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Masao-first-mass - Lecture notes

Philosophy (Cagayan State University)

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THE FIRST MASS WAS IN MASAO, BUTUAN

Supporting evidences:

● 1st Evidence: Diary of Antonio Pigafetta and the Chronicles of Magellan’s Voyage.
● 2nd Evidence: The expedition traveled to 20-25 leagues from Humonhon, the first
landing point.
● 3rd Evidence: The distance to Cebu from MAzaua according to Piafetta was 35
leagues (140 miles). The distance from Limasawa to Cebu is only 80 miles.
● 4th Evidence: It was mentioned that the king came to their ship in a balanghai.
Butuan is now the site of atleast nine excavated balanghai relics; by contrast,
limasawa has no significant archeological relics or balanghai tradition.
● 5th Evidence: Abundance of gold in the Agusan Valley.

● Magellan never landed at Limasawa at all. On June 19, 1960, the Philippine
Congress enacted a bill (R.A. 2733) declaring Limasawa as the place where
Magellan celebrated the first recorded mass in the Philippines. The face that the
President Carlos P. Garcia did not sign the law because he was not sure the fact that
the “MAZAUA” in the Pigafetta Codex is really Limasawa. It was the American
historian Emma Helen Blair and John Alexander Robertson who claimed in 1909 that
the island of Mazaua is the present island of Limasawa without giving any
explanation for the identification.

BUTUAN TO PURSUE CLAIM IT WAS SITE OF FIRST MASS IN RP 485 YEARS AGO

1. BUTUAN CITY AND CULTURAL HISTORICAL FOUNDATION Inc. contested the

declaration in early 1980’s-90’s

● According to BCHFI there are 28 gathered new pieces of scientific evidence and
comparison between the two island (mazzaua and limasawa) 10 recovery of
Balanghai boat in 1976 near masao river. Historian Gregorio Zaide, who originally
supported the Limasawa claimed that “It is high time for contemporary historians and
the Philippines government to correct their mistake and accept that the first Christian
mass was celebrated in Masao, Butuan, Agusan Del Norteand not in Limasawa,
Leyte on Easter Sunday, March 31, 19, 1521.

2. GINES DE MAFRA HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS

● Gines de mafra (1493- 1546) was a portuguese or spanish explorer who

sailed to the Philippines in the 16th Century. De Mafra was a member of
expeditions of Fernao de Megalhaes of 1519-1521 and Ruy Lopez de
Villalobos 1542-1545. Independent scholar Vicente C. de Jesus said that
these historians do not consider the eyewitness account of Gines de Mafra,
one of the voyagers, which bolster the Butuan claim. He would also claim that
some parts of the Ambrosiana codex, on which the Limasawa claim was
founded, was largely mistranslated.

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*GEOGRAPHICAL MYSTERIES
● Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe. It is this document that makes
his information an incomparably important geographical testimony that unlocks the
mystery of the island Mazaua. Because the shape of the isle is almost circular, 3-4
leagues translated to an area of from 2,214up to 3,930 hectares. In contrast,
Limasawa is only 698 hectares.
● He also stated, they anchored west of the isle: “Este isla tiene un puerto bueno a la
parte del poniente della, y es poblada” (This island called Mazahua has a good
harbor on its western side and is inhabited). De Mafra most clarifying testimony is
that Mazaua was 15 leagues, roughly 45 nautical miles (83km) below Butuan in 1521
which in Pigafetta’s map, and text is larger geographical conception than the present
day map.

3. BUTUAN HISTORIANS ASK CBCP TO RESOLVE THE FIRST MASS

CONTROVERSY IN CITY’s FAVOR

● Historian’s stated that they have new evidences that the first mass belongs to
Butuan City. The mass was ended in mazua a place in butuan now called
Masao. Butan City Heriatage society president Greg Hontiveros said that they
were confident in their new data and evidence that the mass was held on their
city. It pointed out that one of important evidence is the yale codex which
according to Magellan’s scholar is more impressive than the Ambrosiana
Codex.

● Mazava or Mazaua is located 9 and ⅓ latitude and located south of Seilani

which is 10 latitude. Limasawa is an island 9.9 latitude near Leyte. Mazaua
which is 9.33 latitude is probably located near Butuan City or nearby
municipality within Agusan Del Norte.

4. CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, we formulated and gathered data that we an provethat the

first mass dated and happened on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521 at Masao,
Butuan is clearly the site where the first mass was held. It is because
historians, archeologists, etc, were able to find credible artifacts or visible
evidences in butuan which the limasawa island did not contain.

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