First Mass

in the
Philippines
WHERE DID IT OCCUR?
 Introduction
On the last day of March, Easter Sunday of 1521, the First Mass was
conducted in the Philippines. But where did it happen?
One such claim that it happened in Limasawa, an island south of
Leyte. Another states that the first mass actually happened in Masao,
Butuan. Some say that it even happened way before Magellan or the
Spaniards arrived in the Philippines.
The First Mass in the Philippines is best described by a quote: “One
past but many histories”. So where did it really happen? Or did it
happen at all?
Limasawa
Claim
 Antonio Pigafetta’s Testimony
March 16, 1521 – They came upon a high land with a distance of 300 leagues
from the Island of Thieves, an island named Zamal (Samar). The captain-general
decided to land in an “uninhabited island” the following day.
 March 17, 1521 – They landed on Homonhon (which they named ‘Acquada da
li buoni Segnialli’ or ‘the watering-place of good signs’), an island near Samar
located on a latitude of 10 degrees North. There they set up two camps, took care
of the sick, and stayed there for eight days (March 17 – 25, 1521) where they
learned from the locals of Zuluan (Suluan), who visited the Spaniards, the names
of the nearby islands.
 Antonio Pigafetta’s Testimony
 March 25, 1521 - The expedition leaves Homonhon and sails across the waters
of Hinunangan (Southern Leyte) and of Gibusong Island (Loreto, Dinagat
Islands).
 March 28, 1521 – They anchored off on an island which “lies in a latitude of 9
and 2/3 of the Arctic Pole (North)”. It is 25 leagues from the Acquada
(Homonhon) and is called Mazaua, There they met with Rajah Kolambu and his
brother, Rajah Siagu of Butuan-Calagan.
 Antonio Pigafetta’s Testimony
 March 31, 1521 – A mass was conducted by Fr. Pedro de Valderrama for the
celebration of Easter Sunday in Mazaua. Rajah Kolambu and his brother, Rajah
Siagu was invited to attend. Soon after, the Spaniards planted a wooden cross on
top of the highest mountain in that island.
 Francisco Albo’s Log
March 28 – 31
From here (Homonhon) we departed and sailed West, and fell in with a large
island called Seilani (Leyte), which is inhabited, and contains gold; we coasted it,
and went to W.S.W., to a small inhabited island called Mazava.
The people are very good, and there we placed a cross upon a mountain; and from
thence they showed us three islands in the W.S.W. direction, and they say there is
much gold there, and they showed us how they gather it, and they found small
pieces like beans and like lentils; and this island is in 9⅓° N. latitude.
How do these testimonies
support the Limasawa
claim?
 The location of the
Mazaua/Mazava island
1 nautical league is equal to 3 nautical
miles or 5.556 kilometers. In present day,
Homonhon to Limasawa is 133.58
kilometers. When converted to leagues,
133.58 kilometers is 23.99 nautical
leagues, close to Pigafetta’s account of 25
leagues. In comparison, Butuan is already
at 35.56 leagues away from Homonhon.
 Butuan Claim
The claim that the first mass was held in Butuan was first made by Fr. Francisco Combés, a
Spanish Jesuit missionary who lived in the Philippines during the 17th century. Combés wrote a
book called "Historia de las islas de Mindanao, Iolo y sus adyacentes" (History of the islands of
Mindanao, Jolo and their neighbors), which was published in Madrid in 1667.
In his book, Combés wrote that the first mass in the Philippines was held in Butuan in 1521, during
the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan. Combés based his account on the writings of earlier Spanish
chroniclers, including Antonio Pigafetta, who was a member of Magellan's crew and chronicled
their journey.
While Combés' claim has been debated and challenged by some historians, it has also been widely
accepted and continues to be popularly believed in the Philippines. Today, Butuan and its nearby
areas are considered significant historical sites in the Philippines due to their association with the
early spread of Christianity in the country.
 Further evidences for the Butuan
Claim
In Resolution No. 083-2020 passed late last year, the Magallanes Municipal Council declared the
town known as Baug 500 years ago as the “True Site of the First Mass and Magellan’s Expedition
Landfall.”
The Agusan del Norte Provincial Board, through Resolution No. 487-2020, expressed support for the
municipality of Magallanes’ claim of “historical honor” as the first spot in the archipelago where the
expedition of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan – under the patronage of Spain – landed on
March 16, 1521 and held an Easter Sunday mass on March 31 in the same year. The place was in
Baug, which is now part of Butuan.
The claim by local officials and by a large number of their constituents here that Baug was the site of
the first mass was largely based on accounts of a navigator of Magellan’s expedition, Gines De
Mafra, who was able to return to Spain and joined the Villalobos expedition in 1543. De Mafra’s
accounts supposedly matched the description and location of Baug.
 Further evidences for the Butuan
Claim
In 1872, a monument commemorating the first mass in the Philippines was
erected near the mouth of Agusan River in Barangay Baug or what today is
known as Magallanes, Agusan del Norte.
(Photo by Ben Serrano)
 NHCP’s official statement about
where did the First Mass happened
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has confirmed
Limasawa in Southern Leyte as the location of the first Easter Sunday Mass
celebrated by Fr. Pedro de Valderrama during the Magellan-Elcano expedition in
1521. The controversy over the exact site of the mass began in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, with scholars shifting their view from the traditionally
recognized site of Butuan in Agusan del Norte to Limasawa Island in Leyte. The
NHCP created a new panel of experts in 2018 to re-examine the historical
controversy and review the findings of the previous panels. The panel found that
Limasawa Island was the site of the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass, based on new
primary sources and pieces of evidence that surfaced. The NHCP affirmed the
panel's findings in a statement released in August 2021.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the first Mass in the Philippines, which was held on March 31, 1521, on
the island of Limasawa, was a significant event in the country’s history. It marked the
beginning of the introduction of Christianity to the archipelago, which would
eventually lead to the Philippines becoming the largest Catholic nation in Asia.

While the details of the Mass are not well-documented, it is clear that it was a simple
affair, conducted by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his chaplain.
Father Pedro de Valderrama. Despite the language barrier, the Mass had a profound
impact on the local Filipinos, who were curious about the religion of the foreigners
and would soon embrace Christianity as their own.

Today, the first Mass in the Philippines is celebrated annually as part of the country’s
rich religious heritage, serving as a reminder of the important role that Christianity
has played in shaping the identity and culture of the Filipino people.
References
 Pigafetta, A. (n.d.). Journal of Antonio Pigafetta. Philippine Diary Project. Retrieved April 13,
2023, from https://philippinediaryproject.com/author/antonio-pigafetta/
 Albo, F. (n.d.). Logbook of Francisco Albo. Philippine Diary Project. Retrieved April 13, 2023,
from https://philippinediaryproject.com/category/logbook-of-francisco-albo/
 Wikipedia contributors. (2023, April 12). Francisco Combes. In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 13,
2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Comb%C3%A9s
 Google. (2023). [Map of Limasawa Island, Philippines]. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from
https://www.google.com/maps/place/9%C2%B056'18.9%22N+125%C2%B004'18.9%22E/
@10.1441658,125.0107662,9.42z/data=!4m13!1m8!3m7!1s0x33072d32faa7d527:0x4b296a
34f01e9e5f!2sLimasawa,+Southern+Leyte!3b1!8m2!3d9.9302782!4d125.0746026!16zL20v
MDZxejA2!3m3!8m2!3d9.938582!4d125.071921
Roxas, P. (2021, February 7). Butuan not giving up on first Philippines mass claim. Philstar.