The Site of the First

Mass
Controversy and Misconceptions
 Arrival of the Spaniards
• Portuguese explorer;
Ferdinand Magellan set sail
around the globe in a grand
expedition to explore the outer
regions of Europe
• In 1521, he landed on a remote
island located in South East
Asia, which would become
known as; The Philippines
 Objectives of the Spanish Expedition
• There were 3 main objectives
to this trip
– Improve trade relations with
powerful Asian countries like
China and Japan
– Explore and utilize the
lucrative spice trade in the
Pacific
– Spread the message of
Christianity in the region
 Spreading the word of Christ
• Spanish missionaries were with
Magellan’s crew during the
expedition
• They befriended the local “Rajah”,
both the Spaniards and the locals
underwent a blood compact to seal
their new friendship
• Gifts were exchanged between the
two sides, one of which was a
wooden sculpture of the Child
Jesus of Prague or better known as
“Sto. Nino”
 The First Mass
• On the 31st of March 1521, Easter
Sunday, on the island of “Mazaua”
the first Catholic Mass was held.
• The mass was officiated by Father
Pedro Valderrama, who spoke in
the traditional Latin text of the
mass, the event was attended by
the Spanish crew as well as the
natives in the area
• This symbolized the birth of
Catholicism in the Philippines,
which is the dominant religion in
the country till today
•
Aftermath
That same afternoon, a large
cross was erected on the
spot of the first mass under
orders of Magellan, which
still stands today.
• The years to follow would
bring about centuries of
Spanish colonial rule and the
full absorption of Catholicism
into Filipino culture
 The Controversy
• There is a dispute where the site
of the First Mass actually took
place
• Historical details are hazy at best
since in their written testimonies
an island of “Mazua” was named
but it is unclear for many
historians where this is
• Two places are thought to be the
site of the mass; Limasawa and
Butuan
 The Controversy
• This confusion originates from
various testimonies and diaries
taken from the surviving crew
members of Magellan’s voyage
• These diaries are often sketchy,
given at that time, the
Philippines was not yet fully
explored, along with this, the
Battle of Mactan destroyed any
evidence or marker where the
mass took place
 The Limasawa Story
• The Philippine Historical
Commission maintains its
stance that this is where the
mass was officially held
• The commission was able to
find several notable
evidences to confirm that
this was the site of the first
mass by delving into several
primary historical sources
 Evidence for Limasawa
The diary of Antonio Pigaffeta, which
details majority of Magellan’s
expedition
The island of “Mazaua” that Pigaffeta
wrote, was described as an island
with a shore, and Limasawa is a
coastal town
The measured distance of the town
one of the Rajahs controlled,
matches the distance of Limasawa
The route that Magellan took was
purely situated in Visayas, and did
not even come close to Butuan which
is in Mindanao
 The Butuan Story
• Despite strong evidence from
the Limasawa side, Butuan’s
evidence cannot be ignored
• The local government of Butuan
and historian Sonia Zaide,
provided pieces of evidence
marking Butuan as the site of
the first mass
• This controversy of split sparked
when the Philippine government
handed over the historical
marker of the first mass to
Limasawa
•
Evidence
They also used the diary of
for Butuan
Antonio Pigafetta, as well as the
ship log of another companion of
Magellan’s expedition, Francisco
Albo
• The land named “Mazua”, as
stated by Pigafetta, actually exists
today as a town named “Masao”
• One of the Rajahs present in the
mass was Rajah Colambu, the ruler
of Butuan
• The large cross planted by
Magellan and his men, is located
on a hilltop overlooking the town
of Butuan