First M a s s

I n t he Philippines
B a c k g r o u n d of t he
Author
 ▪ Born around 1 9 4 0 in the
town of Vicenza, Venice, Italy
▪ He studied astronomy,
geography, and cartography.
▪ He became acquainted with
the lucrative spice trade
and heard the news of the
voyage to be undertaken by
Ferdinand Magellan.
Antonio
P i g afe tta
 ▪ He was admitted a s one of
the sobrelientes
(supernumeraries).
▪ He was a m o n g the 1 8
survivors who returned to
Spain on September 6, 1 5 2 2
aboard the VIctoria with
Juan Sebastian Elcano.
Antonio ▪ He died sometime in 1534.
P i g afe tta
Immediate History
of t h e D o c u m e n t
• written by Antonio Pigafetta in 1519-1522 during their
exploration
• a detailed description of the journey in the Report of
the first trip around the world
• one of the greatest achievements in the history of
navy exploration and discovery
• in this narration, you can found description of people,
the country, goods and even the sign and ceremony
• talks about the circumnavigation of the group of
Magellan in finding the spice islands and having 5
ships in exploring
Contents Rival
Claim
S h o r t Timeline
of M a g e l l a n
Expedition
S i t e of t h e First M a s s
in t he Philippines
MASAO, BUTUAN
• M onume nt in 1 8 7 2 near Ag u s an river
commemorates the expedition's arrival and
celebration of Mass.
• Na m e of the Place
• Geographic features
• Abundance of gold
• Balanghai
LIMASAWA
EVIDENCES:
1.Albo’s Logbook
➢ Francisco Albo is a pilot from Magellan Expedition
and he is in the ship Trinidad
➢ He was keeping a diary or to be exact is a
logbook
➢ In Albo’s account it supplement the location of
the m a s s which is Masawa where it fits the
location of Limasawa at the southern tip of Leyte
EVIDENCES:
2.Pigafetta’s Account
➢ His account is more complete about Magellan’s
expedition

a. Route Testimony
When we trace the route of Magellan took, the
Butuan is not mention.
EVIDENCES:
Saturday March 16, 1521 Zamal “highland”
Sunday March 17, 1521 10 degrees Homonhon (Humunu)
N Lat
Monday March 18, 1521 Watering Place of Good
Signs
Friday March 22, 1521 At noon natives returned
with food supply
Monday March 25, 1521 Left Homonhon
Thursday March 28, 1521 9 2/3 Stay in Mazaua
degrees N Lat
Thursday April 4, 1521 Left Mazaua
EVIDENCES:
b. Latitude given by Pigafetta
In Pigaffeta account he mentioned that Limasawa
lies at 9 2/3° North, 161° from the line of
demarcation. Butuan lies at 8.9475° N, 125.5406° E
while Limasawa lies at 9.9303° N, 125.0746° E.
Therefore, Limasawa's coordinates more suits the
coordinates mentioned by Pigafetta.
EVIDENCES:
c. 2 Kings
There is a part where 2 kings accompanied
Magellan and told the way to Cebu. And this king
was Butuan King and if we analyze he is from
another territory.
The island of his called Butuan and
Calagan.
When those kings wished to see one
another, they both went to hunt in that island
where we were.
EVIDENCES:
d. Geographic Features
In Pigafetta account a crucial aspect of Butuan
was not mentioned which is the river. Butuan is a
riverine settlement, situated at the Agusan river.
The beach of M asao is in the delta of said river. It is
a distinct characteristic of Butuan's geography
but was not mentioned.
 Implication t o th e
Historical N a r r a t i v e
• Antonio Pigafetta's journal serves a s the guide and
basis of this generation to determine where and how
exactly the first m a s s happened.
• The Controversy between the Limasawa and M a s a o
with regards to the place of the First M a s s in the
Philippines brought confusion to both parties a s well
a s the historians. After such argument, the NHI
declared that the first m a s s in the Philippines was
occurred in the Limasawa Leyte.
• The place where the first m a s s happened is a s
important a s the event itself.
 Relevance to
Contemporary Times
• Magellan expedition proving that the earth
is not flat. Proved the theory that one can
g o to the east by sailing west.
• It is the basis on how the Filipino have
changed in terms of beliefs, names,
appearance, social life, religious, and
cultural practices.
Underlying
Values
• Faith, Cordial, Hospitality
• The content of the document tells about
how Magellan arrived in the Philippines. It
also tells about how Filipinos show faith
in their god, being a cordial to their
promise and showing a hospitality.