SITES OF THE FIRST MASS IN THE —or, as Pigafetta calls it, “Ceylon”—was the
PHILIPPINES island of Leyte.
On Easter Sunday, 31 of March 1521 a
small island port named Mazaua hosted the first
Christian mass. The two eyewitnesses Antonio
Pigafetta (1523) and Antonio de Herrera y
Tordesillas (1601) have told two identical accounts
of this event. "Massawa," a word found in 181 of the
Philippine Languages, is found only in Butuanon
and its scion, Tausog. It means bright light and
crystal clear.
Some Filipino historians have long
challenged that notion that Limasawa was the
location of the country's first Catholic mass. The
historian Sonia Zaide identified the site of the first
Christian mass n Butuan as Masao (also Mazaua).
Zaide's claim was supported by the diary of
Magellan's chronicler. Antonio Pigafetta.
In 1995 Congresswoman Ching Plaza in
Agusan Del Norte – Butuan, subsequently,
submitted a bill to the Congress contesting the
Butuan was the site of the first mass.
To examine the issue and recommend the
factual findings, the Philippine Congress referred
the matter to the national historical institution. Then
Dr. Samuel K. Tan, chairman of NHI, asserted the
first mass at Limasawa. In the past several
centuries, the exact place of the First Mass on
Eastern Day, which according to the number one
pro-Butuan author, was not recording observing
Easter Sunday on 31st of March 1521, still under
discussion, includes countless experts in education,
history, religion, politics or other subjects (Salazar,
2015).
Salazar (2015) disapprove that the First
Mass on Easter was not a Biblical Festival not
practiced in the Book of Acts since the original New
Testament Church which started only on the Day of
Pentecost in 31 A.D/C.E. The Mass was not
observed as described in Acts.
Primary Source: Francisco Albo’s Log
1. On the 16th of March (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 its name was Yunagan.
2. They went instead the same day southwards to
another small island names Suluan, and there
they anchored. There they saw some canoes
but these fled at the Spaniard’s approach. This
island was at 9 and two-thirds degrees North
latitude.
3. Departing from those two islands, they sailed
westward to an uninhabited island of “Gada”
where they took in a supply of wood and water.
The sea around that island was free from
shallows. (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.)
4. From that island they sailed westwards
towards a large island names Seilani that was
inhabited and was known to have gold. (Seilani
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 two-thirds degreed
North.
6. The people of that island of Mazava were very
good. There the Spaniards planted a cross
upon a mountain-top, and from there they were
shown three islands to the west and southwest,
where they were told there was much gold.
“They showed us how the gold was gathered,
which came in small pieces like beans and
lentils.”
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.
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 one-third
degree. There they entered a channel between
two islands, one of which was called “Matan”
and the other “Subu.”
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.
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 (as they
did) in a round-about way.
Primary Source: Pigafetta’s Testimony on the
Route of Magellan’s Expedition
1. Saturday, 16 March 1521—Magellan’s
expedition sighted a “high land” named “Zamal”
which was some 300 leagues westward of
Ladrones (now the Marianas) Islands.
2. Sunday, March 17—“The following day” after
sighting Zamal Island, thay landed on “another
island which was uninhabited” and which lay
“to the right” of the above-mentioned island of
“Zamal.”(To the “right” here would mean on
their starboard going southy or southwest.)
There they set up two tents for the sick
members of the crew and had a sow killed for
them. The name of this island was “Humunu”
(Homonhon). This island was located at 10
degrees North latitude.
3. On that same day (Sunday, March 17),
Magellan named the entire archipelago the
“Islands of Saint Lazarus,” the reason being
that it was Sunday in the Lenten Season when
the Gospel assigned for the mass and the
liturgical Office was the eleventh chapter of St.
John, which tells of the raising of Lazarus from
the dead.
4. Monday, March 18—In the afternoon of their
second day on that island, they saw a boat
coming towards them with nine men in it. An
exchange of gifts was effected. Magellan
asked for food supplies, and the men went
away, promising to bring rice and other
supplies in “four days”.
5. There were two springs of water on that island
of Homonhon. Also they saw there some
indications that there was gold in these islands.
Consequently Magellan renamed the island
and called it the “Watering Place of Good
Omen” (Acquada la di bouni segnialli).
6. Friday, March 22—At noon the natives
returned. This time they were in two boats, and
they brought food supplies.
7. Magellan’s expedition stayed eight days at
Homonhon: from Sunday, March 17, to the
Monday of the following week, March 25.
8. Monday, March 25—In the afternoon, the
expedition weighed anchor and left the island
of Homonhon. In the ecclesiastical calendar,
this day (March 25) was the feast-day of the
Incarnation, also called the feast of the
Annunciation and therefore “Our Lady’s Day.”
On this day, as they were about to weigh
anchor, an accident happened to Pigafetta: he
fell into the water but was rescued. He
attributed his narrow escape from death as
grace obtained through the intercession of the
Blessed Virgin Mary on her feast-day.
9. The route taken by the expedition after leaving
Homonhon was “toward the west southwest,
between four islands: namely, Cenalo,
Hiunanghan, Ibusson and Albarien.” Very
probably, “Cenalo” is a misspelling in the Italian
manuscript for what Pigafetta in his map calls
“Ceilon” and Albo calls “Seilani”: namely the
island of Leyte. “Hiunanghan” (a misspelling of
Hinunangan) seemed to Pigafetta to be a
separate island, but is actually on the mainland
of Leyte (i.e., “Ceylon”). On the other hand,
Hibuson (Pigafetta’s Ibusson) is an island east
of Leyte’s southern tip. Thus, it is easy to see
what Pigafetta meant by sailing “toward the
west southwest” past those islands. They left
Homonhon sailing westwards towards Leyte,
then followed the Leyte coast southward,
passing between the island of Hibuson on their
portside and Hiunangan Bay on their
starboard, and then continued southward, then
turning westward to “Mazaua.”
10. Thursday, March 28—In the morning of Holy
Thursday, March 28, they anchored off an
island where the previous night they had seen
a light or bonfire. That island “lies in a latitude
of nine and two-thirds towards the Arctic Pole
(i.e., North) and in a longitude of one hundred
and sixty-two degrees from the line of
demarcation. It is twenty-five leagues from the
Acquada, and is called Mazaua.
11. They remained seven days on Mazaua Island.
12. Thursday, April 14—They left Mazaua, bound
for Cebu. They were guided thither by the king
of Mazaua who sailed his own boat. Their route
took them past five “islands” namely: Ceylon,
Bohol, Canighan, Baibai, and Gatighan.
13. At Gatighan, they sailed westward to the three
islands of the Camotes Group, namely, Poro,
Pasihan and Ponson. Here the Spanish ships
stopped to allow the king of Mazaua to catch
up with them, since the Spanish ships were
much faster than the native balanghai—a thing
that excited the admiration of the king of
Mazaua.
14. From the Camotes Islands they sailed
southwards towards “Zubu.”
15. Sunday, April 7—At noon they entered the
harbour of “Zubu” (Cebu). It had taken them
three days to negotiate the journey from
Mazaua northwards to the Camotes Islands
and then southwards to Cebu.
Primary Source: Pigafetta and Seven Days in
Mazaua
1. Thursday, March 28—In the morning they
anchored near an island where they had seen a
light the night before a small boat (baloto) came
with eight natives, to whom Magellan threw some
trinkets as presents. The natives paddled away, but
two hours later two larger boats (balanghai) came,
in one of which the native king sat under an awning
of mats. At Magellan’s invitation some of the natives
went up the Spanish ship, but the native king
remained seated in his boat. An exchange of gifts
was initiated. In the afternoon that day, the Spanish
ships weighed anchor and came closer to shore,
anchoring near the native king’s village. This
Thursday, March 28, was Thursday in Holy Week,
i.e., Holy Thursday.
2. Friday, March 29— “Next day, Holy Friday,”
Magellan sent his slave interpreter ashore in a small
boat to ask the king if he could provide the
expedition with food supplies, and t6o say that they
had come as friends and not as enemies. In reply
the king himself came in a boat with six or eight
men, and this time went up Magellan’s ship and the
two men embraced. Another exchange of gifts was
made. The native king and his companions returned
ashore, bringing with them two members of
Magellan’s expedition as gusts for the night. One of
the two was Pigafetta.
3. Saturday, March 30-- Pigafetta and his
companion had spent the previous evening feasting
and drinking with the native king and his son.
Pigafetta deplored the fact that, although it was
Good Friday, they had to eat meat. The following
morning (Saturday) Pigafetta and his companion
took leave of their hosts and returned to the ships.
4. Sunday, March 31—“Early in the morning of
Sunday, the last of March and Easter day,”
Magellan sent the priest ashore with some men to
prepare for the Mass. Later in the morning Magellan
landed with some fifty men and Mass was
celebrated, after which a cross was venerated.
Magellan and the Spaniards returned to the ship for
the noon-day meal, but in the afternoon, they
returned ashore to plant the cross on the summit of
the highest hill. In attendance both at the Mass and
at the planting of the cross were the king of Mazaua
and the king of Butuan.
5. Sunday, March 31—On that same afternoon,
while on the summit of the highest hill, Magellan
asked the two kings which ports he should go in
order to obtain more abundant supplies of food than
were available in that island. They replied that there
were three ports to choose from: Ceylon, Zubu, and
Calagan. Of the three, Zubu was the port with the
most trade. Magellan then said that he wished to go
to Zubu and depart the following morning. He asked
for someone to guide him thither. The kings
replied that the pilots would be available “any time.”
But later that evening the king of Mazaua changed
his mind and said that he would himself conduct
Magellan to Zubu but that he would first have to
bring the harvest in. He asked Magellan to send him
men to help with the harvest.
6. Monday, April 1—Magellan sent men ashore to
help with the harvest, but no work was done that
day because the two kings were sleeping off their
drinking bout the night before.
7. Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3—Work
on the harvest during the “next two days,” i.e.,
Tuesday and Wednesday, the 2nd and 3rd of April.
Four Sites of the First Mass
1. Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte
2. Masao or Mazaua in Butuan City, Agusan Del
Norte
3. Homonhon Island, Eastern Samar
4. Mahaba Island, Placer, Surigao del Norte
1) Limasawa island, Southern Leyte
The most famous is Limasawa Island, an
island town in Southern Leyte, which the Philippine
government recognized as the actual site of the
First Mass. Limasawa Island was also known by the
powerful Roman Catholic Church as the site of the
first mass landed by Magellan with his crew. The
Spanish Embassy also acknowledged Limasawa as
a landing site for Magellan and that it also
dispatched the Galleon of Andalusia for five days to
Maasin City and about three hour to Limasawa.
Limasawa has been recognized by the Embassy of
Portugal in Metro Manila as the "Mazzana", written
by Pigafetta on which Magellan and his soldiers
observed the first mass in Easter or introduced the
people of the island to Christianity.
The Treaty of Tordesillas on June 7, 1494,
virtually divided the unknown world between Spain
and Portugal with the approval of the Holy See. Did
you know that Magellan, in a previous expedition,
had (landed) in the Moluccas, just south of
Mindanao? In those days, Portugal had something
that the Spanish didn‟t have: cartographic maps of
the so-called Spice Islands. Therefore, since he
was a Portuguese, it is safe to assume that
Magellan used Portuguese cartographic maps
during his historic expedition that brought him to
Cebu on March 16, 1521 (This is the wrong date).”
With the Treaty of Tordesillas, Prof, De
Sousa said the Philippine archipelago fell under the
jurisdiction of Portugal … but Magellan made his
claim for the King of Spain who paid for his
expedition. Thus, in 1750, Spain and Portugal
signed the Treaty of Madrid whereby the
Portuguese exchanged the Philippines for the South
Frontier of Brazil, which gave Portugal control of Rio
de la Plata. Again this is something we‟ve never
read in our history books. History tells us that Spain
sold the Philippines to the United States for a
measly sum of 20$ million, but we never knew
about this exchange deal between Spain and
Portugal for Brazil!”
Talking about rewriting history, we all know
about the claim made by some Butuanon that a
place called Mazaua was allegedly the site of the
first Holy Mass instead of Limasawa Island off
Southern Leyte. Well, Prof. De Sousa has another
insight on this, which I‟m sure puts an end to this
endless debate and enrich our pre-Spanish history.
It turned out that the ill-fated Magellan expedition
ended Spanish exploration of these islands. But
Portuguese navigators like João de Barros Gaspar
Correia, Diogo do Couto Francisco de Castro, and
Antonio Galvão have been exploring Mindanao from
1520 to 1565 until the Spaniard resumed its
conquest of the Philippines through another
expedition led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi”.
2) Masao or Mazaua in Butuan City, Agusan
Del Norte
The next popular one is Mazaua in Butuan
City, the capital of Agusan del Norte in Northern
Mindanao. The Butuanons and their supporters
advocate that Magellan and his men landed in
Mazaua for the reason that it has the anchorage,
rice fields, gold, antique ―balanghai‖ and other
artifacts which they unearthed in scattered areas in
Butuan City.
In the so-called ―Magellan‘s Harbor‖ in
Butuan, the real harbor for the cargo and passenger
ships traveling to and departing form Butuan City is
actually in Nasipit, which is 25 kilometers west of
Mazaua. Mazaua or Butuan City‘s offshore is too
shallow for ship navigation.
If Mazauz had the abundant rice fields,
other food supplies, and water at the time when
Magellan and his troop landed and held the ―First
Mass‖ or observed Easter Sunday, how come
Magellan and his fellos sailors sought for a more
significant island? Mazaua was and is attached to
Mindanao, the second largest island in the entire
Philippines.
Since the pro-Mazaua supporters
emphatically claimed that Magellan and his fellow
sailors held the ―First Mass or observed Easter
Sunday in their ―island of plenty‖. But what
happened to the abundant foods, drinks, and other
supplies in Mazaua and their next neighbor, the
―Kingdom of Butuan? Why did the two rajahs of
―Mazzaua and Butuan volunteer as pilots to
Magellan to obtain provisions in Cebu, which is
much smaller that Mindanao?
The pro-Butuan proponents claimed that
Magellan and his troops landed in Mazaua, Butuan
City because Pigafetta wrote in his book about the
small gift items made of gold supposedly from
Butuan which Rajah Kalambu gave to Magellan. Homonhon showed the world that Samar already
Well then, if gold was such a big deal in Butuan, had a society and culture. The locals had gold-
Magellan and his sailors could have sailed easily adorned seigniors, black hair, and gold- adorned
south to Surigao, Mindanao while they were still weapons. Jesuit missionaries later documented the
sailing off the eastern coast of Panaon Island. They culture, which was structured according to social
had seen Surigao which was and is in northeast classes and dictated behavior and dress. Today,
Mindanao before nighttime because Mindanao is the event is celebrated and celebrated.
the second biggest island in the entire Philippines.
Surigao was known to have gold at the time and up 4) Mahaba Island, Placer, Surigao del Norte
to the present day. Magellan and his men in 3 ships
did not search for spices only. They searched for Magellan's expedition to Surigao del Norte,
anything or thing of value to bring home and hand Philippines, is considered the first Mass in the
them over to the King of Spain. country. He anchored near MahabaIsland, now
Furthermore, the pro-Butuan supporters known as Mazzava, which is now part of the
claimed that the antique ―Balanghai that some of Municipality of Placer, Surigao del Norte. Magellan
them found under the ground in Masao or Mazaua used an astrolable to determine his latitude location,
is one proof that Magellan was in Mazaua. which was accurate by one-third of a degree.
Salazar (2015) refers to the writings of de Mahaba Island is close to Masepilid Island, which is
Jesus wrote a lengthy article entitles, ‘Mazaua: shaped like a stingray. The first Christmas mass in
Magellan’s Lost Harbor.’ The government of Butuan the Philippines was held in Bolinao, Pangasinan, by
City, Mindanao, commissioned him to do the a Franciscan friar named Odoric from Pordenone,
extensive research in the Mazaua landfall issue. He Italy. The friar and his companion built a cross and
concluded that Magellan and his troops landed in planted a Christmas tree, marking the first
Mazaua, Butuan City, Philippines. He wrote: Christmas mass in the Philippines. The first
“For most Philippines, two events define the Christmas mass took place on December 25, 1324,
meaning of Mazaua, Easter mas and the plantation possibly between 1280 and 1320. Tree decoration
of a big cross on top of the highest hill. In a huge was considered a pagan habit at the time, and
sea lined with mighty waves of Islam, Buddhism, Christians did not become fashionable until the
Hindu, and other beliefs. The Philippines is the 1500s in Germany and Europe.
isolated rock of Christianity, 83% of its people are
Catholics, 9% Protestants. Therefore, Mazaua is an
icon for a highly religious people, a major event.
This aspect of a signal event has unfortunately
served to distortion the way the event is seen in
world geography and Renaissance navigation.”
The Roman Catholic Portuguese sailors
were more likely to have held the First Mass in the
South of the Philippines before Magellan‘s explorers
landed in March 1521. Thus, the proponents of the
pro-Butuan were entitled to assume, but not
historically documented, the ―first mass in
Mindanao before Portugal had exchanged the entire
Philippines with Spain for Brazils. Butuan was
called Butan or Butuão on a Portuguese map from
about 1535 to 1538. Spain didn‘t even know that
there was Butuan.
Therefore, Magellan and his fellow
explorers did not sail south to Mazaua Butuan in
Mindanao while carrying the Spanish flag which
was financed by Spanish King Charles V. A year
before Magellan and his troops arrived in Southern
Leyte, the Portuguese navigators who navigated
east from Portugal to Mindanao via Indonesia
occupied Mindanao Island. The Mazauan, Butuan
indigenous people have mistreated the Portuguese
from Portugal as the Portuguese explorers of
Magellan from Spain.

3) Homonhon Island, Eastern Samar

After landing in Guam and claiming Las

Islas de lod Ladrones (the theft island). Some locals
claimed they held a mass to thank God for their
safe journey. However, modern historians argue
that the first mass was held on March 19, 1521, on
Homonhon Island. The arrival of Magellans in