Danilo M. Catalan Jr.

Compare and contrast the conflicting accounts of the site of the First Mass of the
Philippines base from the class discussion. You can also read the article written for
further explanation.
Limasawa (views)
The first ever Easter Mass in the Philippines and a landmark in the history of
Philippine Christianity was held in 1521 on the island of Mazaua, known today as
Limasawa Island, Leyte. On March 28, 1521, while at sea, they saw a bonfire which
turned out to be Limasawa where they anchored and the blood compact of the Island’s
sovereign ruler was Rajah Siaiu. Conducted near the shores of the island, then on
March 31, 1521, the Holy First Mass marked the birth of Roman Catholicism in the
Philippines.

Butuan (views)
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 erection of the monument in 1872 near
Agusan river, which commemorates the expedition’s arrival and celebration of Mass on
April 8, 1521. The Butuan claim has been based on a rather elementary reading of the
primary sources of the event.
Comparison
As stated in the information and evidences of Albo and Pigafetta, there are likely
the same island that both of them speaking of, they have a little bit of lapses of time and
the flow of their story can be compared.
Contrast
There are different perceptions, routes, people involved and other things that the
two primary sources have.
Conclusion
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, together with the increasing
scholarship on the history of the Philippines, a more nuanced reading of the available
evidence was made, which brought to light more considerations in going against the
more accepted interpretation of the first Mass in the Philippines, made both by Spanish
and Filipino Scholars. 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 log kept by
Francisco Albo, one of the pilots of Magellan’s ship, Trinidad. He was the one of the 18
survivors who returned with Sebastian Elcano on the ship Victoria after they
circumnavigated the world. The other, and the more complete, was the account by
Antonio Pigafetta of his journal, PRIMO VIAGGIO INTORNO AL MONDO (First Voyage
around the World). Pigafetta, like Albo, was a member of the Magellan expedition and
an eyewitness of events, particularly, of the mass and that I conclude that history itself
can be manipulated or interpreted differently that is why we must look for the most
concrete sources and evidence that is stated by those who seeks answers.