Colin and Combe’s

Compared
 Both pictured Magellan
having visited Butuan and
Limasawa
 In Colin’s account, from
Butuan to Limasawa, then
from Limasawa to Cebu
 Combe’s cited two visits
to Limasawa: Magellan
visits first Limasawa; from
 Limasawa to Butuan; then
from Butuan to Limasawa
again; then from Limasawa
to Cebu
 They both agree that
Magellan’s expedition was
 assisted by Limasawa
chieftain in travel to Cebu
 Both agree that Magellan
arrived in Cebu on 7 April
th

1521
 Meanwhile, Giovanni
Francesco Gemelli Careri,
influenced by Colin, had
made visit to Philippines
and publish Giro del mundo
 (A Voyage Around The
World, 1698)
 He confused two distinct
events: the first Mass in
Butuan, the other baptism
of rajah of Cebu
 Confused the dates: First
Mass in “WhitSunday” and
baptism in Cebu took place
two weeks later
 Another priest Fr. Joaquin
Martinez de Zuniga was
influenced by Fr. Combes
 The former cited the latter
that the Strait of Siargao
lies “between” Leyte and
Limasawa “at the mouth”
or “entrance” of that Strait.
The map invalidates this.
The 18 Century
th

 Colin’s passage describing

Mindanao was
 misunderstood and misled
later writers
 For example, Fr. Juan de
la Concepcion who mixed
up several things and his
 reconstruction was often
repeated by later historians
 One, he thinks that “Las
Velas” and Marianas
Islands and Archipelago of
 San Lazaro were all one
and the same thing
 Two, he misconstrued
Magellan’s route, depicting
him as sighting
southeastern tip of
Mindanao, sailing
northwards along pacific
coast, entered Siargao Strait
to Limsawa “which is at the
entrance of the strait”
The 19 Century
th

 Fray Joaquin Martinez de

Zuniga (1760-1818) had a
work describing his travels
around the Island
 Wenceslao Retana,
influenced by Fray
Joaquin’s work, published a
two-volume edition in 1893
of Fr. Joaquin’s work who
has this to say: “ON
EASTER SUNDAY OF
THE YEAR 1521
MAGELLAN WAS IN
BUTUAN”.
 By the 19 century, the
th

Butuan tradition was taken

for granted
 It was mention by writer
after writer, each copying
from the previous
 Unfortunately,
subsequent writers copied
not only the essence of the
Butuan tradition but a good
deal of erroneous details
 For example, Fray
Valentin, a Dominican
friar, who said and
incredible notion in his
publication that Magellan
had sailed from
 “Limasagua” to Cebu by
coasting between Samar
and Leyte
 Fray Valentin not only
committed a misspelling
because he did not check
 original source but also
erroneous geographically
 Looking at the map
Magellan should have
reached the Bicol
Peninsula, not Cebu, by that
route.