Case Study 1: Where Did the First Catholic Mass Take Place in

the Philippines?

The popularity of knowing where the "firsts" happened in history

has been an easy way to trivialize history, but this case study will not
focus on the significance (or lack thereof) of the site of the First
Catholic Mass in the Philippines, but rather, use it as a
historiographical exercise in the utilization of evidence and
interpretation in reading historical events.
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 a monument in 1872 near Agusan River, which
commemorates the expedition's arrival and celebration of Mass on 8
April 1521. The Butuan claim has been based on a rather elementary
reading of primary sources from the event.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the
twentieth 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
gong against the more accepted interpretation ot the first Mass in the
Philhppines, 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, a pilot of one of Magellan's ship, Trinidad.
He was one of the 18 survivors who returned with Sebastian Elcano
on the ship Victoria after they cireumnavigated the world. The other,
and the more complete, was the account by Antonio Pigafetta, Primo
Uaggio intorno al mondo (First Voyage Around the World). Pigafetta,
like Albo, was a member of the Magellanexpedition and an eyewitness
of the events, particularly, of the first Mass.
Primary Source: Albo's Log

Source:Diario o derotero del viage de Magallanes desde el cabo se S.

Agustin en el Brazil hasta el regreso a Espana de la nao Victoria,
escrito por Frandsco Albo," Document no. xxii in Colleción de viages
descubrinmientos que hicieron por mar los Españoles desde fines del
siglo XV, Ed. Martin Fernandez de Navarrete (reprinted Buenos Aires
1945, 0 Vols) IV, 191-225. As cited in Miguel A. Bernad "Butuan or
Limasawa The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A
Reexamination of Evidence 1981, Künaadman: A Journal of Southern
Philippines, Vol. 111, 1-35.
1. 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.

2. 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.
3. 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 Pigatetta's testimony, this
seems to be the "Acquada or Homonhon, at 10 degrees Northlatitude.)
4. 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.)
5.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.
6. 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.
7. From Mazava they sailed northwards again towards Seilani. Tney
followed the coast of Seilani in a northwesterly direction, ascending
up to 10 degrees of latitude where they saw three small islands.
8. 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
l0 and one-third degree. There they entered a channel between two
islands, one of which was called "Matan" and the other "Subu."
9.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.
10. The town of Subu was on an east-west direction with the islands
of Suluan and Mazava. But between Mazava and Subu, there were so
many shallows that the boats could not go westward directly but has
to go (as they did) in a round-about way.
It must be noted that in Albo's account, the location of Mazava fits the
location of the island of Limasawa, at the southern tip of Leyte, 9°54N.
Also, Albo does not mention the first Mass, but only the planting of
the cross upon a mountain-top from which could be seen three islands
to the west and southwest, which also fits the southern end of
Limasawa.
Primary Source: Pigafetta's Testimony on the Route of
Magellan's Expedition
Source: Emma Blair and James Alexander Robertson, The Philippine
Islands, Vols. 33 and 34, as cited in Miguel A. Bernad, "Butuan or
Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A
Reexamination of Evidence" 1981, Kinaadman: A Journal of Southern
Philippines, Vol. III, 1-35.
1. 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.
2 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 "righť
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 North latitude.
3. On that same day (Sunday, March 17), Magellan named the enure
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.
4. Monday, March 18- In 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.
5. 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 segniali).
6. Friday, March 22-At noon the natives returned. This time they were
in two boats, and they brought food supplies.
7. Magellan's expedition stayed eight days at Homonhon: from
Sunday, March 17, to the Monday of the following week, March 25.

8. 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 lncarnation, 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 Pigafëtta:
he fell into the water but was rescued. He attributed his narrow escape
from death as grace obtained through the intercession of the Blessed
Virgin Mary on her feast-day.
9. 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 G.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 unangan
Bay on their starboard, and then continued southward, thenturning
westward to "Mazaua.
10. Thursday, March 28 in the morning of Holy Thursday, March 6,
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. lt is twenty-five
leagues from the Acquada, and is called Mazaua.
11. They remained seven days on Mazaua lsland.
12. 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."
13. 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 much faster than the native balangha-a thing
that excited the admiration of the king of Mazaua.
14. From the Camotes Islands they sailed southwards towards "Zubu.
15. Sunday, April 7 - At noon they entered the harbor of "Zubu (Cebu).
It had taken them three days to negotiate the journey from Mazaua
northwards to the Camotes Islands and then southwards to Cebu.
It must be pointed out that both Albo and Pigafetta's testimonies
coincide and corroborate each other. Pigafetta gave more details on
what they did during their weeklong stay at Mazaua.
Primary Source: Pigafetta and Seven Days in Mazaua
Source: Emma Blair and James Alexander Robertson, The Philippine
Islands, Vols. 33 and 34, as cited in Miguel A. Bernad, "Butuan or
Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A
Reexamination of Evidence" 1981, Kinaadman: A Journal of Southern
Philippines, Vol. III, 1-35.
1. 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.
2. 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 gifts was made. The native
king and his companions returned ashore, bringing with them two
members of Magellan's expedition as guests for the night. One of the
two was Pigafetta.
3. Saturday, March 30 Pigafetta and his companion had spent the
previous evening toasting 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 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.
6. 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.
7. Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April3- Work on the harvest
during the "next two days, 1.e., Tuesday and Wednesday, the 2nd and
3rd of April.
8. Thursday, April 4-They leave Mazaua, bound for Cebu.
Using the primary sources available, Jesuit priest Miguel A.
Bernad in his work Butuan or Limasauwa: The Site of the First Mass
in the Philippines: A Reexamination of Euidence (1981) lays down the
argument that in the Pigafetta account, a crucial aspect of Butuan was
not mentioned-the river. Butuan is a riverine settlement, situated on
the Agusan River. The beach off Masno is in the delta of said river. It
18 a curious omission in the account of the river, which makes part of
a distinct characteristic of Butuan's geography that seemed to be too
important to be missed.
 The Age of Exploration is a period of competition among
European rulers to conquer and colonize lands outside their
original domains. Initially, the goal was to find alternative routes
by sea to get to Asia, the main source of spices and other
commodities. Existing routes to Asia were mainly by land and cost
very expensive. A sea route 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 reach the Americas, which was then cut-off
from the rest of the known world.
Spain colonized parts of North America, Mexico, and South
America in the sixteenth century. They were also able to reach the
Philippines and claim it for the Spanish crown. Later on, other
European rulers would compete with the activities of exploring and
conquering lands.
It must also be pointed out that later on, after Magellan s
death, the survivors of his expedition went to Mindanao, and
seemingly went to Butuan. In this instance, Pigafetta vividly
describes a trip in a river. But note that this account already
happened after Magellan's death.