“Easter Sunday Mass at Limasawa” 

“Early in the morning of Sunday, the last of March, and Easter day, the captain
general sent the priest with some men to prepare the place where mass was to be 
said; together with the interpreter to tell the king that we were not going to land in 
order to dine with him, but to say mass, Therefore the king sent us two swine that 
had had killed. When the hour for mass arrived, we landed with about fifty men, 
without body armor but carrying our other arms. We landed, the two kings 
embraced the captain-general, and placed him between them. We went in
marching  order to ta place consecrated, which was not far from the shore. Before
the  commencement of mass, the captain general sprinkled the entire bodies of the
two  kings with musk water. The mass was off ere1 up. The kings went forward to
kiss  the cross ai we did, but they did not off er the sacrifice. The captain-general 
arranged a fencing tournament, at which the kings were greatly pleased. They had 
a cross carried in and the nails and a crown, to which immediate reverence was 
made. He told the kings through the interpreter that they were the standards given 
to him by the emperor his sovereign, so that wherever he might go he might set up 
those his tokens. (He said) that he wished to set it up in that place for their benefit, 
for whenever any of our ships came, they would know that we had been there by 
that cross, and would do nothing to displease them or harm their property If any of 
their men were captured, they would be they would be set free immediately on 
that sign being shown. After dinner we all returned clad in our doublets, and that 
afternoon went together with the two kings to the summit of the highest mountain 
there. When we reached the summit, the Captain-general told them that he 
esteemed highly having sweated for them, for since the cross was there it could 
not but be of great use to them. On asking them which port was the best to get 
food, they replied that there were three, Ceylon, Zubu, and Calaghann, but that 
Zubu was the largest and the one with most trade. They offered of their own
accord  to give us pilots to show us the way The Captain-general thanked them
and  determined. To go there for so did his unhappy fate will. After the cross was 
erected in position, each of us repeated a Pater Noster and Ave Maria and adored 
the cross; and the kings did the same. The Captain general asked the kings for the 
pilots for he intended to depart the following morning, and (said). That he would 
treat them as if they were the kings themselves, and would leave one of us as 
hostage. He asked the Captain-general to send him some men and help him, so
that  it might be sooner; and said that he intended to act as pilot himself. The
Captain  sent him some men, but the kings ate and drank- so much that they slept
all the  day. Some said to excuse them that they were slightly sick. Our men did
nothing  on that day, but they worked the next two days. Those people arc
heathen’s, and go  naked and painted. They wear a piece of cloth woven from a
tree about their  privies •. They are very heavy drinkers. Their women are clad in
tree cloth from  their waist down, and their hair is black and reaches To the
ground, there are dogs,  cats’ swin Fowls, goats, rice, ginger, cocoanuts, figs
(bananas) oranges, lemons,  millet, panicum, sorgo, wax and a quantity of gold in
that island. It lies in a  latitude of nine and two thirds degrees toward the Arctic
pole, and in a longitude  of-one hundred sixty-two degrees from the line of
demarcation. It is twenty-five  from the Acquada, called Mazua 6. We remained
there seven days, after which we  laid our course towards the northwest, passing
among five islands, Ceylon, Bohol,  Canighan, Baybai and Gatighan.
Context Analysis 

The first mass in the Philippines happened on the last week of march and the first 
cross was then set up in Mazua (Limasawa) as wished by Magellan for the benefit 
of the natives. Magellan succeeded his plan to influence his faith of people in the 
island he has conquered including the Philippines. On Good Friday, Pigafetta and
a  companion visit the natives ashore, where they spend the night in the king’s
palace,  a typical Visayan house rose aloft on supports and thatched with nipa.
Here the  various ceremonies that he witnesses impress Pigafetta, and his
companion, cast in  coarser mould than he, becomes intoxicated. Pigafetta, always
interested in the  language of the new peoples whom he meets, writes down certain
of their words,  whereat they are greatly astonished. He records that he “ate meat
on Holy Friday,  for I could not help myself.” On Easter Sunday, the natives are
deeply impressed  by the mass that is celebrated ashore, and the cross which is
planted in the highest  part of the island, and which they promise to adore 
He proved to our explorers and to the people today that circumnavigating the
world  were possible this book aids the researchers and students of today in
understanding  the context of the Magellan expedition and how the whole Europe-
Philippines  conflict commenced. Spaniards introduced Christianity to the
Filipinos. We’ve  understood this issue just simply as the start of the Spanish era
and Magellan being  in the Philippines’ villain without taking into debate the
context and different  reasons of the expedition.
Content Analysis 
Pigafetta mentioned the about the mass that was held on Palm Sunday which 
Ferdinan Magellanordered a mass to be celebrated, and was officiated by Father 
Pedro Valderrama, the Andalusian chaplain of the fleet; the only priest then. 
Participating in the masswere two ruling brothers: Rajah Colambu, ruler of 
Limasawa, and Rajah Siagu,ruler of Butuan in Northern Mindanao. Both rajahs 
kissed the cross and prayed with the crew, making them the first Filipinos to 
encounter Christianity. Whom people believe is the town specifically on the
shore  of Limasawa in Southern Leyte. It is popularly known as the birthplace of
the  Church in the Philippines. 
In this account of Antonio Pugafetta shows that first Mass that was held in the 
Philippines marked the birth of Roman Catholicism that till up to this day most of 
the Filipinos are still carries it with them as their religion and its still growing 
Everything about Antonio Pigafettas Account is Objective because everything in 
his journal he wrote it down by himself about what had happened in an event as
he  writes it down day by day. His accounts is the only credible source I knew that
is  more detailed about their adventure in the history of the Philippines.