TITLE: LIMASAWA OR BUTUAN?

The First Mass in the Philippines

PPT: What is the First Mass and when did it happen?

DHONA: According to Pigafetta, one of the 18 men who returned to Spain after the expedition
with Magellan, they had seen a bonfire on an island where they anchored off the previous night
on Thursday, March 28.

● (Include pic of Pigafetta) They described the island “lying in a latitude of nine and
two-thirds towards the Arctic Pole and in a longitude of one hundred and sixty-two
degrees from the line of demarcation”.

Three days after:

● (Include pic of the First Mass) The First Holy Mass in the Philippines was celebrated on
March 31, 1521
● In the afternoon, a cross was planted on the summit of the highest hill
● Led by Fr. Pedro de Valderrama
● It was held along the shores of what he referred as ‘Mazaua’

PPT: What is Butuan Tradition?

GAB: Butuan Tradition is a claim by the people of Butuan and other historians who believe that
it was the site of the First Holy Celebration in our country. The basis for this claim is a tradition
that has been nearly unbroken and undisputed for three centuries: the 17th, 18th, and 19th
centuries

PPT: Who are the various historians that support the Butuan Tradition?

GAB: There are three notorious historians who support the Butuan Tradition. Father Francisco
Colin S.J. was one of the most well-known Jesuit missionaries, an early American colonial
historian. He studied the regional languages for comprehending pre-colonial Filipino culture and
society. Madrid is where His Labor Evangelica first appeared, three years after his passing, in
1663. He contributed to a narrative about Magellan's voyage and the First Mass.

● According to him, Magellan arrived at Butuan first to celebrate the first mass before
going to Limasawa. After Limasawa, Magellan then went to Cebu. For Colin S.J, the date
of the First Mass was held on April 8, 1521.

JERICH: Father Francisco Combes was a Spanish Jesuit and a traveler who was born in 1663.

● In a three-paragraph summary of Ferdinand Magellan's voyage through the Philippine

Sea written by Combes, he stated that Magellan entered Siargao instead of Samar.
Although Limasawa is not mentioned in any major or secondary accounts of Magellan's
 journey, he claimed it was the first port of the fleet. Magellan traveled to Butuan from
Limasawa, an event that has not been reported by either an eyewitness or a third party.
The group spent the week leading up to Easter in March 1521 when a crucifix was built
on a hill in Butuan on March 31.

RUSSEL: A report entitled Giro del Mondo (A Voyage Around the World) was written by a
Calabrian named Giovanni Careri who had traveled far, including to the Philippines.

● In his work, he mentioned that it was Whit Sunday when the first mass occurred, instead
of Easter Sunday.

PPT: What are the two possible islands in which they claimed where the First Mass happened?

SAM: For almost three centuries, historians and the government believed that Masao, Butuan
was Mazaua, until in the 19th century. A new place is mentioned that causes a discourse.

● Mazaua is an island which is now called Masao, at the mouth of the Agusan River in
Northern Mindanao; Butuan
● Mazaua is the island currently referred to as the little island of Leyte, Limasawa

HANNIEH: Even though he is not a cartographer, Pigafetta made 23 hand drawn, colored maps.
Among those are the maps pertaining to their route southwards from Samar. A comparison was
made to see which of Butuan and Limasawa fits the description of Mazaua resulting in three
conclusions.

● (Include maps of Pigafetta) Mazaua (Mazzana in the map) is a small island which lies off
the southwestern tip of the larger island of Ceilon (Southern Leyte). It lies near the
passage between Bohol and the western coast of Ceilon
● The island of Mazaua in Pigafetta's map, therefore lies in a position roughly equivalent to
the actual position of the island of Limasawa
● In no way can Mazaua be identified with Butuan, which is situated in another and much
larger island (which we now call Mindanao), the same island in which "Calagan",
"Cippit", and "Mamgdanao" are also located

CZERENE: Francisco Albo, the pilot of Magellan’s flagship and also one of the 18 men who
returned to Spain:

● Through his logbook, Albo further tells his firsthand experiences of the journey. Albo’s
description of Mazaua fits the location of Limasawa.

ZACK: Even though he had a questionable reputation according to various historians, Carlo
Amoretti was a conservator at a Milan library, who had discovered in 1798 the lost Pigafetta
manuscript. He was the first one to assert the idea of “Limasawa=Mazaua”.
 ● Amoretti discovered the lost Pigafetta manuscript and the first one to asserted the idea
of “Limasawa=Mazaua”
● He published his transcription in which he wrote that “Mazaua may be Limasawa” in his
footnote

ROMMELYN: What is the verdict?

● Antonio Pigafetta and Francisco Albo both claimed to have taken a southwesterly
detour to get from Homonhon to the island of Leyte. The complement to these
geographical locations afforded by Albo and Pigafetta is the island of Limasawa in
Southern Leyte. Mazaua's geographical and topographical descriptions of the island
of Limasawa are superior to Butuan.
● It is believed that Pigafetta and Albo's accounts are regarded as first-hand accounts
since they present evidence that suffice the credibility of the claim that Limasawa is,
indeed, Mazaua. Fortunately, The National Historical Commission of the Philippines
(NHCP) has established that the first mass was said in Limasawa, Southern Leyte, a
few months before the country celebrated the 500th anniversary of Christianity in
January 2021.
● Our team assessed and looked at the conflict and contention over the location of the
First Mass in the country which was held on Easter Sunday in the Philippines. We
came to a conclusion and preferred Limasawa as it was heavily proven by proof that
the First Mass was indeed celebrated on March 31 in Limasawa in Visayas. It was
led by Pedro Valderrama who praised it. Additionally, the arguments and evidence
that were offered by the pro-Butuan side was not very compelling and the majority of
their evidence relied on written testimonies from non-eye witnesses.