Content and

Contextual Analysis
of Selected Primary
Sources in
Philippine History
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
First Voyage
Around the World
by Magellan
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA
Why Pigafetta?
 o Chronicler of the Magellan expedition
ANTONIO and first circumnavigation of the world
(1519-1522)
PIGAFETTA o His travelogue is one of the most
important primary sources in the study
of precolonial Philippines
✓ Magellan’s arrival to the Philippines
✓ Encounter with local leaders
✓ Death in the hands of Lapu lapu’s forces in
the Battle of Mactan
✓ Departure of Magellan’s fleet
 ANTONIO
PIGAFETTA’S o character of precolonial Philippines
o fresh eyes of Europeans of a deeply
CHRONICLE unfamiliar terrain, environment, people,
and culture
o Perspective: Pigafetta’s first hand
observation and general impression of
the Far East including their experience
in the Visayas
 Ladrones Islands
“Islands of the Thieves”

“These people have no arms, but use sticks,

which have a fishbone in the end.
They are poor, but ingenious, and great
thieves, and for the sake of that we called
these islands the Ladrones Islands.”
 Magellan’s Arrival to the
Philippines

10 days after Ladrones

reached the Isle of Zamal (Samar)
but Magellan decided to land in
another uninhabited island for
greater security
 Magellan’s Arrival to the
Philippines

After 2 days, March 18, nine men

came to and showed eagerness in
seeing them.
o Magellan: “the men were reasonable and
welcomed them with food, drinks, and gifts”
o Natives: “gave fish, palm wine (uraca), figs, two
cochos, rice (umai), cocos, and the other food
supplies”
 Magellan’s Arrival to the
Philippines
The natives are “very familiar
and friendly” and willingly
showed them different islands

Humunu island (Homonhon)

“Watering Place of Good Signs”
o 1st signs of gold in the island
o archipelago of St. Lazarus
 Encounter with local leaders
RAJA SIAGU RAJA CALAMBU
o
o March 25: saw two ballanghai, a boat
o king of Zuluan and Calagan (Butuan
full of people of Mazzawa/Mazaua
and Caragua), brother of Raja Siagu
o leader/king sent men to Magellan’s
o GOLD: mines part of ship and houseare
ship and were entertained and given
made of gold
gifts
o “most handsome”: adorned with silk
o came as friend and desired to become
and golden accessories
brothers; had exchange of gifts
The First Mass
in the Philippines
MARCH 31, 1521
 The First Mass in the Philippines
MARCH 31, 1521
(EASTER SUNDAY)

o Magellan ordered the chaplain

to preside a Mass by the shore.
o The king sent two dead pigs
and attended/participated the
mass with the other king.
 The First Mass in the Philippines

“ …when the offertory of the mass came, the

two kings, went to kiss the cross like us, but
they offered nothing, and at the elevation of
the body of our Lord they were kneeling like
us, and adored our Lord with joined hands.”
Magellan in Cebu
CEBU (1521)
 Magellan in Cebu
o The planting of the cross
o April 7, 1521 – arrival in Cebu
o Raja Humabon (king of Cebu)
o Magellan: offered
friendship, not tribute
o Blood compact with
Magellan
 Blood compact
(Magellan & Humabon)
“Then the king said that he was content, and as a
greater sign of affection he sent him a little blood
from his right arm, and wished he should do the
like. Our people answered that he would do it.
Besides that, he said that all the captains who came
to his country have been accustomed to make a
present to him, and he to them…”
 Blood compact
(Magellan & Humabon)

“…and therefore they should ask their captain

if he would observe the custom. Our people
answered that he would; but as the king
wished to keep up the custom let him begin
and make a present, and then the captain
would do his duty.”
 Magellan in Cebu
o Magellan spoke to the people of
Cebu about peace and God
o April 14: People gathered with the
king and principal men of the islands;
encouraged to burn all of idols and
worship the cross; be baptized as a
Christian.
o Gave the image of the Infant
Jesus to the queen
“To that the king and all his people answered
that they would obey the commands of the
captain and do all that he told them. The
captain took the king by the hand, and they
walked about on the scaffolding, and when he
was baptized he would name him Carlos, as
the emperor his sovereign was named; and he
named the prince Fernando, after the brother
of the emperor…”
The Battle of Mactan
APRIL 27, 1521
 Battle of Mactan

o Zula (principal man of Mactan)

o asked Magellan help to fight Silapulapu
(Lapulapu), local chief who did submit to the
king

o April 27, 1521

o Magellan: 3 boats in Mactan
o 49 (Magellan’s force) vs. 1500 (islanders
of Mactan)
 “When we reached land we found the islanders
fifteen hundred in number, drawn up to three
squadrons; they came down upon us with terrible
shouts, two squadrons attacking us on men in two
bands. Our musketeers and crossbow-men fired for
half an hour from a distance, but did nothing,
since the bullets and arrows, though they have
passed through shields made of thin wood, and
perhaps wounded their arms, yet did not stop
them…”
 “The captain shouted not to fire, but he was not
listened to. The islanders seeing that the shots of
our guns did them little or no harm would not
retire, but shouted more loudly and springing from
one side to the other to avoid our shots, they at the
same time drew nearer to us, throwing arrows,
javelins, and spears hardened in fire, stones, and
even mud, so that we could hardly defend
ourselves. Some of them cast lances pointed with
iron at the captain-general.”
 Battle of Mactan
(Death of Magellan)
Magellan killed in the battle
hit on the right leg by a
poisonous arrow
hit by the lance in the face
hit left leg,
attacked by natives
 “Whilst the Indians were thus overpowering
him, several times he turned round towards
us to see if we were all in safety, as though his
obstinate fight had no other object than to
give an opportunity for the retreat of his
men”
 Departure of Magellan’s fleet
o Humabon offered gifts to the people
of Mactan for Magellan’s body but
refused.
o Duarte Barbosa replaced Magellan.
o Betrayal of Enrique, the interpreter
and the massacre 24 of Magellan’s
men in Cebu.
o Spanish fleet left the Philippines for
Spice islands and complete the
circumnavigation
ANALYSIS OF
PIGAFETTA’S
CHRONICLE
CONTEXTUAL BACKDROP
(BIASES ACCOMPANYING THE AUTHOR, IDENTITY, LOYALTIES,
CIRCUMSTANCES HE WAS IN AND HOW IT AFFECTED THE TEXT
PRODUCED)
 oone of the most cited and credible
source of historians who study
Pigafetta’s precolonial Philippines
Background o Chronicler commissioned to
accompany and document a
voyage to expand the Spanish
empire
o Noble from a rich family in Italy
o scholar of cartography and
geography
Pigafetta’s 16th CENTURY
Description of EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE
the People
o regarded the indigenous belief
systems and way of life as inferior of
Christianity and of Europeans

o narrow view or remark on nakedness of

natives or how he was fascinated by
their exotic culture
Pigafetta’s 16th CENTURY
Description EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE
of the People
o emphasis on natives’ amazement and
illiteracy to European artillery,
merchandise and goods

o mentioned abundance of spices

(ginger) and precious metals (gold)
“GOD,
GOLD,
GLORY
”