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Readings in Philippine History- Reviewer for Midterm
Readings In Philippine History (Far Eastern University)
Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university
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PHILIPPINE HISTORY REVIEWER
Discrimination in the Validity of History
MODULE 1:
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INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY
Definition of History
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-
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Derived from the Greek word
“historia” which means “knowledge
acquired
through
inquiry
or
investigation”
Also known as the study of the past.
Is the account of the past of a person
or a group of people through written
documents and historical evidences.
History also focuses on wars,
revolutions, and other important
breakthrough.
There are theories constructed
historians in investigating History.
No Document, No History
It means that unless a written
document can prove a certain
historical event, then it cannot be
considered as a historical fact.
Governments Records
Chronicle’s Accounts
Personal Letters
Receipts, etc.
What is History?
Why study History?







Helps us understand people and
societies
history helps us understand change
and how society we live in came to
be
the importance of history in our own
lives
history
contributes
to
moral
understanding
helps provide identity
Essential for good citizenship
Select the subject to investigate
And history for whom?
Historical Method
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Some valid Historical Documents




Questions and Issues in History
by
 Factual History - This presents the
readers plain and basic information.
It answers the questions what, when,
where, and who.
 Speculative History – It goes
beyond facts because it is concerned
about the reasons on why the events
happened. This theory answers the
question why and how.
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Restricting historical evidence as
exclusively
written
is
a
discrimination against other social
classes who were not recorded in
paper.
Others got their historical documents
burned or destroyed in the events of
war or colonization.
-
is the process of Critically examining
and analyzing the records and
survivals of the past.
The most important element of
Historical Method is called as
Historical Analysis. There are four
steps of Historical analysis:
 Select the subject to
investigate
 Collect probable sources
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

their identity free from
that colonial discourse
and knowledge.
2. To criticize the methods,
effects, and idea of
colonialism.
Examine
the
sources
genuinely
Extract credible particulars
Historiography
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-
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Is the history of history
It covers how historians have studied
and developed history including it
sources, techniques and, theoretical
approaches.
It should not be confused with
history because history is the study
of the past, the events that happened
in the past.
It focuses on how a certain historical
text was written, who wrote it, what
was the context of its publication,
what
historical
method
was
employed, what sources were used.
History and Historians
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Facts cannot speak for themselves. It
is the historian’s job not just to seek
historical evidences and facts but
also to interpret them. It is their job
to give meaning to these facts and
organize them into
timeline,
establish causes, and write history.
It comprises certain techniques and
rules that historians follow in order
to properly utilize sources and
historical evidence in writing history.
Positivism
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MODULE 2:
Is the school of thought that emerged
between the 18th and 19th century.
This thought requires empirical and
observable evidence before one can
claim that a particular knowledge is
true.
Historians were required to show
written primary documents in order
to write a particular historical
narrative.
SOURCES AND CRITICISM OF
HISTORICAL DATA
Historical Data
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Post-Colonialism
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Is the school of thought that emerged
in the early 20th century when
formerly colonized nations grappled
with the idea of creating their
identities and understanding their
societies against the shadows of their
colonial past.
 Two things in writing history:
1. Tell the history of their
nation that will highlight
is the data collected about past
events and circumstances that
pertains to a particular subject. These
are sourced from artifacts that have
been left by the past.
These artifacts can either be relics or
remains, or the testimonies of
witnesses of the past. This are also
the materials from which the
historians construct meaning.
Two types of Sources in History
Written Sources
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Are sources that usually in written
form. It has three categories;
 Narrative or Literature – These
sources are chronicles or tracts
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presented in a narrative form, it
tells a story or narrates the story
of the events.
Example: Diary, newspaper etc.

Diplomatic Sources – are
understood
to
be
those
documents/records of an existing
legal situation or create a new
one. This source is also called as
legal documents.
Example: Laws, Memorandums,
Executive orders, etc.

Social Documents – this are
information
pertatining
to
economic, social, political or
judicial significance.
Example: Research findings,
Records of census, civil registry,
etc.
Non-written Sources
- Sources that are not in written form.
 Material Evidence – this is also
known as archeological evidence.
These artifacts can tell a great
deal about the ways of life people
in the past, and their culture. E.g
swords, relics, bones, etc.

Oral Evidence – sources that are
transmitted orally. Eg. Tales, folk
songs, interviews. Etc.
Two Kinds of Historical Sources
1. Primary Source
- are original sources, the first-hand
information. The first-hand account
of an event or period that are usually
written or made during/close to the
event or period.
Example:
(Commonwealth 1935)
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Minutes
Newspaper
Records
Photographs
Eyewitness (es)
2. Secondary Source
- Are materials made by people long
after the events being described had
taken place to provide valuable
interpretations of historical events.
These are interpreted information
also known as second hand
information.
Example:
(Phil. Revolution 1935)
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Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt of the
Masses 1956.
Research papers
Articles
Editorials
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources
in History
1. Primary Source
- are materials that come from roughly
the same time period of the topic /
event that the historian has chosen to
examine.
- sources are usually found in archives
such as Berkeley's Bancroft Library,
but also in some cases in microfilm
reels, digitized collections on the
internet, or library stacks (such as in
the case of old books, newspapers,
journals, etc.).
2. Secondary Sources
- It is a piece of historical writing (i.e.,
historiography) that is anchored in
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composed the historical material,
locating when and where the
historical material was produced, and
establishing the material’s evidential
value.
primary sources and informed by
secondary sources.
Historians draw on secondary
sources – either by quoting or
paraphrasing – in order to support
certain claims that they're making
and / or to challenge or supplement
prevailing interpretations (or theses)
that other historians have made in
their works of historiography.
- Works of historiography are not
simply chronologies of historical
evidence (i.e., names, dates, places,
events, etc. from the past). Rather
they are arguments/interpretations
about the past that emerge from an
immersion in and are built upon a
foundation of historical evidence
(i.e., primary sources).
3. Tertiary Sources
- are usually synthetic in nature – i.e.,
they pull together a number of
separate but related accounts of a
particular event, issue, body of
scholarship, etc.
- Tertiary sources are good starting
points for research projects, as they
help distill large amounts of
information.
-
-
Often tertiary sources contain
footnotes that point researchers in
promising directions with respect to
the secondary sources.
2. Internal Criticism
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MODULE 3:
FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE
WORLD
Ferdinando de Magallanes
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-
1494
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When examining a source, the
historian must conduct:
1. External Criticism
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also known as Ferdinand Magellan
was born in Portugal on February 3,
1480.
A Portuguese explorer who is the
first European to cross the Pacific
Ocean.
Early Expedition
Historical Criticism
-
deals with the credibility and
reliability of the content of a given
historical source. It focuses on
understanding the substances and
message that the historical material
wants to convey by examining how
the author framed the intent and
meaning of a composed material.
Firstly, there was a conflict in lands
between Portugal and Spain. It was
settled by the Treaty of Tordesillas.
The Eastern part of the World was
controlled by Portugal and The
Western part was controlled by
Spain.
1517
answers concerns and questions
pertinent to the authenticity of a
historical source by identifying who
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Because King Manuel I of Portugal
denied Magellan’s petition to seek
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his voyage to the Spice Island
repeatedly, he renounced his
Portuguese nationality and relocated
to Spain to seek royal support for his
venture.
1520
Winter in San Julian (Feb – Aug)
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1519
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a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Magellan relocated to Spain and
asked King Charles I to support his
proposed expedition. King Charles I
approved his expedition.
King Charles I funded Ferdinand
Magellan’s expedition and gave him
five ships. Namely with their
captains:
Victoria – Luis de Mendoza
Trinidad – Sebastian Elcano (The
Flagship/Kingship of the Expedition)
Concepcion – Gaspar Quesada
San Antonio – Juan Serrano
Santiago – Juan de Cartagena
1519
Departing Spain (Aug – Sept)
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Magellan’s departure from Seville,
with the five ships.
Enough food for 2 years provision;
mostly wine and hardtack (biscuit/
bread thing) with some salted salt.
Easter Muting (April)
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Spaniards tried to kick Magellan
because of jealousy but failed.
Magellan kick Juan de Cartagena,
captain of the ship Santiago.
Patagonian Giants (July)
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The native encounters started
friendly until Magellan kidnaps two
of the Patagonian. It made the native
angry and disappear into the interior.
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They made it pass the river and made
it to the Pacific Ocean.
Sailors are weary of travel, unsure
whether to continue or go back to
Spain.
San Antonio decided to go back.
1521
They sail with a decent weather
(mostly).
They reach the Canary Islands and
then the Cape Verde Islands.
2 months after they reach to Brazil.
Dec
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Brutal weather storms slowed the
progress.
Keen for any inlet that may allow
passage around to continue.
The ship Santiago was destroyed
because of a storm.
Strait of Magellan (October)
Atlantic Crossing (Oct – Nov)
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Some encounters with natives and
trade some trinkets for golds.
They arrived in Rio to repair the
ships.
March 13
the Expedition set foot on Ladrones
Island where later on called as the
Thief Island because Magellan was
robbed by the pirates getting their
small boats. And later on, they sailed
westward.
March 16
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Magellan set foot on Philippine
Island of Zamal. Later on, called, as
Samar Island.
Magellan meet Rajah Garas – Garas
of the Humumu Island.
Moluccas (Nov)
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March 31
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The first catholic mass was held in
Mazzua in celebration of the Easter
Sunday.
The mass was officiated by the
Spanish priest, Father Pedro de
Valderama.
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They arrived in Zzubu Island later on
called Cebu.
Magellan met Rajah Humabon the
king/leader of Cebu and had a blood
compact between him.
He went to Mactan Island, and there
he met the king, Rajah Lapu – Lapu.
Rajah Lapu – Lapu doesn’t want to
submit to Magellan’s wish to be
converted and become controlled by
the Spain as what he sees to Rajah
Humabon. Because of this, a conflict
arose in the Mactan Island.
Death of Magellan (April 27)
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A battle enraged between the troops
of Lapu Lapu and Magellan and
Magellan died with a poison arrow in
his leg and spear on his hand.
Aftermath and Escape (May)
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September 6, 1522
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Victoria returned to the Spain with
the new captain, Sebastian Elcano
and his remaining crew.
Five Expeditions after Magellan
Arriving in Cebu (April 7)
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The Concepcion ship was worminfected and was burned because
theres no more people to operate the
ship.
On the way back to Spain the
Trinidad ship didn’t make it
After Magellan’s defeat in the
Philippines. The Spain sent more
expeditions with different aims. This are the
following expedition:
•
This aims to recover the remains of
Magellan in the Mactan Island and conquer
the Moluccas Island but unfortunately, they
didn’t arrive in the Philippines.
•
Sebastian Cabot (1526)
This expedition aims to Conquer the
Moluccas and to return to the Philippines.
But they also didn’t arrive in the Philippines
because they failed to find the Strait of
Magellan
•
Because of the battle of mactan,
Spanish force became weak. And
majority of their soldiers died and
injured.
Serraro and Barbosa was voted to be
new leaders.
Jofre Garcia Loaisa (1525)
Alvaro De Saavedra (1527)
This aim to search for the missing
fleet of the Loaisa Expedition. And bring it
back to Spain. They also didn’t arrived in
the Philippines because they only aims to
sail in the pacific ocean.
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•
Rudy “Ruy” Villalobos (1542)
Villalobos started his expedition on
November 1, 1542. He followed the route
Magellan. On February 2, 1543 Villalobos
came in Mindanao. He establishes a colony
in Saranggani to continue to sail for the
Moluccas Island.
He was also famous for giving the
name to the Philippines. He named the
Philippines, Las Islas Felipinas. In honor to
King Philip II of Spain. Who was the king at
that time.
•
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi (1564)
On February 13, 1565 Legazpi’s
expedition landed on Cebu. Traveling to
Leyte, Camiguin, and Bohol. He then made
a blood compact between the chieftain.
Rajah Sikatuna Miguel Lopez De Legazpi
was also the first governor general of the
Philippines. And the start of the Spain’s
Colonization in the Philippines.
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Doctrine), the first book ever printed
in the Philippines.
He came with the first batch of
Franciscan Missionaries in the
Philippines on July 2, 1578 at the
port of Cavite.
Historical Background of the Document
A. Social Classes
 Datu or Chieftain –
- He was the chief, captain of
wars, governed and rule the
people whom the people obey
and reverence.

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Nobles or Maharlika
They are the rich people, friends
of the datu, the free born and
they do not pay taxes.

Commoners
or
Aliping
Namamahay
They are helpers of the Nobles,
they live in their owns house, and
still can get a property.
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
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MODULE 4:
CUSTOMS OF TAGALOG
Juan de Plasencia
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Fray Juan de Plasencia (real name is
Joan de Portocarrero) is one of the
seven children of Pedro Portocarrero.
He grew up during the period known
as the Siglo de Oro (Golden Age).
He spent most of his missionary life
in the Philippines, where he founded
numerous towns in Luzon and
authored several religious and
linguistic books, most notably the
Doctrina
Cristiana
(Christian
Slaves or Aliping Saguguilid
they serve their masters in their
master’s
house,
and
his
cultivated lands can be sold by
their masters.
B. Mode of Dressing
 Putong
- the Head Gear for the Male

Kanggan
- the Upper gear for the Male

Bahag
- The Lower Gear for the
Male
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
Baro or Camisa
- The Upper Gear for the
Female

Saya
- Lower Gear
Female
for
the
-
was a compensation for
the mother for all the
sleepless night lost while
the bride was an infant.
There are also several grounds for
divorce:
a. Adultery
C. Their houses are made of bamboo,
nipa palm and wood.
b. Abandonment
c. Cruelty
D. They also like different ornaments
for decorations
E. The unit of government is called
Barangay that come from the word
Balangay which are large boats
used by kings.
F. Mariage Customs
Men
were
in
general,
monogamous; while their wives called
Asawa.
Courtship
begins
with
Paninilbihan. Prior to Marriage the man
requires to give the following:
a.
Panghihimuyat
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c.
G. Religious Beliefs
They believe in Sacred animals and
Trees. They are also polytheist; they
worship many gods such as:
a.
Bathala – the Supreme Being
b. Idiyanale - Goddess of Labor and
Good Deeds
c. Dumangan – God of Good harvest
d. Mayari - Goddess of moon
Bigay – Kaya
- is dowry practices in the
old times; it is a transfer of
property to a daughter as
her inheritance at her
marriage this can be a piece
of land or gold.
b.
d. Insanity
a certain amount of
money to be given to the
bride-to-be's parents as
payment for the mother's
efforts in rearing the girl
to womanhood.
e. Tala – Goddess of stars
f. Aman Sinaya – Goddess of the Sea
g. Sitan - God of the Underworld
h. Li-cha – images with different
shapes
i. Dian Masalanta – patron of lovers
and generation
j. Lacapati and Idianale – patrons of
cultivated land and husbandry
k. buaya - were respected by the
Tagalogs due to their fear of being
harmed by them; they offered a portion
Himaraw
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of what they carried in their boats to
them
12 Priests and the Devil
1. Catolonan
- Priest from a people of rank.
- Officiates the offering sacrifice
for a feast and the food to be
eaten being offered to the devil.
2. Mangagauay
- They pretend to heal the sick in
order to deceive others.
3. Manyisalat
- They can cast remedies to
couples for them to abandon one
another.
4. Mancocolam
- Can emit fire from himself which
cannot be extinguished.
5. Hocloban
- Much more powerful than a
mangagauay in which they can
kill anyone without the use of
any medicine.They can also heal
those who are ill.
6. Silagan
- They would tear out and eat the
liver of those they saw were
wearing white.
7. Magtatangal
- They would go out at night
without their heads and put it
back into their bodies before the
sun rise.
8. Osuang
-
Tribesmen reported that they saw
the “osuang” who can fly and
murdered a man and ate his flesh.
9. Mangagayoma
- They would seduce their partners
with
charms
and
other
accessories so they can deceive
them.
10. Sonat
- This devil helped people die.
They can also know if the soul
they helped to die can either be
saved or not.
11. Pangatahojan
- They can predict the future.
12. Bayoguin
- These are men who are in the
nature of a woman.
H. Supertition
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-
They find omens in events they
witness (i.e. when someone
sneezed, met on their way a rat or
serpent, or the Tigmamanuguin
bird sang they would go home in
fear that evil would befall them if
they continued their journey)
The Tigmamanuguin bird’s (a
blue bird as large as a turtledove) song had two forms: a
good omen, and a bad omen.
I. Burying the Dead
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In burying the dead, the corpse
would be placed beside its house
and be mourned at for 4 days.
It will then be laid on a boat
which serves as a coffin which is
guarded by a slave.
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-
The grief of the relatives of the
deceased is followed by eating
and drinking.
J. Economic Life
a. Agriculture in plane lands.
b. Hunting in highlands.
c. Fishing in river banks and sea.
d. Shipbuilding, weaving,
mining and lumbering.
e. Domestic
trade
barangays by boat.
f. Foreign
countries.
trades
poultry,
MODULE 5:
in
different
with
different
K. Language and System of Writing
Major Languages are originated from
Malayo-Polenisian language. System of
writing: the alphabet consisted 3 vowels
and 14 consonants called Baybayi. They
used tap of trees as ink and pointed stick
as pencil. They wrote on large plant
leaves, bark of tree or bamboo tubes
WORKS OF JUAN LUNA AND
FERNANDO AMORSOLO
Historical Paintings
This are visual representations of
concrete happenings on the life of people in
a specific period. The idea about certain
events and people is communicated or
expressed
aesthetically
through
art.
Visualization of the reality. It usually depicts
a moment in a narrative story, rather than a
specific and static subject, as in a portrait.
Ferdinand Amorsolo
-
How to write in Baybayin?
All consonant characters in Baybayin
has /a/ sounds. We use kudlit (a dot,
slash,etc) on top of the character to make
it /e/ or /i/, while putting it below the
character to make it /o/ or /u/. To remove /a/
on the characters, just put krus-kudlit or
pamudpod to cross it out. Writing the
baybayin is downward. We should write the
symbol downwards.
-
-
Was known as the National Artist
of the Philippines. And was
named as the “Grand Old Man of
Philippine Art”.
Born on May 30, 1892 in Pico,
Manila and died on April 24,
1972.
He was a portraitist and painter
of rural Philippine landscapes.
He is also popularly known for
his craftsmanship and mastery in
the use of light. He was also best
known for his illuminated
landscapes.
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Sample of Amorsolo’s Paintings
Antipolo Fiesta
Afternoon meal of the rice workers (1951)
-
Oil on canvas. This won first
prize at the New York’s Fair.
Antipolo Fiesta canvas depicts a
rural scene where a group of
people are shown celebrating a
fiesta in Antipolo. A viewer may
be quick to surmise at a glance
that this painting belongs to that
category, as the bamboo handlers
in the usual tinikling dance often
blend in the crowd and are not
easily distinguished.
Juan Luna
-
-
Palay Maiden
-
An Oil on canvas Palay is
Tagalog for grain, which is
symbolic of the Philippines’ most
staple crop. Maiden bears
significance
to
Amorsolo’s
preference for beauty. It portrays
a provincial Filipina beauty or
dalagang bukid. The dressed
represent the color of the
Philippine Flag.
born on October 24, 1857 and
died on December 7, 1899.
Better known as Juan Luna was a
Filipino painter, sculptor and a
political activist of the Philippine
Revolution during the late 19th
century.
He became one of the first
recognized Philippine artists.
And is best known for impressive
rendition of classical subjects in
his academic works.
Sample of Luna’s Paintings
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accompanied
friends.
by
two
close
MODULE 6:
POLITICAL CARICATURES AND
SPEECH OF CORY AQUINO
History of Political Caricature
Spolarium
-
It currently hangs in the main
gallery at the first floor of the
National Museum of Fine Arts in
Manila. referring to the basement
of the Roman Colosseum where
the fallen and dying gladiators
are dumped and devoid of their
worldly possessions. At the
center of Luna's painting are
fallen gladiators being dragged
by Roman soldiers.
During the Protestant Reformation in
Germany in the 16th Century, visual
propaganda was widely used to portray
religious and political figures. Used both
woodcutting and metal engraving to create
visual arts that had a message. These
cartoons became very popular, and simple
broadsheet posters or illustrated pamphlets
proved to be an effective way to reach
people.
Political Caricature
A political Caricature is used to
present a comment, opinion, or criticism on
a particular event, person, and situation. It is
an allusion. It means that it is an indirect
reference to something which helps create a
scene or situation. Created images in order
to question authority and draw attention to
corruption, political violence and other
social ills.
The Parisian Life
-
Samples of Political Caricature:
Also known as Interior d'un Cafi.
It has a “playful” and “relaxed
mood” that does not provide “the
slightest hint of the tumultuous
happenings to come” in Luna’s
personal life. This portrayed a
glimpse of Luna’s own life in the
capital
of
France
while
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Her full name is Maria Corazon
Cojuangco Aquino. Born on January 25,
1933 in Tarlac province and died on August
1, 2009 in Makati. She was the 11th
president of the Philippines and the first
female president in Asia. Served as the
president of the Philippines on 1986-1992.
Was accredited as the “Mother of Asian
Democracy.”
MODULE 7:
THE SITE OF THE FIRST MASS
First Mass in The Philippines
The first Catholic mass in the Philippines
was happened in the Mazzua island on
March 31, 1521. This mass was officiated by
Fr. Pedro Valderama. They held a mass in
celeberation of the Easter Sunday.
This site is widely believed by many to be
Limasawa at the tip of Southern Leyte,
though this is contested by some who assert
that the first mass was instead held at
Masao, Butuan. They both claim to be the
venue of the historical religious site.
The Speech of Corazon Aquino
The speech was delivered by the late
Corazon C. Aquino in US Congress,
Washington DC, on September 18,1986, six
(6) months after she became the president of
the Philippines. The purpose of the speech
was: To proclaim the freedom of the
Filipinos from the Marcos regime or the
martial law; To state a new beginning for the
Philippines and to its government.; To
appeal for a financial aid for the recovery of
the Philippines’ economy.
Who is Corazon Aquino?
Cebu City
Eight months before the 500th anniversary
of the “first” Mass in the country, the
National Historical Commission of the
Philippines (NHCP) has determined that
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan
and his Spanish contingent held the event in
Limasawa town, Southern Leyte.
The NHCP adopted the recommendation of
a panel of experts reaffirming earlier
findings that the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass
was celebrated in Limasawa and not in
Butuan, as claimed by some historians.
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“The panel unanimously agreed that the
evidence and arguments presented by the
pro-Butuan advocates are not sufficient and
convincing enough to warrant the repeal or
reversal of the ruling on the case by the NHI
(National Historical Institute),” NHCP chair
Rene Escalante said in a statement released
on Wednesday.
The body made its decision on July 15.
Church Support
The issue of the exact location of the historic
Mass was earlier resolved by the NHI, the
forerunner of the NHCP, through two panels
of experts: the first led by former Supreme
Court Justice Emilio Gancayco in 1995 and
the second by historian Benito Legarda in
2008. Both panels ruled that the site of the
1521 Easter Sunday Mass was Limasawa
Island.
The panel reassessed the studies and
literature on the matter, gathered the extant
copies of Antonio Pigafetta’s chronicles and
other accounts abroad, surveyed the
presumed sites of the event in Butuan and
Limasawa, consulted experts in geology and
cartography, and submitted its report for
review by the history departments of various
Philippine universities.
Per Pigafetta, chronicler of the Magellan
Expedition, the Easter Sunday Mass that
expedition chaplain Fr. Pedro Valderama
celebrated on March 31, 1521, happened in
a place he identified as Mazaua.
Gift to the People
Limasawa Mayor Melchor Petracorta said
he and his constituents were very happy that
the NHCP stood by history and were hopeful
that its decision would “settle longtime
disputes on the issue.”
The ruling was made about a week before
Limasawa marks its 37th founding
anniversary on Aug. 27, Petracorta told the
Inquirer. “It’s really a gift to the people of
Limasawa. Actually, it’s a victory not only
of Limasawa but of the entire Eastern
Visayas,” he said.
The Diocese of Maasin, which has
jurisdiction over Limasawa, was also
overjoyed by the NHCP’s decision.
Fr. Johnrey Sibi, head of the Limasawa
Commission, said everyone was now
“inspired to work hard” for the celebration
of the 500th anniversary of the first Mass in
March 2021.
Paper trail
Local historian Rolando Borrinaga, who had
researched on and represented Limasawa
before the panel of experts and the NHCP,
considered the decision “sweet vindication.”
In its report, the panel and the NHCP
endorsed Borrinaga’s claim that the historic
Mass was held in Barangay Triana, and not
in Barangay Magallanes. They said Saub
Point in Triana should likewise be
recognized as the site of the cross planted by
Magellan and his men.
The National Quincentennial Committee
(NQC) appropriated funds and provided the
panel with pertinent documents.
Through official correspondences with
various foreign institutions, the NQC
obtained a high-resolution digital copy of
the Pigafetta manuscripts, including the
French version (Nancy Codex) currently
kept in Yale University’s Beinecke Rare
Book and Manuscript Library; the Italian
version in the Veneranda Biblioteca
Ambrosiana (Ambrosiana Codex) in Milan,
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Italy; and the two French versions in the
Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
English scholar Raleigh Ashlin Skelton was
published in 1969.
It also secured from the Edward Ayer
Collection at Newberry Library in Chicago
the transcriptions and notes made by
American
scholar
James Alexander
Robertson, who translated Pigafetta’s
manuscripts into English in 1906. The panel
likewise obtained and consulted the
accounts of other survivors of the Magellan
expedition, like Gines de Mafra, Francisco
Albo, and the “Genoese Pilot.”
But according to proponents of the Mass in
Limasawa, Robertson provided a footnote
that the present name of Mazaua, the site of
the historic Mass, is Limasawa.
Pigafetta’s eyewitness account is the most
detailed and only surviving account of the
first Mass in the Philippines. But there are
different interpretations of his account on
where it was held.
Historian Gabriel Atega said Butuan had
long been considered the site of the Mass.
He argued that the shift from Butuan to
Limasawa occurred after the publication of
Robertson’s notes.
Atega said Robertson’s translation of
Pigafetta’s manuscripts into English was
based on the “garbled” Italian text of the
Ambrosiana Codex that Carlo Amoretti,
prefect and conservator of the Biblioteca
Ambrosiana, transcribed and published in
1800.
He said the Ambrosiana Codex was “heavily
edited and full of inaccuracies” and, vis-àvis Robertson’s translation, should not be
used as the basis for determining the
nautical coordinates of the Magellan
expedition.
Expedition
Instead, he encouraged the panel to use the
Nancy Codex, of which a translation by
They said Skelton also identified Limasawa
as the current name of Mazaua.
On the Mojares panel’s request, the NHCP
secured a copy of each extant Pigafetta
manuscript abroad and had the section that
narrated the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass
transcribed and translated.
The panel later noted Robertson’s
observation that the Ambrosiana Codex was
“workmanlike rather than elegant.” It agreed
with Skelton that it might have been derived
from the original Pigafetta journal while the
Nancy Codex was a copy where Pigafetta
reworked some of his text to entice sponsors
to publish his manuscript for the use of
future explorers.
“After noting that Robertson and Skelton
agree that the aforesaid codices complement
each other and their translation had only
minor differences, the panel dismissed Mr.
Atega’s claim that Skelton should be used as
the standard text in determining the site of
the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass. The panel
also disagreed with Mr. Atega’s assertion
that historians who supported the Limasawa
position relied only on the Ambrosiana
Codex and the Robertson translation,” the
NHCP’s Escalante said.
Atega emphasized the determination of
longitude to pinpoint the location of the first
Mass. Citing primary sources, he traced the
route taken by the Magellan expedition and
concluded that 93⁄4 degrees latitude
combined with his reading of longitude
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coordinates in other sources led to Butuan as
the site of the Mass.
Although it deemed Atega’s research
commendable, the panel said longitudinal
measurements during the Age of Exploration
were “imprecise and unreliable” because
these navigational coordinates were
estimates and scientifically imprecise.
It pointed out the chronometer, the
instrument invented by John Harrison to
measure longitude accurately, was only
invented in the 1760s.
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