MASAO, BUTUAN LIMASAWA

Butuan Tradition
The Butuan Tradition was the belief
that Magellan landed in Masao,
Butuan and celebrated the First Mass
in that area in April 8, 1521. This was
the prevailing belief during the 17th-
19th Centuries.

A monument was erected in 1872 near

the mouth of Agusan River.
Fr. Francisco Colin S.J.
On Easter Sunday, in the territory of Butuan, the First Mass ever
offered in these parts was celebrated and a cross planted.

"Magellan went to Butuan first, then to Limasawa, then finally to

Cebu."

Fr. Francisco Combes

He wrote about the planting of the Cross and the Magellan
claiming the islands for the kings of Spain in Butuan but he
never mentioned about the Mass.

"Magellan landed first in Limasawa, then he went to Butuan,

then back to Limasawa, then off to Cebu."
1. Francisco Albo

A pilot (contramaestre) in Magellan's

flagship "Trinidad“ and one of the
eighteen survivors who returned with
Sebastian Elcano on the "Victoria" after
having circumnavigated the world.

He kept his own diary- merely only a

logbook.
Albo’s account of entry in Philippine waters

On March 16, 1521, sailing from Islas

Ladrones, they saw land (later named
Yunagan) towards NW but they did not
approach it.
Albo’s account of entry in Philippine waters

They anchored in a small island named

Suluan (9 2/3 ° N latitude).
Albo’s account of entry in Philippine waters

They sailed westward to an uninhabited

island of "Gada" where they took in a
supply of food and water. (Gada is the
"Acquada" or Homonhon from Pigafetta’s
testimony)
Albo’s account of entry in Philippine waters

They sailed westwards towards a large

island named Seilani which was
inhabited and was known to have gold.
(Pigafetta calls Seilani as “Ceylon”
referring to island of Leyte.)
Albo’s account of entry in Philippine waters

They sailed southwards along the coast of

that large island of Seilani, then turned
SW to a small island called Mazava
(Limasawa), where they planted a cross
upon a mountain-top.
Albo’s account of entry in Philippine waters

From Mazava they sailed northwards

again towards Seilani and followed
its coast in a northwesterly direction.
They saw three islets where they
dropped anchor for the night.
Albo’s account of entry in Philippine waters

In the morning, they sailed SW and

entered a channel between two
islands, Matan (Mactan) and Subu
(Cebu).
Albo’s account of entry in Philippine waters

They anchored at the town (la villa) of

Subu where they stayed many days and
obtained provisions and entered into a
peace-pact with the local king.
 2. Evidence from Pigafetta

Antonio Pigafetta

He wrote the most complete account of the Magellan

expedition, Primo viaggio intorno al mondo (The
First Voyage Around the World.)

Like Albo, he was a member of the expedition and was

therefore an eyewitness of the principal events which
he describes, including the first Mass in the
Philippines.
a. Pigaffeta’s Testimony Regarding
the Route
 Pozon
Ticobon Poro Albarien Zamal
Zubu
Baibai

Canighan Humunu

Ceilon
Catighan Hiunanghan
Bohol
Mazaua Hibuson
1. On March 16, 1521,
Satuday, Magellan's
expedition sighted a
"high land" named
“Zamal” (Samar)
which was some 300
leagues westward of
the Ladrones ( now
the Marianas) Islands.
2. On March 17, 1521,
Sunday, the following day
after sighting Zamal
Island, they landed on
“another island which
was uninhabited " and
which lay to the right of
the above mentioned
Island of Zamal. (to the
right here would mean on
their starboard going
south or southwest).
3. On that same day
(Sunday, 17 March)
Magellan named the
entire archipelago the
"Islands of Saint Lazarus“.
4. Monday, 18 March. – In
the afternoon of their
second day on that island,
they saw a boat coming
towards them with nine
men in it. An exchange of
gifts was effected.
Magellan asked for food
supplies, and the men
went away, promising to
bring rice and other
supplies in "four days.'
5. There were two springs
of water in that Island of
Homonhon . Also they
saw there some
indications that there was
gold in these islands.
Consequently Magellan
renamed the island and
called it the “The
watering Place of Good
Omen” (Acquada la di
bouni segnialli).
6. Friday, march 22- at
noon the natives
returned. This time there
were in two boats, and
they brought food
supplies.

7. Magellan’s expedition
stayed 8 days at
Homomhon: From Sunday
, march 17, to the
Monday of the following
week, march 25.
8. Monday, 25 March. – In
the afternoon, the
expedition weighed anchor
and left the island of
Homonhon. In the
ecclesiastical calendar, this
day (25 March) was the
feast-day of the Incarnation,
also called the feast of the
Annunciation and therefore
"Our Lady's Day." On this
day, as they were about to
weigh anchor, an accident
happened to Pigafetta: he
fell into the water but was
rescued.
9. The route they took
was between 4 islands:
Cenalo (Pigafetta’s
Ceylon/ Albo’s
Seilani/Leyte),
Hiunanghan
(Hinunangan), Ibusson
(Hibuson), and Albarien.
9. The route they took
was between 4 islands:
Cenalo (Pigafetta’s
Ceylon/ Albo’s
Seilani/Leyte),
Hiunanghan
(Hinunangan), Ibusson
(Hibuson), and Albarien.
9. The route they took
was between 4 islands:
Cenalo (Pigafetta’s
Ceylon/ Albo’s
Seilani/Leyte),
Hiunanghan
(Hinunangan), Ibusson
(Hibuson), and Albarien.
9. The route they took
was between 4 islands:
Cenalo (Pigafetta’s
Ceylon/ Albo’s
Seilani/Leyte),
Hiunanghan
(Hinunangan), Ibusson
(Hibuson), and Albarien.
10. Thursday, 28 March. – In
the morning of Holy
Thursday, they anchored off
an island where the
previous night they had
seen a light of a bonfire.
That island “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 twenty
five leagues from the
Aquada , and is called
Mazaua”.
11. They remain seven
days on Mazaua Islands.
12. On April 4, 1521, they
left Mazaua bound for
Cebu and guided by their
King who sailed on his
own boat. All throughout
their route, it took them
past five island namely:
Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan,
Baibai, and Gatighan.
12. On April 4, 1521, they
left Mazaua bound for
Cebu and guided by their
King who sailed on his
own boat. All throughout
their route, it took them
past five island namely:
Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan,
Baibai, and Gatighan.
12. On April 4, 1521, they
left Mazaua bound for
Cebu and guided by their
King who sailed on his
own boat. All throughout
their route, it took them
past five island namely:
Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan,
Baibai, and Gatighan.
12. On April 4, 1521, they
left Mazaua bound for
Cebu and guided by their
King who sailed on his
own boat. All throughout
their route, it took them
past five island namely:
Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan,
Baibai, and Gatighan.
12. On April 4, 1521, they
left Mazaua bound for
Cebu and guided by their
King who sailed on his
own boat. All throughout
their route, it took them
past five island namely:
Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan,
Baibai, and Gatighan.
13. At Gatighan, they
sailed westward to the
three island of the
Camotes group namely:
Poro, Pasihan, and
Ponson.
14. From the Camotes
Island they sailed
southwestward towards
"Zubu".
15. On April 7 they
entered the harbor of
"Zubu" (Cebu).
The route of the Magellan expedition as described by Pigafetta coincides
substantially and in most details with the route as described in Albo's
log.

In that route, the southermost point reached before getting to Cebu was
Mazaua, situated at nine and two-thirds degrees North latitude.
b. Seven Days in Mazaua

1. What did Magellan and his expedition do during their

7 days of stay in Mazaua?

2. Was it possible (as some writers have suggested) that

the expedition left Mazaua, went south to Butuan,
offered Mass there, and then returned to Mazaua before
proceeding to Cebu?
Mar. 28, 1521 (Thur.)
1.Holy Thursday. Magellan threw some trinkets as presents to some
natives in a small boat (boloto). The natives left, then two large boats
(balanghai) came with the native king in one of it. An exchange of gifts
was effected.

Mar. 29 1521 (Fri.) 2.Good Friday. Magellan sent his slave interpreter ashore to ask the
king if he could provide the expedition with food supplies. The king
went up to Magellan’s ship and the two men embraced. The king
returned ashore with two of Magellan’s men as guests for the night.
One of the two was Pigafetta.

Mar. 30, 1521 (Sat.) 3.Pigafetta and his companion had spent the previous evening feasting
and drinking with the native king and his son. The following morning,
they returned to the ships.
Mar. 31, 1521 (Sun.) 4. Easter Sunday. In the morning, Magellan landed with some fifty men
and Mass was celebrated, then in the afternoon, they planted a cross
on the summit of the highest hill. The King of Mazaua and the King of
Butuan attended the mass.

5. Magellan asked the two kings which ports he should go to in order to

obtain more abundant supplies of food. They told him that Zubu was
the port with the most trade. He asked for someone to guide him
thither. The kings replied that the pilots would be available. But later
that evening, the king of Mazaua changed his mind and said that he
would himself conduct Magellan to Zubu but Magellan must send
him men to help with the harvest.
Apr. 1, 1521 (Mon.) 6. Magellan sent men ashore to help with the harvest, but no work was
done that day because the two kings were sleeping off their drinking
bout of the night before.
Apr. 2-3, 1521 (Tue-Wed) 7. Work on the harvest during the "next two days“
Apr. 4, 1521 (Thur.) 8. They leave Mazaua, bound for Cebu.

"We remained there seven days," says Pigafetta. Every day is accounted
for. The Mass on Easter Sunday was celebrated on that island of Mazaua,
and not in Butuan or elsewhere.
3. Summary of the Evidence of Albo and Pigafetta

According to Albo and Pigafetta, the itinerary of Magellan’s

expedition shows that they did not go to Butuan or any other
point on the Mindanao coast. The survivors of the expedition
went to Mindanao later, but after Magellan’s death.
It was officiated by Fr. Pedro de
Valderrama and attended by two rajahs:
rajah of Butuan and rajah of Mazaua.

It was held on March 31, 1521.

The site of first mass marks the

birthplace of Christianity in the
Philippines.
In 1996, the National Historical
Commission reaffirmed the popular belief
propelled by Republic Act 2733 that the
first holy mass was celebrated in
Limasawa Island on March 31, 1521.