LESSON 3.

1
SITE OF THE FIRST MASS in
The PHILIPPINES
 Where did the First
Catholic Mass take place
in the Philippines?
THERE ARE ONLY TWO PRIMARY SOURCES
THAT HISTORIANS REFER IN IDENTIFYING
THE SITE OF THE FIRST MASS

Francisco Albo

Antonio Pigafetta
PIGAFETTA’s ACCOUNT

In the island belonging to the king who came to the ship there
are mines of gold, which they find in pieces as big as a walnut or
an egg, by seeking the ground. He had very black hair coming
down to his shoulders, and two large gold rings hanging from his
ears, he had a cloth of cotton worked with silk, at his side he wore
a dagger that its handle was all gold and its sheath was of carved
wood. He is tawny and painted all over.
PIGAFETTA’s ACCOUNT

The island of this king is named Zuluman and Calagan, and

when these two kings wish to visit one another they come to hunt
in this island where we were.

The painted king was called Raia Clambu, and the other Raia
Siani.
PIGAFETTA’s ACCOUNT

On Sunday, the last day of March, and feast of Easter, the

captain sent the chaplain ashore early to say mass, and the
interpreter went with him to tell the king that they were not coming
on shore to dine with him but only to hear the mass. When it was
time for saying mass the captain went ashore with fifty men, not
with their arms but only with their swords and before the boats
reached the shore our ship fired six cannon shots as a sign of
peace and received our captain as a friendly manner.
PIGAFETTA’s ACCOUNT

Before the mass began the captain threw a quantity of musk

rose water on those two kings, and when the offertory of the mass
came, the two kings went to kiss the cross like us, but they offered
nothing, and they were kneeling like us, and adored the Lord with
joined hands. After that the captain had some sword play with his
people that gave great pleasure to the kings. Then the captain
introduced to the kings the Cross.

He told them that he wished to place it in their country because

if there came afterwards any ships from Spain to those island they
would not cause them any displeasure to their persons nor their
goods. The kings thanked the captain, and said they would do it
willingly.
PIGAFETTA’s ACCOUNT

After dinner they all went together with the kings to the middle
of the highest mountain we could find, and there the cross was
planted.

This island is in nine degrees and two-thirds north latitude, and

one hundred and sixty-two longitude from the line of demarcation:
it is twenty-five leagues distant from the other island where we
found the two fountain of fresh water. This island is named
MAZZAVA.
THERE ARE ONLY TWO PRIMARY SOURCES
THAT HISTORIANS REFER IN IDENTIFYING
THE SITE OF THE FIRST MASS

Francisco Albo

Antonio Pigafetta
Albo’s ACCOUNT

1) MARCH 16, 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 it’s name was
“YUNAGAN”
Albo’s ACCOUNT

2) March 16, 1521- They went instead 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 2/3
degrees North latitude.
Albo’s ACCOUNT

3) Departing from those islands, they sailed westward

to an uninhabited island of “GADA” where they took
supply of woods and water. (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 North latitude)
Albo’s ACCOUNT

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)
Albo’s ACCOUNT

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 2/3 degrees North.
Albo’s ACCOUNT

6) The people of that island of Mazava were very

good. There the Spaniards planted a cross upon
mountain-top, and from there they were shown three
islands to the west and southwest, where they were told
there was much gold.
Albo’s ACCOUNT

7) 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.
Albo’s ACCOUNT

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 10
and 1/3 degree. There they entered a channel between
two islands, one of which was called “MATAN” and the
other “SUBU”.
Albo’s ACCOUNT

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.
Albo’s ACCOUNT

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 in a
round-about way.
Albo’s ACCOUNT

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-degrees 54’N. 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.
 MAIN ISSUE:
MASAO, BUTUAN – The claim is based on a tradition that was
highly observed from the 17th to 19th century. Historians claim
that that there has been no mention of the Limasawa Island in
the primary sources of this dispute history. Masaua according to
them is now Masao.

LIMASAWA ISLAND – The accounts of Pigafetta jointly read with

Francisco Albo’s diary showed that Magellan’s expedition did not
reach Mindanao when they landed in Homonhon. Instead , they
have settled in an island in a latitude similar to the position of
Limasawa today, south of Leyte. In addition, the disputed
location in Masao is near a river, but in there has been no
mention of such geographical feature in the story of Pigafetta.
ANALYS
IS