The Controversy:

SITE of the First Mass

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY 1
Where is the First Mass?
•Butuan (Masao) in Agusan Del Norte
•Limasawa in Southern Leyte

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 2

Limasawa, Southern
Leyte

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Butuan City, Agusan
Del Norte

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WHY BUTUAN?
• It was a tradition believed by many from 17th to 19th
Century;
• Father Francisco Collin S.J. – published Labor
Evangelica in 1663

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 5

WHY BUTUAN?
• Father Francisco
Combres S.J. (1620-1665)
– published Historia de
Mindanao y Jolo in 1667)
• Gave somewhat a
different version of the
route

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 6

WHY BUTUAN?
• Continuation…
• Did not
mentioned of the
First Mass
• Both Colin and
Combres had
strong influence
over the next
writers

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 7

COLIN VS. COMBRES ACCOUNTS
COLIN

Homonhon Butuan Limasawa Cebu

COMBES

Limasawa Butuan Limasawa Cebu

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 8

WHY BUTUAN?
• By 18th Century, one of the passage in Colin’s book
was misunderstood; perceived that Magellan
entered PH waters through Siargao Strait,
concluded that:
Magellan must have come by the southern route
• These errors repeated the errors and influenced
many writers by the later 18th and the 19th Century
• By 19th Century, the site of the first mass was
“taken for granted” mentioned and copied writer
after writer, copying from the previous and copied
by those who came after.

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 9

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 10
Set of Evidences Presented for
BUTUAN
Considered in the Panel Examination and study of NHCP led by Dr. Resil Mojares
• 1581 Edict of Bishop Domingo Salazar, the Anales ecclesiasticos de Filipinas 1574-
1683;
• 1886 Breve reseña de diocesis de Cebu
• Fr. Francisco Colin’s Labor evangélica: Ministerios apostolicos de los obreros de la
Compaña de Jesus (1663);
• Fr. Francisco Combés’ Historia de Mindanao y Jolo (1667);
• Fray Gaspar de San Agustin’s Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas (1698);
• 1872 monument in Magallanes, Agusan del Norte;
• and a few other accounts written by American authors in the early part of the
20th century.

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 11

1872 Butuan Marker

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Bernad, Miguel A. S.J. - “Butuan or Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines:
A Reexamination of the Evidences”
Scott, William Henry - “Why then the Butuan Tradition?”
• Butuan tradition was the result of the reliance of early historians
on Gian Battista Ramusio’s 3-volume Delle navigationi et viaggi
(1550) and Maximilianus Transylvanus’ De Moluccis Insulis.
• Ramusio and Transylvanus recounted the voyage of the Magellan-
Elcano expedition based on the accounts of the survivors;
became the most dominant and authoritative source of
information aused as basis of recounting some events connected
to the first circumnavigation of the world

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 13

Shift to Limasawa
• The shift was caused by the rediscovery of the
Pigafetta and Albo’s Accounts
• Trinidad Pardo de Tavera – wrote El Comercio on 31
March 1895; stated that the Butuan tradition was a
mistake.
• Pablo Pastells, SJ – while working on Colin’s work,
studied Pigafetta and Albo’s notes; wrote:
“Magellan did not go to Butuan. Rather, from the
island of Limasawa he proceeded to Cebu.”

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 14

Shift to Limasawa
• Emma Blair and James Alexander Robertson’s
translation of Pigafetta’s Accounts (written on the
55 Volume The Philippine Island) - wrote that
according to Pigafetta, the 1521 Easter Sunday
mass was held in an island called Mazaua; provided a
footnote that the present name of the place is
Limasawa.

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Examining the Site of
the First Mass
• Pigafetta’s Accounts
• Albo’s Accounts
• The question of omission
• Limasawa has no spices?
• Mazaua Coordinates
• Other confirmatory evidences

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 16

Pigafetta’s Accounts
Date Event Location
March 16, 1521 Reached the isle of Zamal. Samar
March 17, 1521 Landed on another Homonhon
uninhabited Island.
March 18, 1521 Natives came with a boat Homonhon
of nine men and the chief; (Humunu);
exchange of goods Acquad da li buoni
Segnialli (The
Watering-place of
Good Signs)
March 22, 1521 Natives came back,
bringing more goods

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 17

Pigafetta’s Accounts
• Magellan’s fleet stayed EIGHT DAYS at Homonhon:
from March 17, to March 25;
• March 25 – Left Homonhon towards the west
southwest, between four islands: namely, Cenalo,
Hiunanghan, Ibusson and Albarien.
• Bernad (1981) clarifies:
• Cenalo – misspelled in the Italian manuscript,
referring to Ceilon (Leyte)
• Hiunanghan – Hinunangan, perceived as a
separate ishand
• Ibusson – Hibuson, southern tip of Leyte

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 18

Pigafetta’s Accounts
• Thursday, 28 March –anchored off and island where
the previous night they had seen a light or a
bonfire;
• “lies in a latitude of nine and two-thirds towards
the Artic Pole (i.e. North) and in a longitude of one
hundred and sixty-two degrees from the line of
demarcation. It is 25 leagues from the Acquada,
and is called MAZAUA

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 19

Pigafetta’s Accounts
• Friday, March 29 – sent the slave interpreter
ashore in a small boat to ask the king if he could
provide the expedition with food supplies, and to
say that they had come as friends and not as
enemies; in reply the king himself came in a boat
with six or eight men, and this time went up
Magellan’s ship and the two men embraced.
Another exchange of gifts was made. The native
king and his companions returned ashore, bringing
with them two members of Magellan’s expedition
as guests for the night

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 20

Pigafetta’s Accounts
• Saturday, March 30 – Pigafetta and his companions
had spent the previous evening feasting and
drinking with the native king and his son. Pigafetta
deplored the fact that, although it was Good
Friday, they have to eat meat. The following
morning (Saturday), Pigafetta and his companion
took leave of their host and returned to the ships.

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 21

Pigafetta’s Accounts
Early on the morning of Sunday, the last of March, and Easter-day, the
captain- general sent the priest with some men to prepare the place where
mass was to be said; together with the interpreter to tell the king that we
were not going to land in order to dine with him, but to say mass.
Therefore, the king sent us two swine that he had had killed. When the hour
for mass arrived, we landed with about fifty men, without our body armor,
but carrying our other arms, and dressed in our best clothes. Before we
reached the shore with our boats, six pieces were discharged as a sign of
peace. We landed; the two kings embraced the captain-general, and placed
him between them. We went in marching order to the place consecrated,
which was not far from the shore.

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Pigafetta’s Accounts
Before the commencement of mass, the captain sprinkled the entire bodies
of the two kings with musk water. The mass was offered up. The kings went
forward to kiss the cross as we did, but they did not offer the sacrifice.
When the body of our Lord was elevated, they remained on their knees and
worshiped Him with clasped hands. The ships fired all their artillery at
once when the body of Christ was elevated, the signal having been given
from the shore with muskets. After the conclusion of mass, some of our men
took communion.

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Pigafetta’s Accounts
Then he had a cross carried in and the nails and a crown, to which
immediate reverence was made. He told the kings through the interpreter
that they were the standards given to him by the emperor his sovereign, so
that wherever he might go he might set up those his tokens. [He said] that
he wished to set it up in that place for their benefit, for whenever any of
our ships came, they would know that we had been there by that cross, and
would do nothing to displease them or harm their property If any of their
men were captured, they would be set free immediately on that sign being
shown. It was necessary to set that cross on the summit of the highest
mountain, so that on seeing it every morning, they might adore it; and if
they did that, neither thunder, lightning, nor storms would harm them in
the least.
The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 24
Pigafetta’s Accounts
• Sunday, March 31 – While on the summit of the
highest hill, Magellan asked the two kings which
ports he should go to obtain more abundant
supplies of food; they replied that there were three
ports to choose from: Ceylon, Zubu and Calagan. Of
the three, Zubu was the port with the most trade.
Magellan then said that he wished to go to Zubu
and to depart the following morning.
• Thursday, 4 April. – they left Mazaua, bound for
Cebu. They were guided thither by the king of
Mazaua who sailed in his own boat. Their route
took them past five “islands”: namely, Ceylon,
Bohol, Canighan, Baibai and Gatignan.”

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 25

ALBO’s Account
Bernad, Miguel A. (1981)
• March 16 - sailed in a westerly course from the
Ladrones, saw land towards the northwest; but
owing to many shallow places they did not
approach; its name was Yungan.
• went instead southwards to another small island
named Suluan, and there they anchored. There
they saw some canoes but these fled at the
Spaniard’s approach. This island was at 9 and two
thirds degrees North Altitude.

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Francisco Albo
• Francisco Albo was one of the 18 survivors of
the Magellan-Elcano Expedition.
• He was the contramaestre or pilot of the
ship, Trinidad, which was the flagship of
Ferdinand Magellan.
• He had kept a log book of their expedition
which bad also accounted their travels in
the Philippines.

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 27

ALBO’s Account
Bernad, Miguel A. (1981)
• Departing from those two islands, they sailed
westwards to an uninhabited island of “Gada”
where they took in a supply of wood and water.
The sea around that island was free from shallows.

• Albo does not give the latitude of this island, but

from Pigafetta’s testimony, this seems to be the
“Acquada” or Homonhon, at 10 degrees North
latitude.

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ALBO’s Account
Bernad, Miguel A. (1981)
• From that island, they sailed westwards towards a
large island named Seilani, which was inhabited and
was known to have gold. (Seilani - or, as Pigafetta
calls it, “Ceylon” – was the island of Leyte)
• Sailing southwards along the coast of that large
island of Seilani, they turned southwest to a small
island called “Mazava”. That island is also at a
latitude of 9 and two-thirds degrees North.

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 29

ALBO’s Account
Bernad, Miguel A. (1981)
• The people of that island of Mazava were very
good. There the Spaniards planted a cross upon a
mountain-top, and from there they were shown
three islands to the west and southwest, where
they were told there was much gold. “They
showed us how the gold was gathered, which came
in small pieces like peas and lentils.”

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ALBO’s Account
Bernad, Miguel A. (1981)
• From Mazava, they sailed northwards again
towards Seilani. They followed the coast of Seilani
in a northwesterly direction, ascending up to 10
degrees of latitude where they saw three small
islands.
• From there they sailed westwards some the
leagues, and there they saw three islets, where
they dropped anchor for the night.

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 31

Summary of Pigafetta and ALBO’s
Account
Bernad, Miguel A. (1981)
1. Magellan’s expedition entered PH waters where south of
the island od Samar and dropped anchor at Homonhon they
stayed a week. Then they sailed westward towards Leyte
and then southwards parallel to the eastern coast of that
island and that of the adjoining island of Panaon. Rounding
the southern tip of the latter, they anchored off the
eastern shore of a small island called Mazaua. There they
stayed a week, during which on Easter Sunday they
celebrated Mass and planted a cross on the summit of the
highest hill.

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Summary of Pigafetta and ALBO’s
Account
Bernad, Miguel A. (1981)
2. The island of Mazaua lies at a latitude of 9 2/3 degress
North. Its position (south of Leyte) and its latitude
correspond to the position and latitude of the island of
Limasawa, whose southern tip lies at 9 degress and 54
minutes North.
3. From there, the expedition sailed northwestwards through
the Canigao channel between Bohol and Leyte, then
northwards parallel to the eastern coast of this latter
island, then they sailed westwards to the Camotes Group
and from there southwestwards to Cebu.

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Summary of Pigafetta and ALBO’s
Account
Bernad, Miguel A. (1981)
4. At no point in that itinerary did the Magellan expedition go
to Butuan or any other point on the Mindanao coast. The
survivors of the expedition did go to Mondanao later, but
after Magellan’s death.

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 34

Limasawa

Butuan

Magellan’s
Route 35
Intentional Concealing?
NHCP’s Latest Ruling on the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass Controversy, Escalante
• Dr. Potenciano Malvar - argued that Pigafetta’s
recorded latitude measurement (9°2/3’N) was part
of a plan of Magellan and King Charles I to conceal
the site of the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass to ensure
that the newly-discovered route to the Moluccas
would remain hidden from other explorers.
• The panel argued that if it’s true, the part of the
route that should remain secret should be the
coordinates from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific
Ocean via the southern tip of South America. and
not that of the Philippines.

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 36

Limasawa has no Spices?
NHCP’s Latest Ruling on the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass Controversy, Escalante
• Pro-Butuan proponents argued that Limasawa was
a remote island and cannot sustain the daily needs
of the members of the expedition. Butuan, on the
other hand, is a highly civilized settlement as
proven by a lot of archeological discoveries in this
part of Mindanao.
• point out that Limasawa did not have the
necessary provisions that could sustain the
expedition for seven days

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 37

Limasawa has no Spices?
NHCP’s Latest Ruling on the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass Controversy, Escalante
• Villalobos Expedition – said It stayed in Limasawa
for two months and there are no accounts that
they had problems while waiting to be connected
with the fleet. This only suggests that 16th
century Limasawa was prosperous enough to host
foreign visitors.
• The panel also asked “if Butuan was the place
where the First Mass was celebrated and it was
highly civilized during the 16th century, how come
it did not become the prime destination of the
expeditions that followed Magellan?”

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 38

Mazaua Coordinates
NHCP’s Latest Ruling on the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass Controversy, Escalante
• The panel scrutinized the coordinates of
Mazaua given by the eyewitnesses and
compared them with contemporary
measurements.
• Pigafetta (9 2/3 or 9º40’N latitude)
• Albo (9 1 /3 or 9º20’N latitude)
• Genoese Pilot (9 or 9º00’N latitude)

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 39

Mazaua Coordinates
NHCP’s Latest Ruling on the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass Controversy, Escalante
• A study presented in the 16th International
Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference
(Bulgaria, 2016) compared Pigafetta’s
coordinates to the present coordinate
system; Result was 9⁰56’ N latitude or only a
0⁰16’ difference against Pigafetta’s
• Noted that even these coordinates were
estimates, it was still closer to Limasawa
than to Butuan which, using the modern
coordinates, was located at 8°56’ N latitude.
The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 40
Final Verdict
NHCP’s Latest Ruling on the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass Controversy, Escalante

“…that Limasawa Island, Southern

Leyte, be sustained as the site of the
1521 Easter Sunday Mass.”

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 41

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Resources:
Alporha, V. C. (2018). Readings in Philippine History (First ed.). Manila: Rex Book
Store.
Bernad, M. A. (2002). Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the
Philippines: A Reexaminationof the Evidence. Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and
Culture, 5, 133-166. Retrieved from
https://journals.ateneo.edu/ojs/index.php/budhi/article/view/582/579
Escalante, R. R. (2020). NHCP’s Latest Ruling on the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass
Controversy. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved from
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mExTClwb_z7AMjS3Hvpds75WLoKLNnYh/view
History. (2018). Retrieved from New World Encyclopedia:
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/History

The Controversy: SITE OF THE FIRST MASS 44