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THE SITE OF THE First MASS IN THE Philippines
BSED English (BLAW 2019, English 3)
Cebu Roosevelt Memorial College
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THE SITE OF THE FIRST MASS IN THE PHILIPPINES: MASAU OR
LIMASAWA?
LIMASAWA STRONG POINTS:
As chronicled by Antonio Pigafetta (historian of the Magellan expedition);
The first mass in the Philippines archipelago was celebrated on March 31, 1521 along the shores of Mazaua/Limasawa.
In Pigafetta’s journal, he mentioned that he sailed southbound, passing Leyte Coast. They reached Limasawa on March 28, 1521.
From Homonhon (where they came from) to Limasawa, the distance is around 25 leagues (138 km). According to historians, scholars, and experts, the distance between Homonhon and Limasawa fits well with the account of Pigafetta (sa journal nga iyaha gisuwat).
According to Pigafetta’a account, they stayed in Limasawa until April 4, 1521, then they went to Cebu.
There are other crew from the expedition that also put into writings the events of the expedition. One of them was Francisco Albo. Francisco Albo did not mention anything about the site of the first mass but he indicated in his account that they planted a cross on top of a mountain where they can see three islands; the west and southwest. His account fits well today, when you go to Limasawa, three islands can indeed be seen upon looking in the direction of Albo’s account. Their route to Limasawa also collaborated with Pigafetta’s account.
MASAU STRONG POINTS: (IN BUTUAN)
They found a map in 1734, called the Murillo Velarde map. In that map, it stated that Magellan and his men went to Butuan before going back to Limasawa and went to Cebu.
In 1872, the Catholic Church placed a marker on the site of the first mass which was the town of Magallanes, near Butuan City.
Years passed, they found an excavation of Balangay (huge ships) which was used to transport Filipino locals for worship services.
FINALITY:
The National Historical Institute (now National Historical Commission of the Philippines) had to make a decision in line with the quincentennial celebration ( years of Catholicism in the Philippines). They declared Limasawa as the site of the first mass based on the evidences they were able to collect.
Why Limasawa? Because the location of Limawasa agrees to the modern navigational instrument that were used to interpret the accounts of Antonio Pigafetta and Francisco Albo.
They dismissed the Butuan claim and made a finality that Limasawa is the site of the first mass.
Despite the finality declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the people of Butuan, especially the Catholic Church, won’t let go of their claims that Butuan is the site of the first mass.
The Congress at that time appealed to debate the location.
The first mass in the Philippines took place in Mazaua/Limasawa, according to solid evidence such as historical sources and relevant approaches. The solid evidences includes Pigafetta’s evidence and the logbook of Francisco Albo stating that the crew placed a cross on an island called “Mazaua” whose location is closer to Cebu. The evidences of Limasawa came from primary sources, which means they are the people who were present during the mass.
Aside from the fact that the National Historical Commission already declared Limasawa as the site of the first mass, the conclusion drawn by Dr. Antonio Sanchez de Mora, an expert on Spanish medieval history and head of the reference service at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain also supports the Limasawa claims. According to him, “The geographical description, the analysis of the directions, the revision of the maps and the references to the island of Mazaua between 1521 and 1565 must identify it with [modern-day] Limasawa,” he said.
Mora concluded from his research that the confusion with the Butuan tradition emerges from "an incorrect reading of the chronicles and the desire of some missionaries of the 16th and 17th centuries to demand the conversion of the natives of Mindanao thanks to the Jesuit preaching."
THE SITE OF THE First MASS IN THE Philippines
Course: BSED English (BLAW 2019, English 3)
University: Cebu Roosevelt Memorial College
