Content and Contextual

Analysis of Selected
Primary Sources in
Philippine History
Prepared by: Palen, Ma. Andrea Mae R.
 We are going to look into at a number of primary sources from
different historical periods and evaluate these documents content in
terms of historical value, and examine the context of their
production. The primary sources that we are going to examine are
Antonio Pigafetta’s “First Voyage around the World” , Emilio Jacinto’s
“Kartilya ng Katipunan”, the 1898 Declaration of Philippine
Independence, Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the
American Era (1900-1941), Corazon Aquino’s speech before the US
Congress. These primary sources range from chronicles, official
documents, speeches and cartoons to visual arts.
“First Voyage
Around the
World”
(Primer Viaje
en Torno del
Globo)
 Pigafetta’s work instantly
became a classic that
prominent literary men in the
West like William
Shakespeare, Michel de
Montaigne, Giambattista Vico
referred to the book in their
interpretation of the New
World.
• Born sometime in the closing year of the closing year
of the 15th century.
• Parents: Giovanni Pigafetta and Angela Zoga
• Eldest child among his 2 siblings
• Was a native of Vicenza, a town about hundred
kilometers went of Venice, Italy
• Studied astronomy, geography and cartography
• Served on board the ships of the knights of Rhodes at
the beginning of the 16th century.
• Accompanied Ferdinand Magellan together with Juan
Sebastian Elcano in the famous expedition to
Moluccan which began in Aught 1519 and ended in
September.
Ferdinand Magellan,
Portuguese Fernão de Magalhães,
Spanish Fernando de
Magallanes or Hernando de
Magallanes Portugal—died April 27,
1521, Mactan, Philippines),
Portuguese navigator and explorer who
sailed under the flags of
both Portugal (1505–13)
and Spain (1519–21). From Spain he
sailed around South America,
discovering the Strait of Magellan, and
across the Pacific. Though he was killed
in the Philippines, one of his ships
continued westward to Spain,
accomplishing the first
circumnavigation of Earth.
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
✓Italian nobleman Antonio Pigafetta, who accompanied
Ferdinand Magellan in his fateful circumnavigation of
the world.
✓Pigafetta’s travelogue is one of the most important
primary sources in the study of the precolonial
Philippines.
✓His account was also a major referent to the events
leading to Magellan’s arrival in the Philippines, his
encounter with local leaders, his death in the hands of
Lapulapu’s forces in the Battle of Mactan, and in the
departure of what was left of Magellan’s fleet from the
islands.
• Students of history need to realize that primary sources
used in the subsequent written histories depart from certain
perspectives.
• Thus, Pigafetta’s account was also written from the
perspectives of Pigafetta himself and was a product of the
context of its production.
• The First Voyage Around the World by Magellan was
published after Pigafetta returned to Italy.
• The copies of this account
was presented by
Pigafetta to Pope Clement
VII, King Charles I.
• His original diary was lost
and not known in what
language it was written
• Survived in 4 manuscript
versions; 1 Italian (Carlo
Amoretti) and 3 French
In Pigafetta’s account, their fleet reached what
he called the Landrones Islands or the “Islands
of the Thieves”

He recounted:
“ These people have no arms, but use sticks,
which have a fish bone at the end. They are
poor, but ingenious, and great thieves, and for
sake of that we called these three islands the
LANDRONES ISLAND.”

The Landrones Islands is presently known as the

Marianas Islands.
 • These island are located south-southeast of Japan, west-
southwest of Hawaii, north of New Guinea and east of
Philippines,
• Ten days after, Pigafetta reported that they reached what
Pigafetta called the isle of Zamal, now Samar but Magellan
decided to land in another uninhabited island for greater
security where they could rest for a few days.

March 18, 9 men welcomed and gave them with fish, palm wine (uraca), figs and two cochos.
The native also give them rice (umai), cocos, and other food supplies. Pigafetta described the
palm tree which bore fruits called cocho, and wine.
His descriptions reads:
“ This palm produces a fruit named cocho, which is as large as the head or thereabouts:
its first husk is green, and two fingers in thickness, in it they find certain threads, with which
they made the cords for fastening their boats. Under this husk there is another very hard and
thicker than that a walnut. They burn this second rind and make with it a powder which is useful
to them. Under this rind there is a white marrow of finger’s thinness, which they eat fresh with
meat and fish, as we do bread, and it has the taste of an almond and if anyone dried it he might
make bread of it.”
• The fleet went to Humumu Island (Homonhon) and there they
found what Pigafetta referred to as the “Watering Place of
Good Signs”. It is in this place where Pigafetta wrote that they
found the first signs of gold in the island.
• It is this place where Pigafetta wrote that they found the first
signs of gold in the island. They named the island with the
nearby islands as the archipelago of St. Lazarus.
• They left the island, then on March 25, Pigafetta recounted
that they saw two balanghai (balangay), a long boat full of
people in Mazzava/Mazaua.
• Europeans entertained these men and gave them gifts. The
king of the balangay offered to give bar of gold and a chest of
ginger, Magellan declined.
• Magellan exchanged gifts of robes in Turkish fashion, red cap
and gave people knives and mirrors.
• These two men expressed their desire to become brothers.
 Here, he met two kings. The first king was Raia
Siagu and the other king was Raia Calambu, king of
Zuluan and Calagan (Butuan and Caragua)

On March 31st
Magellan ordered the
chaplain to preside a
Mass by the shore.
 The two kings heard of this plan and sent
two dead pigs and attended the Mass.

“…when the offertory of the mass came,

the two kings, went to kiss the cross like
us, but they offered nothing, and at the
elevation of the body of our lord they were
kneeling like us and adored our Lord with
joined hands.’’

After the Mass, Magellan ordered that the cross be

brought with nails and crown in place.
 • The king concurred
and allowed for the
cross to be planted.

• This Mass would go down in history as the first Mass in

Philippines and cross would be famed Magellan’s Cross still
preserved at present day. (Cebu City)
Magellan spoke to the king and encouraged him to be a good Christian by burning
all of the idols and worship the cross instead.

“ To that the king and all his people answered that thy
would obey the commands of the captain and do all that
he told them. The captain took the king by the hand, and
they walked about o the scaffolding, and when he was
baptized, he said that he would name him Don Charles
(Carlos), as the emperor his sovereign named; and he
named the prince Don Ferdinand (Fernando), after the
brother of the emperor, and the King of Mazavva, Jehan:
to the moor he gave the name of Christopher, and to the
others each name of his fancy.”

When Magellan reiterated that all of the newly baptized Christians need to burn
their idols, but the natives gave excuses telling Magellan that they needed to burn
their idols.
A principal man from the island of Matan (Mactan)
by the name of Zula went to see Magellan and
asked him to fight the chief named Silapulapu
(Lapulapu).

He agreed and expresses to go to Mactan himself

to fight the said chief.

They numbered 49 in total and the islanders

of Mactan were estimated to number 1,500.
Outnumbered, 49 to 1,500. Magellan died in that battle.

Pigafetta recounted the last moments of Magellan:

“ Whilst the Indians were thus overpowering him,
several times he turned round towards us to see if
we were all in safety, as though his obstinate fight
had no other object than to give opportunity for the
retreat of his men.’’
The king of Cebu who was baptized could have sent help, but
Magellan instructed him not to join the battle and stay in the
balangay so that he would see how they fought.
ANALYSIS OF PIGAFETTA’S CHRONICLE
The chronicle of Pigafetta was one of the most cited
documents by historians who wished to study the
precolonial Philippines.
Moreover, being the earliest detailed
documentation, it was believed that Pigafetta’s
writings account for the “purest” precolonial society.

These attributes influenced his narratives, his

selection of details to be included in the text, his
characterization of the people and of the species
that he encountered and his interpretation and
retelling of the events.
ANALYSIS OF PIGAFETTA’S CHRONICLE
In reading Pigafetta’s description of the
people, one has to keep in mind that he was
coming from sixteenth century European
perspective.

It should be understood that such

observations were rooted from
the context of Pigafetta and his
era.