Butuan or Limasawa?

The site of the First Mass in the

Philippines: A reexamination of
the evidence
Miguel Bernad
What is the subject
controversy of the
paper?
"The first mass was
held on Easter
Sunday, March 31
1521 in Mazaua
Island joined by the
Rajahs of Mazaua
and Butuan"

-Antonio Pigafetta
Mazaua Island?

Limasawa

or

Butuan
What was the tradition
created and what was
it all about?
Butuan Tradition

“To the immortal Magellan: The people of

Butuan with their Parish Priest and Spaniards
residents therein, to commemorate his arrival &
the celebration of the First mass on this site on
the 8th of April 1521”
 Who were the 2 Jesuit
historians who accepted
the Butuan tradition
without question?
Fr. Francisco Colin S.J

Fr. Francisco Combes S.J

Fr. Francisco Colin S.J

They reached Samar but first

touched down in
“Humunu”(Homonhon)

Named the archipelago as

“San Lazaro” on a Saturday.

Easter Sunday they offered the First

"Labor Evangelica"
mass in Butuan and planted a cross
Fr. Francisco Combes S.J

Enteredthe strait of Siargao and

landed in “Limasaua" then went to
Butuan to meet the powerful rajah

Planted a cross as a sign of their

future alliance. They went back to
Limasaua but left also on the 1st
day of the month. Did not mention
the first mass but the planting of “Historia de Mindanao y Jolo”

the cross only.

What are the similarities
and differences of their
accounts?
Colin Combes
Butuan Limasawa
to to
Limasawa Butuan

visited both islands

Planted a cross
How did the shift in
opinion started?
Intensive studies on strong documents that
were presented by very good historians

Emma Blair

James Robertson

Fr. Pablo Pastells

What are the Evidences
of Limasawa?
Albo's Log Book

Pigafetta's Accounts

Legazpi's Expedition
Summary of
Albo and Pigafetta
Explain the evidence
based on Albo's Log
Book
 Albo's Log Book Francisco Albo
the captain of Magellan’s ship “Trinidad”
one of the 18 survivor who returned to
spain on “Victoria”.
March 16, 1521

They landed in "Humunu" sailed westward to "Ceylon”

then moved southward to the island of “Masava” where
the spaniards planted a cross upon a mountain top
which could be seen 3 islands.
Explain the evidence
from Pigafetta's
accounts
 Antonio Pigafetta

Pigafetta's Accounts Magellan's assistant during the expedition

"Primo viaggio intomo al mondo"

1. Testimony regarding the route

2. Evidence of Pigafetta’s Map

3. The two Kings

4. Seven days at Mazaua

5. Argument from omission

 What was Pigafetta's
testimony regarding the
route they took?
 Their route in 7 days

March 16 "Zamal"

March 17-25 "Humunu"

March 26-27 "Ceylon"

March 28-April 3 "Mazaua"

April 4-6 Bound to "Subu"

April 7 Reached "Subu"

What was Pigafetta's
evidence based on
maps?
 Samar & Homonhon

Mindanao/Maguindanao

Mazaua

Comparisons:

1. Mazaua is Limasawa

2. Mazaua can no way be identified as Butuan

Who were the two kings
that accompanied
Magellan's group?
 The Two Kings

King of Mazaua

guided them to Cebu

King of Butuan

relative of Mazaua’s King

a visitor of Mazaua only

Explain the argument of
omission
 Butuan is located near the river, if the
mass happened there why is there no
mention of the river.

After the death of Magellan, the survivor went to

Butuan (“A trip up river to see the queen)
Explain the summary of
Albo's and Pigafetta's
Evidences
 They entered through Homonhon went to Leyte then
Summary of
to the island of Mazaua and there they celebrated
Albo and Pigafetta
eastern Sunday with a mass and cross panting.

The island of Mazaua fits the They sailed going to Cebu

location of Limasawa from Mazaua

At no point in that itinerary did they mentioned

Butuan or any point of Mindanao coast.

Explain the accounts of
Legazpi's Expedition
 Sailed PH waters in 1565

and said that the island of

Mazaua is near leyte and Butuan

was on the island of Mindanao

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi

Explain how they used
the geography of
Mazaua as an evidence
Geography of Mazaua

Fertile island where you could stay for a week.

From the hill top where the cross could be planted

could see other islands (as mentioned on the accounts

of Albo)

Pigafetta --> Mazaua

Albo --> Mazava

Butuan Tradition

“To the immortal Magellan: The people of

Butuan with their Parish Priest and Spaniards
residents therein, to commemorate his arrival &
the celebration of the First mass on this site on
the 8th of April 1521”
What is the importance
of studying and
revisiting the
controversy about the
site of the first mass?