NAME : MAE KYLE ERALINO GE8 (5128)

POSITION PAPER:SITE OF THE FIRST MASS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Introduction

In 1521, the Philippines was just a small island that other countries knew nothing
about until Ferdinand Magellan stumbled upon the country. Magellan went on an expedition
because the Spaniards were looking for alternate routes to the east. They were travelling to
look for different spices, land, and gold. They also wanted to expand their territory and
spread Christianity. The site of the first mass in the Philippines, which happened when
Magellan came to the country, is a controversial issue regarding the introduction of
Christianity to the Philippines. Antonio Pigafetta was an explorer who joined Magellan on his
expedition; according to him, Magellan was the one who initiated the first mass that
happened in the Philippines. The mass was officiated by Fr. Fray Pedro De Valderrama on
an Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521, at an island called "Mazaua." The controversial issue is
the identity of the place Pigafetta called "Mazaua." Limasawa, Southern Leyte, and Butuan
City both claimed to be the venues of the first mass in the Philippines, and this brought
confusion to Philippine history.

According to the claim of the NHCP, or National Historical Commision of the

Philippines, the first mass in the Philippines was held in Limasawa, Southern Leyte, on an
eastern Sunday, as it is also declared in Rep. Act 2733. According to NHCP chair Reene
Escalante, the panel agreed that the proofs presented by the pro-Butuan advocates were
not sufficient and sufficient to support their claims. Thus, the issue of the said historic mass
was resolved by the NHI and the forerunner of the NHCP through the panel experts,
Supreme Court Justice Emilio Gangayco and historian Benito Legarda.

The Legazpi Expedition is the second point of contention that this piece aims to
establish. Butuan is said to be a riverine community close to the Agusan River. Given that
the Agusan River was not mentioned, it seems certain that neither the Magellan expedition
nor the first mass were celebrated there. Because the Mazaua is an island, the sea, not a
river delta, surrounds it.

Pigaffeta's maps provide proof for the third contention of this study. Maps, diagrams,
and drawings are used to clarify Pigafetta's stories, which are in the two publications, Nancy
and the Ambrosian Codices. However, because Pigafetta was not a cartographer, his maps
were useless as a means of navigation. This particular chart displays the smaller islands of
Suluan, Abarien, Hinuangan, and the Igre island of Samar. The subsequent map was a
duplicate map with "Humunu" shown as "Aguadaly Bonisegnaly." In the first, Butuan,
Calagan, and Benasan are seen, while the island of Mindanao, the deep depression, and
Panguil Bay are clearly visible.The second map, on the other hand, shows the
southernmost point of Zamboanga, Basilan, and the Sulu archipelago. The island of
Mazaua is depicted on the third map, which is the most pertinent to the study.

The fourth point of contention is the week-long stay that Magellan's voyage had on the
island of Mazaua. They spent seven days there, according to Pigafetta, who wrote about it
in The First Voyage Around the World.Furthermore, when Magellan landed on the island of
"Mazaua," they encountered two monarchs. The King of Butuan is one, while the King of
Mazaua is the other. What might the King of Butuan be like as a visitor in his own realm if
Mazaua is Butuan? Because of this, this particular group firmly believes that Limasawa, not
Butuan, is the location of the island "Mazaua," where the most significant mass occurred.

The final and final point is that Gines de Mafra, a member of both the Magellan
campaign in 1521 and the Villalobos expedition in 1543. Limasawa dropped him in two
different instances. He reconnected with Rajah Kolambu, a comparable chief who had
captured Magellan in 1521, in 1543. Before it was discovered and made public in 1920, De
Mafra's record had been concealed for an extended period in Madrid documentation.
According to De Jesus, Antonio Pigafetta, the historian of the Magellan voyage, affirmed De
Mafra's claim that the Magellan armada was anchored at Mazaua at "a good harbour on its
western side and is inhabited." There is a report that the Nancy-Libri-Beinecke-Yale codex's
guide depicts a cross on one of the two hills that face the ocean to the south-west of the
island. The lower hill depicted on the map of Pigafetta in the Beinecke manuscript is devoid
of the cross sign. The map indicates that there was a cross on the top hill.The two
prominent hills that designate the tourist destinations on Pigafetta's map in Beinecke's
original copy are visible in an aerial photograph of Limasawa Island. After Easter Sunday
Mass in 1521, Magellan and his company built a cross atop what appears to have been the
highest hill shown with a cross on the previous map. This hill was also the one nearest to
Triana, ignoring the town that was appropriated from the north at the time.

With the aforementioned proof, reasoning, and supporting details, this study firmly
asserts that the incident took place in the Limasawa region rather than Butuan.

References:
Ador Vincent Mayol, Joey Gabieta (August 21, 2020). "Limasawa, not Butuan, affirmed as
the site of first mass in the PH."
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1325039/limasawa-not-butuan-affirmed-as-site-of-first-mass-in-
ph
David Tristan Yumol (August 20, 2020). "NHCP affirms Limasawa Island as site of first
Catholic mass in the country."
https://www.cnn.ph/news/2020/8/20/NHCP-affirms-Limasawa-Island-as-site-of-first-Catholic-
mass-in-the-country.html
Yen Makabenta (January 31, 2019). "Magellan never went to Butuan."
https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/01/31/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/magellan-never-
went-to-butuan/504604/