THE BATTLE OF MACTAN

Lesson 5
 LESSON OBJECTIVES

To recall, according to Pigafetta, what really transpired during the

Battle of Mactan
OBJECTIVES To correct wrong nuances during that historic event
THE BATTLE OF MACTAN, ACCORDING
TO PIGAFETTA

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
The Battle of Mactan, According to Pigafetta
By: Ambeth R. Ocampo

Ferdinand Magellan did not name the

country in honor of King Philippine; in fact, he
named the island the Archipelago of San Lazarus
since the island was discovered during the
feast day of St. Lazarus.

If the island was discovered during Easter Sunday (which

was also on the same week), then Magellan would have
probably named the island as the Easter Islands.

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
So where did the name, Filipinas, came into being?

When Ruy Lopez de Villalobos used the

term, Filipinas, in naming Leyte-Samar (in honor
of King Philip II of Spain).

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
According to Pigafetta,

• “a small group of 60 men led by Magellan arrived at

Mactan three hours before daylight, and since it
was too early to fight, he sent word to Lapu-Lapu,
giving him a choice to recognize the Spanish king and
offer tribute, or learn the hard way how their lances
pierced.”

• “Mactan’s defiant reply was that they had “lances of

bamboo hardened in the fire and stakes dried in the
fire.””

• “Magellan was taunted,“attack when you wish.””

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
• “Magellan refused Humabon’s offer to fight alongside him against Lapu-Lapu, so when
daylight broke, Humabon watched as 49 men waded toward the shore (11 were left to
guard the boats that could not get to shore, impeded by rocks and stones as it was low
tide).”
• “Mactan warriors had formed three divisions to repel them, their number estimated by
Pigafetta at more than 1,050 fuming warriors.”

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
• “Common sense was fatefully uncommon
then; Magellan did not retreat.”

• “Cannons on their ships were supposed

to cover them but were useless because
they were out of range. Arrows from
their crossbows and hackbuts merely
slipped off Mactan shields.”

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
• “Then the warriors of Mactan rained arrows,
iron-tipped bamboo lances and stones on
Magellan and his men, who noticed that the
arrows were aimed at their legs, because
they had made the mistake of covering only
their head and body with metal helmets and
breastplates.”

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
• “Magellan, hit by a poisoned arrow on the leg, ordered
a retreat.”

• “A bamboo lance flew near Magellan’s face, and he

responded by killing the enemy and leaving the lance
in his victim.”

• “Wounded in the arm by a bamboo lance, Magellan

tried with difficulty to draw his sword from its
scabbard, when a large javelin was thrust into his left
leg, making him fall face down in the water.”

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
• “On this all at once rushed upon him,” says
Pigafetta, “with lances of iron and of bamboo
and with these javelins, so that they slew our
mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true
guide.”

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
• “Before he breathed his last, Magellan was said
to have looked up twice or thrice to see his
remaining men flee to safety as he provided a
distraction.”

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5
But where was Lapu-Lapu?

• “There was no one-on-one hand-to-hand combat

between Magellan and Lapu-Lapu as we would like to
believe. Lapu-Lapu was said to be about 70 years old
at the time of the battle, and probably watched or
directed operations safely from the shore.”

The Battle of Mactan

Lesson 5