swords and daggers, who struck him on all parts of the body. Thereby Humabon rendered almost
speechless. Magellan told him through the slave that one of those armed men was worth one hundred
of his own men. Magellan fervently believed that his men were so superior to the natives that he allowed
49 of his crew to face off against a force of 1,500 enraged natives. He was so confident that he refused
the help of his allies, Rajah Humabon and Datu Zula, and asked the them to just watch how they fought.
Chiefs Humabon and Zula obeyed to Magellan's demise. Magellan was an excellent explorer and
navigator, but he was no battle tactician. Refusing the help of the two chiefs was his first big mistake at
the Battle of Mactan.

A Lopsided Battle of Mactan

They arrived at the shores of Mactan three hours before sunrise. Magellan sent a message to the
natives saying that if they still refused to recognize the Spanish king and pay them tribute, they would
demonstrate how effective their swords were at wounding people. The natives requested Magellan’s
party to wait until morning before attacking so they could gather more warriors, to which Magellan
obliged. When the sun rose, Magellan, including his crew of 49 (11 remained on the ship) witnessed
how the natives were highly organized at warfare. When they reached land, the natives had
formed in three divisions to the number of more than 1,500 persons. When the natives saw the
Spaniards, natives charged down upon them with exceeding loud cries, two divisions on their flanks
and the other on their front. Against spears, bows, and arrows, Magellan’s muskets and armor proved
worthless because the muskets took one minute to reload and fire. Realizing their huge disadvantage,
the Spaniards panicked and began firing at no target.

The Battle of Mactan

When the natives saw that Spaniards shooting their muskets to no purpose, they redoubled their
shouts. When their muskets were discharged, the natives would never stand still, but leaped hither and
thither, covering themselves with their shields. They shot so many arrows at the Spaniards and hurled
so many bamboo spears (some of them tipped with iron) at the captain-general, besides pointed stakes
hardened with fire, stones, and mud, that Spaniards scarcely defend themselves.

Magellan's Second Mistake: Burning the Natives' Houses

Magellan became desperate, so he ordered some of his crew to distract the natives by burning their
houses. When natives saw their houses burning, they were roused to greater fury, two Spaniards were
killed near the houses, while we burned twenty or thirty houses. So many of them charged down that
they shot Magellan through the right leg with a poisoned arrow. The wounded Magellan ordered his
men to retreat more slowly, but the enraged natives were relentless at the pursuit. The natives shot
only at the Spaniards’ legs and so many were the spears and stones that they hurled, that Spaniards
could offer no resistance. Spaniards continued to retire from the shore always fighting up their knees
in the water. The natives continued to pursue and picking up the same spear four or six times, hurled
it again and again.
Magellan’s Death
It was not Lapu-Lapu who slayed Ferdinand Magellan, but many natives—probably battle-hardened,
evidenced by their proficiency with spears and very large bolos. This was something that Magellan and
his company did not expect. One of the natives wounded Magellan on the left leg with a large cutlass.
That caused Magellan to fall face downward, when immediately natives rushed upon him with iron and
bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed him. Today, although Magellan did not
complete the circumnavigation of the world, he is still honored with the title as the first captain to sail
around the world. It was Juan Sebastian Elcano who took over the helm after Magellan died in the
Philippines, and thereby completing the world’s first circumnavigation. Sailors today who successfully
circumnavigate the world are bestowed the Order or Magellan. Prominent people who were awarded
with this honor were General Douglas MacArthur and astronaut John Glenn.
 RUY LOPEZ DE VILLALOBOS

November 1542 marks the expedition of Sir Ruy Lopez de Villalobos as he headed off from Nueva
Espana (New Spain) or Mexico as most of us know it today. Villalobos was the brother-in-law of Antonio
de Mendoza, the viceroy of New Spain at the time. His brother-in-law appointed him commander of the
expedition. The first island Villalobos landed on was Mindanao, which he reached four months later –
making him the first Spaniard to explore this particular island. Villalobos is famous for something far
more then his exposition in 1542, he was the first to give the name ‘Felipinas’ in honor of the Spanish
crown prince Don Felipe, later to be King Felipe II. National hero Jose Rizal once noted that Villalobos
initially gave the name ‘Felipinas’ to an island known at the time as Tandaya (today’s Leyte). This name
was then ascribed to the entire archipelago with a decree dated September 24, 1559.Villalobos’s
expedition was not as formidable, as he was considered an enemy by the Portuguese after he tried to
settle in several neighboring islands near them. After two difficult years he gave in, and he and a crew
parted for Spain in one of their ships. Ruy Lopez de Villalobos never saw Spain again, he died of
malignant fever in Amboina (Maluku) Indonesia on Good Friday, 1546.
 MIGUEL LOPEZ DE LEGAZPI

Twenty years after Magellan’s Fleet landed in the Philippines Archipelago, the government of Spain
has sent another expedition coming from Mexico. This time, the expedition was headed by Legazpi
with the sole mission of invading the whole country.
The expedition composed of four ships and 380 men, including Fr. Andres de Urdaneta as well as five
Augustine priests. The Viceroy of Mexico had one important task for Legazpi to which he was given an
envelope which he will only open when the ships are already at sea. The Legazpi expedition left in the
port of Navidad, Mexico on November 21, 1564. After four days at sea, Legazpi opened the envelop to
which he learns the purpose of his expedition, that is – to invade the whole Philippine Archipelago.
Legazpi traces the route made by Magellan, and in February 13, 1565, they were able to reach the
province of Cebu. But they were not given an approval to land in the shore because of the previous
experience by the natives against the Spanish fleet. This prompted Legazpi’s fleet to go to Samar and
Leyte in which the Filipinos gladly accepted them. The Filipinos in Leyte and Samar were headed by
Prince Kamutahon. The prince helped Legazpi to find the island of Limasawa which they were accepted
and was given food and drinks headed by Datu Bankaw.
Legazpi then proceed to Camiguin Island but they were not able to be permitted to land ashore because
the natives were angry at them. They went there sail and reached the province of Bohol on March 16,
1565. The people of Bohol were also angry to Legazpi’s fleet because Legazpi captured a Filipino boat
captain who was going to trade in another country. The Boholono’s mistakenly pointed Legazpi’s fleet
to be that of the Portugese which is bringing havoc to their shores. Legazpi explained that they were
not Portugese and that they were accepted by their leader, Rajah Sikatuna. In this time, Sikatuna and
Legazpi had made the Blood Compact in the shores of Bohol.
What was Legazpi Expedition All About?
Legazpi expedition was the fiftieth expedition commissioned by the government of Spain. As for its
commander-in-chief, it was led by no other than Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. Together with him, were five
Augustinian friars and an approximate number of not more than 380 men. Furthermore, the latter had
a very dynamic chief navigator of the ship in the person of Fray Andres de Urdaneta, along with Martin
de Goiti, a well-seasoned Marshall, and the gorgeous Juan de Salcedo. There were sealed orders or
decrees which came from King Philip II of Spain. Based on these orders, the expedition of Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi had to travel to the designated country and had to work everything out with insurmountable
diligence and sincerity, so as to establish a lasting and sound friendship coupled with love and peace,
to its early people or natives. To prove their utmost sincerity and purest intentions, the members of the
expedition had presented and showered the natives of the Philippine archipelago with gifts, which were
conglomerated with cordial and humane reception. As far as the genuine intent of the expedition was
concerned, it was presumably characterized as a peaceful colonialization in the near future, if their
strategies were laid down and executed as carefully as possible.
Urdaneta had a clear and detailed understanding of this colonial orchestration by the Spaniards.
However, he was said to be very reluctant at first. Nevertheless, all he wanted to do as soon as he and
his companions had arrived in the Philippines was to spread the Holy Gospel to these people, whom
they would later address as Filipinos. Speaking of their destination, the Philippines then was not actually
an undiscovered and isolated region of the world. Without uttering a word or two, the Filipinos then
were not as naïve as these visitors would have thought. Hence, these natives had to inquire about the
real intent of the thousand miles voyage of the Legazpi expedition. After more than forty years, since
the historical discovery of Magellan to the Philippines, Rajah Humabon was baptized and given an
image of the Child Jesus as a gift from a Portuguese like Ferdinand Magellan. From this scenario, the
previous “would be colonizers” of the Philippines had surmised that it would be too easy for them to get
the whole Philippine Islands like a piece of cake. But it was not. Two weeks later, the Battle of Mactan
was at hand. Lapu Lapu, its tenacious and fiercest chieftain had killed Ferdinand Magellan, in order to
prevent the consummation of an occupation. Significantly, the Philippines had developed a not so good
impression that it could be more vulnerable to the invincible Spanish regime.
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi Finally Arrived in the Philippines
Although there were incidents of defensive and nationalistic killings in Cebu of some 27 Spaniards, the
Legaspi expedition had landed in Cebu on the 13th day of February 1565. They had brought precious
gifts like glasses, beads and mirrors. On the other hand, the Filipinos had their own share of gold,
cinnamon and wine, to exchange with these foreigners. Simply, the barter system which had taken
place in the majestic island of Cebu was a ploy for these two parties since it was a dual edged sword
for the Filipinos. First, it was their own form of strategy to be able to conceal their hostile feelings toward
their “newfound friends”. Second, the they were able to exhibit their real and sincere attitude of being
hospitable.
Political and Geographical Constitution of the Philippines Before the Legazpi Expedition
this mesmerizing island was composed of small kingdoms or territories, which were ruled by men whom
they fondly called as “chieftains”. These people can be friendly or aggressive with their counterparts,
depending on the kind of situations that they were confronted with. Nonetheless, these powerful
domains were entirely independent from one another. In fact, their economics did rest on trade and
commerce-related endeavors within themselves and other foreign traders. If you are to ask about these
foreign business partners of the Filipinos, they can be anyone of these. These were the Chinese, Arabs,
Japanese and Sumatrans, to name a few. Also, there were other foreign traders during those ancient
years who had gladly introduced about their wide selection of dishes and colorful cultures, respectively.
With these economic and political landscapes of the Philippine islands, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi sailed
back to Cebu with a new set of allies. Sad to say, they had taken the once peaceful and progressive
Philippines, by immeasurable force. Several protests had echoed all over the island. These mass
actions against the locals were led by their former companion, Fray Urdaneta. Tupas, the newly-
designated chieftain of Cebu had gone back to the mountains, alongside with 2,000 warriors. Whatever
his advocacies were, he had surrendered to Legazpi in a form of a treaty which had contained several
conditions such as the following:
The First Historical Relinquishment of Philippine Freedom
There was an incident of voluntary submission under the governance, dominion and care of the Royal
Crown of Castilla. As an integral part of the treaty, it was decreed that the vessels of Cebu under the
jurisdiction of Tupas had to stay loyal to the flagship of Spain; and must not in any way displease her
no matter what might be the cost, of this self-serving action of the whole Spanish Empire. Aside from
this first documented surrender of freedom to Spanish colonizers, the Legaspi expedition was too
ecstatic to find the unburned replica of the Holy Child, who was believed to be so powerful and
miraculous. As a sign of his love and reverence to the religion Catholicism, he had knelt down before
the image, and had asked for the much needed guidance and enlightenment during the entirety and
culmination of their expedition cum conquest agenda in the Philippines.
Generally, the Legazpi expedition did not make any reference with respect to his prayers to the
Almighty, for all the good things that he did for the Philippines. But, in one of his historically documented
prayers, he had once said, “Punish the offenses committed in these islands against Thy Majesty”. In
this fervent prayer of Miguel de Legazpi, it was not certain if this was a direct allusion to Spain or to the
Supreme Being.
Benefits of the Legazpi Expedition for the Philippines
Advantages wise, the expedition of Legazpi had fairly done a number of good deeds to the Philippines.
Primarily, they had built a church, a fort and many houses for the inhabitants. These tremendous
legacies of the Legazpi expedition, had caused fury in the hearts and souls of Portuguese authorities,
who had first planned to occupy the island. To settle the lingering dispute between Portugal and Spain
over the heavily laden island of the Philippines, there had been a formal exchange of epistles, between
the two warring parties. Therefore, a union was formed between these two countries; it was popularly
known as the 1580 Treaty of Portugal and Spain.
After the signing of the treaty, it seemed like the Cebuanos and the Portuguese alike, had earnestly
wanted to unite their forces against the equally- powerful clout of Spain. Thinking that it was a
conspiracy plot, Legazpi and his men had gathered their vessels and traveled to Panay. But Spain was
really determined to win back the island of Cebu.
So, King Philip II had sent out a reinforcement team to rescue the Legazpi expedition from the perils of
an impending colonial defeat. From then on, he had been appointed as the new governor of Cebu,
with a Spanish termed designation as an “Adelantado”. His new incumbency as an Adelantado, had
made him received decrees which had ordered the full control of the beholden Philippine islands
Historical and Dynamic Evolution of Cebu after the Legazpi Expedition
Cebu was later converted and organized as a full-fledged city government with a new elected governor.
Thus, lands were divided into encomiendas. Encomiendas were huge estates, that were equally divided
to function as rewards to those officials and people who had served the honorable King of Spain and
his right hand, the Adelantado, with unquestionable loyalty. Many years had passed, and those acts
of corruption and bribery in the form of encomiendas, had to be eradicated because of the many abuses
which had been consciously committed through the use of these properties. Moreover, the abuses of
the Spanish regime continued as Legazpi the former voyager, had been dutifully following orders which
were most of the time, went out of bounce, according to the primitive laws and cultural conventions of
the Filipinos. In those struggling years after the Legazpi expedition, he was able to convince them
that this was being done for their own good and common welfare. Having conquered the Philippines
from one place to another, it had varying effects and receptions. For instance, when Legazpi had met
Lakandula for the very first time, he was so friendly to the ever religious Adelantado; whereas, the other
leaders of Philippine territories were adamant. Consequently, the numerous conquests of the Legazpi
expedition, had brought forth a policy which was mainly focused on a type of attraction which had
unifying principles that were dependent on the solidifying effects of previous wars. In turn, these
catastrophes had resulted into a bonding force or element which had affected a remarkable and epochal
makeovers in both the government and territorial jurisdictions of the Philippines.