MODULE 10

HISTORICAL
CONTROVERSY:
The First Mass in the
Philippines
The First Mass in the Philippines

The birth of Roman Catholicism in the country was signified by the celebration of the first
Catholic mass in the Philippines March 31, 1521, after Ferdinand Magellan landed on the
Philippines which he named then as the Archipelago of St. Lazarus. However, the location of
the mass is still shrouded with controversy. Originally it was believed that the mass was
celebrated in the island of Limasawa, in Leyte, but the discovery of the Golden Tara in Butuan
made some Philippine Historians question the veracity of the Limasawa location. As recounted
by Pigafetta the first Christian Mass celebrated was made in an island which he called
''Mazaua.''

In 1996, the Philippine Congress directed the National Historical Institute to recommend a
historical finding. The panel and the NHI reaffirmed in 1998 that the place is Limasawa, but the
controversy is still alive until today.

Following is an excerpt coming from a primary source that tackles the issue in question. This is
from Pigafetta’s Chronicles of the Voyage of Magellan. Source: Emma Blair and James
Alexander Robertson. The Philippine Islands Vol. 33.

1. On Saturday, March sixteen,196 1521, we came upon a high land at a distance of

three hundred leguas from the islands of Latroni—an island named Zamal [i.e.,
Samar]. The following day, the captain-general desired to land on another island
which was uninhabited and lay to the right of the abovementioned island, in
order to be more secure, and to get water and have some rest. He had two
tents set up on the shore for the sick and had a sow killed for them.

2. On Monday afternoon, March 18, we saw a boat coming toward us with nine
men in it. Therefore, the captain-general ordered that no one should move or
say a word without his permission. When those men reached the shore, their
chief went immediately to the captain-general, giving signs of joy because of our
arrival. Five of the most ornately adorned of them remained with us, while the
rest went to get some others who were fishing, and so they all came. The
captain-general seeing that they were reasonable men, ordered food to be set
before them, and gave them red caps, mirrors, combs, bells, ivory, bocasine, 197
and other things. When they saw the captain’s courtesy, they presented fish, a
jar of palm wine, which they call uraca [i.e., arrack], figs more than one palmo
long [i.e., bananas],198 and others which were smaller and more delicate, and
two cocoanuts. They had nothing else then, but made us signs with their hands
that they would bring umay or rice,199 and cocoanuts and many other articles of
food within four days.
3. There are many islands in that district, and therefore we called them the
archipelago of San Lazaro, as they were discovered on the Sabbath of St.
 Lazurus.208 They lie in x degrees of latitude toward the Arctic Pole, and in a
longitude of one hundred and sixty-one degrees from the line of demarcation.
4. At noon on Friday, March 22, those men came as they had promised us in two
boats with cocoanuts, sweet oranges, a jar of palm-wine, and a cock,209 in
order to show us that there were fowls in that district. They exhibited great signs
of pleasure at seeing us.210 We purchased all those articles from them. Their
seignior was an old man who was painted [i.e., tattooed]. He wore two gold
earrings [schione] in his ears,211 and the others many gold armlets on their
arms and kerchiefs about their heads. We stayed there one week, and during
that time our captain went ashore daily to visit the sick, and212 every morning
gave them cocoanut water from his own hand, which comforted them greatly.
5. On Thursday morning, March twenty-eight, as we had seen a fire on an island
the night before, we anchored near it.219 We saw a small boat which the
natives call boloto with eight men in it, approaching the flagship. A slave
belonging to the captain-general, who was a native of Zamatra [i.e., Sumatra],
which was formerly called Traprobana, spoke to them. They immediately
understood him, came alongside the ship, unwilling to enter but taking a position
at some little distance.220 The captain seeing that they would not trust us,
threw them out a red cap and other things tied to a bit of wood. They
[115]received them very gladly, and went away quickly to advise their king.
About two hours later we saw two balanghai coming.
6. Next day, holy Friday, the captain-general sent his slave, who acted as our
interpreter, ashore in a small boat to ask the king if he had any food to have it
carried to the ships;222 and to say that they would be well satisfied with us, for
he [and his men] had come to the island as friends and not as enemies. The
king came with six or eight men223 in the same boat and entered the ship. He
embraced the captain-general to whom he gave three porcelain jars covered
with leaves and full of raw rice, two very large orade,224 and other things. The
captain-general gave the king a garment of red and yellow cloth made in the
Turkish fashion, and a fine red cap; and to the others (the king’s men), to some
knives and to others mirrors. Then the captain-general [117]had a collation
spread for them, and had the king told through the slave that he desired to be
casi casi225 with him, that is to say, brother. The king replied that he also
wished to enter the same relations with the captain-general. Then the captain
showed him cloth of various colors, linen, coral [ornaments], and many other
articles of merchandise, and all the artillery, some of which he had discharged
for him, whereat the natives were greatly frightened. Then the captain-general
had a man armed as a soldier,226 and placed him in the midst of three men
armed with swords and daggers, who struck him on all parts of the body.
Thereby was the king rendered almost speechless. The captain-general told
him through the slave that one of those armed men was worth one hundred of
his own men. The king answered that that was a fact. The captain-general said
that he had two hundred men in each ship who were armed in that manner.227
He showed the king cuirasses, swords, and bucklers, and had a review made
for him.228 Then he led the king to the deck of the ship, that is located above at
 the stern; and had his sea-chart and compass brought.229 He told the king
through the interpreter how he had found the strait in order to voyage thither,
and how many moons he had been without seeing land, whereat the king was
astonished. Lastly, he told the king that he would like, if it were pleasing to him,
to send two of his men with him so that he might show them some of his things.
The king replied that he was agreeable, and I went in company with one of the
other men.230
7. 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;241 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.242 Before we reached the shore with our boats, six
pieces were discharged as a sign of peace. We [125]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.
Before the commencement of mass, the captain sprinkled the entire bodies of
the two kings with musk water.”243 The mass was offered up. The kings went
forward to kiss the cross as we did, but they did not offer the sacrifice.244 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.245
The captain-general arranged a fencing tournament,246 at which the kings were
greatly pleased. Then he had a cross carried in and the nails and a crown, to
which immediate reverence was made.247 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,248 they would know that we had been there by that cross,
and would do nothing to displease them or harm their property [property:
doublet in original MS.]. 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. They [127]thanked him heartily and [said] that they
would do everything willingly. The captain-general also had them asked whether
they were Moros or heathen, or what was their belief. They replied that they
worshiped nothing, but that they raised their clasped hands and their face to the
sky; and that they called their god “Abba.”249 Thereat the captain was very
glad, and seeing that, the first king raised his hands to the sky, and said that he
wished that it were possible for him to make the captain see his love for him.
The interpreter asked the king why there was so little to eat there. The latter
replied that he did not live in that place except when he went hunting and to see
his brother, but that he lived in another island where all his family were. The
 captain-general had him asked to declare whether he had any enemies, so that
he might go with his ships to destroy them and to render them obedient to
him.250 The king thanked him and said that he did indeed have two islands
hostile to him, but that it was not then the season to go there. The captain told
him that if God would again allow him to return to those districts, he would bring
so many men that he would make the king’s enemies subject to him by force.
He said that he was about to go to dinner, and that he would return afterward to
have the cross set up on the summit of the mountain. They replied that they
were satisfied, and then forming in battalion and firing the muskets, and the
captain having embraced the two kings, we took our leave.
8. After dinner we all returned clad in our doublets, and that afternoon251 went
together with the two [129]kings to the summit of the highest mountain there.
When we reached the summit, the captain-general told them that he esteemed
highly having sweated for them, for since the cross was there, it could not but
be of great use to them. On asking them which port was the best to get food,
they replied that there were three, namely, Ceylon, Zubu, and Calaghann, but
that Zubu was the largest and the one with most trade. They offered of their own
accord to give us pilots to show us the way. The captain-general thanked them,
and determined to go there, for so did his unhappy fate will. After the cross was
erected in position, each of us repeated a Pater Noster and an Ave Maria, and
adored the cross; and the kings did the same. Then we descended through their
cultivated fields, and went to the place where the balanghai was.252 The kings
had some cocoanuts brought in so that we might refresh ourselves. The captain
asked the kings for the pilots for he intended to depart the following morning,
and [said] that he would treat them as if they were the kings themselves, and
would leave one of us as hostage. The kings replied that every hour he wished
the pilots were at his command, but that night the first king changed his mind,
and in the morning when we were about to depart, sent word to the captain-
general, asking him for love of him to wait two days until he should have his rice
harvested, and other trifles attended to. He asked the captain-general to send
him some men to help him, so that it might be done sooner; and said that he
intended to act as our pilot himself. The captain sent him some men, but the
kings ate and drank so much [131]that they slept all the day. Some said to
excuse them that they were slightly sick. Our men did nothing on that day, but
they worked the next two days.
9. It lies in a latitude of nine and two-thirds degrees toward the Arctic Pole, and in
a longitude of one hundred and sixty-two degrees from the line of demarcation.
It is twenty-five from the Acquada, and is called Mazaua.
10. We remained there seven days, after which we laid our course toward the
northwest, passing among five islands, namely, Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan,
Baybai, and Gatighan.
Supplemental Reading: Bernad, Miguel ,“Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the
Philippines: A Reexaminationof the Evidence” at
https://journals.ateneo.edu/ojs/index.php/budhi/article/view/582/579

The Board of Commissioners of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP)
signed on 15 July 2020 Resolution No. 2, adopting the report submitted by the panel that
reviewed the issue surrounding the site of the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass in the Philippines.  In
the report (see below), the panel recommended Limasawa, in today’s Southern Leyte, as the
site of the said event.

The panel was convened in response to the requests from various institutions, including the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), even as the anticipation of the Filipino
Catholic faithful had just begun for the 500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the
Philippines (see attached brief background about the process). 

Republic Act No. 10086 or Strengthening People’s Nationalism Act of 2009 mandates the
NHCP to “actively engage in the settlement or resolution of controversies or issues relative to
historical personages, places, dates and events.”

(Click the following for the full text)

Official Statement of NHCP

NHCP Board Resolution No. 2, s. 2020
The Final Report of the Mojares Panel on the Butuan-Limasawa Controversy on the
Location of the 1521 First Easter Sunday Mass in the Philippines

REFERENCES:
Pigafetta, Antonio. “First Voyage Around the World.” Blair, Emma and Robertson, James
Alexander. The Philippine Islands. Ohio: Arthur Clarke and Company, Vol. XXXIII, 1519–1522
Bernad, Miguel ,“Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A
Reexaminationof the Evidence” at
https://journals.ateneo.edu/ojs/index.php/budhi/article/view/582/579nhcp.gov