 Antonio Pigafetta 

was a young Venetian, likely in his 20s when he arrived in

the Philippines as part of Magellan's crew on March 17, 1521. The geographer and
scribe of the group, he recorded not only names of places and the vocabulary of the
natives, but their food, attire, customs, and traditions, too.

Expedition accounts and naming of Ladrones

The chronicle written by Pigafetta is therefore the first known written account of
contact between ancient CHamorus and Europeans. This account is the most detailed
found today, both in general information about the voyage and in relation to his
description of the “Islands of Thieves” or Islas de Los Ladrones, which Magellan named
the archipelago after a misunderstanding about property rights. The archipelago was
initally named the “Island of Lateen Sails” or Islas de las Velas Latinas as the explorers
were amazed by the swiftness, agility and how the CHamorus easily maneuvered the
proas which greeted them as they approached the islands.
In addition to Pigafetta’s accounts, there are seven other manuscripts, of the eleven
(chronicled by different authors of the expedition) that allegedly once existed, that
describe or mention the events of the voyage and the arrival in the Marianas.
According to Pigafetta, the travellers sighted three islands of the Marianas archipelago
on 6 March 1521 (or 17 March, according to Ginés de Mafra, another chronicler of the
same expedition). The crews were on the verge of starvation. Navarro, the sailor who
first sighted land, was rewarded with gold jewellery worth more than 100 ducats for
his good eye.

Perceived theft
De Mafra mentions that the first incident between CHamorus and Europeans took
place when an officer of the Trinidad “for little cause” slapped one of the islanders,
who then slapped him back. The officer returned with a blow of his machete, at which
the islanders jumped into the water, returned rapidly to their proas and started to
throw spears at the ship, hurting some of the Europeans.
Another group of CHamorus came from shore and went over to the ships and started
trading while the first group continued throwing spears. After the trading was
concluded, and to the surprise of the Europeans, the second group of CHamorus
joined the group that was fighting. Seeing that the number of canoes was increasing,
Magellan ordered his crew to stop fighting, after which peace was re-established, and
commerce and trade was resumed.
Some islanders cut the rope of one of the skiffs off the Trinidad and took it. Magellan
arranged a punishment for this perceived theft, disembarking the next day and setting
some settlements on the coast on fire. Seven CHamorus were killed during the attack.
Following an old medieval superstition, the European sailors who were sick asked
crew members, who took part in the attack, to bring back the entrails of the dead
natives, so that they could eat them and recover their health.

Historic significance
Pigafetta was among the landing party, so in his chronicle he described for the first
time some of the customs of the ancient CHamorus and the extraordinary mastery
they had over their proas.
The identification of the exact place of Magellan’s landing in the Marianas continues
to generate great scholarly debate. Three islands were spotted from the ships, two of
them close to each other and the third, a bigger island, off to the north. Although in
Guam a tradition refers to the bay of Umatac as the landing site, the logic of the route
that the expedition had taken, together with the contradictory testimonies of the
surviving accounts, suggests that the site was somewhere to the north of Umatac or
even north of Guam itself, possibly on the island of Saipan. It may be logical to
suppose that the oral tradition referring to Umatac as a landing site refers to the
expedition of Legazpi, who in 1565 disembarked there as many others did over the
years.
After two days in the ”Ladrones” or “Islands of Thieves” as they were named by
Magellan, the fleet continued its route towards the West. Not long after his visit to the
Marianas, Magellan would die in combat in the island of Mactan in Cebu, after taking
sides in a local struggle between two chiefs. The Trinidad continued onward back to
Spain under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano. Only eighteen survivors of the
original crew arrived once again in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on 6 September 1522.
In many ways, Fernando de Magellan represents a turning point in the history of
Guam. His voyage heralded the beginning of a series of intermittent visits to the
Marianas, throughout the next 150 years, by foreign navigators. For the indigenous
population, these trips represented a series of contacts, often saturated with violence,
problems of communication and trickery – as well as the exchange of objects of value.
On some occasions, islanders were kidnapped, to be used as guides or as protégés of
missionaries.
For the Europeans, the incorporation of news about the existence of an inhabited
archipelago with resources for supplying ships and crews marked a milestone in the
cartography of the Pacific Ocean, whose vastness was practically unknown until then.
In the maps of the 16th century, the “Islands of Thieves” represented the first
geographical reference to new lands in the Pacific.

On Saturday March 16, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, after leaving the islands of
Canoyas, later called the Landrones, named after the thievish propensities of its
inhabitants, (now known as Marianas Islands) sailing westward looking for the
Moluccas, sighted an island which has very lofty mountains. Soon after they learned
that it was Zamal (Legaspi's account called this island Cibabao), the present day Samar
Island, a distant three hundred leagues from the islands of the Ladrones. On the
following day the sea-worn expedition, landed on a little uninhabited island south of
Samar which Pigafetta called Humunu, which is known today as Homonhon a
barangay in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.
On March 17 while still anchored, they were visited by several canoes or praus,
carrying the principal chiefs of Suluan named Inaroyan, Limbas, Bucad, Layong,
Calipay, Badiao, Cabuling, and the Datu, Garas-Garas. Suluan is an island about 20
kilometers off to the east from Homonhon facing the Pacific Ocean.
These men came aboard and Magellan explained to them through an interpreter, that
the King of Spain had sent them not to do any damage, but to spread the Faith of
Christ and convert them to the True Religion. As they were so well received, they
called Homonhon "Nueva Providencia". The next day was stormy and nothing was
done until March 19, when most the Spaniards disembarked, leaving only enough men
to guard the vessels. Mass was celebrated and after the ceremony a tall cross was
raised near the shore. Datu Garas-Garas, Iranoyan, and the others then entered into a
treaty of friendship with Don Hernando Magallanes (Ferdinand Magellan),
representing His Majesty, which was drawn up by Leon de Espeleta, Secretary and
Notary of the expedition.
Antonio Pigafetta (chronicler of Magellan) said that they stayed on the island of
Homonhon 8 days but had great difficulty in securing food. The natives brought them
a few cocoanuts and oranges, palm wine, and a chicken or two, but this was all that
could be spared, so on the 25th, the Spaniards sailed again, and near the south end of
Leyte landed on the little island of Limasaua. Here there was a village, where they met
two chieftains, whom Pigafetta calls "Kings", and whose names were Raja
Calambú and Raja Ciagu. These two chieftains were visiting Limasaua and had their
residences one at Butúan and one at Cagayan on the island of Mindanao.
On the island of Limasaua the natives had dogs, cats, hogs, goats, and fowls. They
were cultivating rice, maize, breadfruit, and had also cocoanuts, oranges, bananas,
citron, and ginger. Pigafetta tells how he visited one of the chieftains at his home on
the shore. The house was built raised on posts and thatched. Pigafetta thought it
looked "like a haystack".
It had been the day of San Lazarus when the Spaniards first reached these islands, so
that Magellan gave to the group the name of the Archipelago of Saint Lazarus, the
name under which the Philippines were frequently described in the early writings,
although another title, Islas del Poniente or Islands of the West, was more common up
to the time when the title Filipinas became fixed.
Magellan’s people were getting desperately in need of food, and the population on
Limasaua had very inadequate supplies; consequently the natives directed him to the
island of Cebu, and provided him with guides.
Leaving Limasaua the fleet sailed for Cebu, passing several large islands, among them
Bohol, and reaching Cebu harbor on Sunday, April 7. A junk from Siam was anchored
at Cebu when Magellan’s ships arrived there; and this, together with the knowledge
that the Filipinos showed of the surrounding countries, including China on the one
side and the Moluccas on the other, is evidence of the extensive trade relations at the
time of the discovery.
Cebu was a large town and it was reported that more than two thousand warriors
with their lances appeared to resist the landing of the Spaniards, but assurances of
friendliness finally won the Cebuanos, and Magellan formed a compact with the Datu
of Cebu, whose name was Hamalbar, identified in Philippine history today as Rajah
Humabon.

THE FIRST KINGDOM IN MINDANAO

"During the pre-colonial period there was no Filipino nation but only scattered tribes
of natives, but there existed a strong political organization with well - ordered
hierarchy and a cohesive social system." - Dr. Zonia Zaide (The First Kingdom in
Mindanao)
Recorded Monarchs:
1. Rajah Kiling known event the Embassy of I-shu-han (李竾罕) c.989 AD 1009 AD
2. Sri Bata Shaja known event Mission by Likanhsieh (李于燮) c.1011 AD ?
3. Rajah Siagu known event the Annexation by Ferdinand Magellan ? 1521 AD
4. Rajah Silongan known event led a revolt against the Spanish colonizers
The ancient Kingdom of Butuan and Surigao was the first kingdom in Mindanao. It was
known as the Rajahnate of Kalagan or in their language "Ginghariaan nan Kalagan". It
was the richest kingdom in the pre-colonila Philippines. It was feared by the Muslim
Kingdom of Selurong (now Manila). The kingdom established before the coming of the
Spaniards. This ancient Indianized kingdom centered on the present island city of
Butuan was known for its mining of gold. The kingdom’s gold products were traded to
Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Persia and Thailand. The Kalagans practices two
religions -- Hinduism and Buddhism.
The word Kalagan means land of brave or fierce people. The Italian adventurer,
Francisco Careri, who published a book of travels in the country, cited Fr. Francisco
Combes, SJ, as a source in saying that Kalagan is derived from two Bisayan words,
namely: Kalag or Calag, which means soul or people and An (for land). This description
is not without reliable basis in history. Fr. Pablo Pastella, a noted missionary
chronicler, described Kalaganons as fearsome.
(Note: The King of Jolo was brother of the Butuan King. The former left Butuan when
his brother yielded to the Spanish invaders. He forged an alliance with Muslim friends
in Southern Mindanao and attacked the Catholics in Butuan; but the Butuans faithfully
defended their Spanish guests with their lives.
The two brothers realizing that they were hurting each other because of the foreigners
were discouraged, and other Butuans went away to the interior to avoid sad
encounters. Later, Rajah Silongan (the Catholic convert) seeing so much injustice and
exploitation done by the Spanish Friars to his land and people, repented and led a
revolt against the colonizers, but the latter, having consolidated their power in Cebu
ultimately prevailed and Butuan fell to the hands of strange Gods.)
On April 14, 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan serving the Spanish
royalty erected a wooden cross on the shores of Cebu, where the Filipinos could see it.
Magellan, who was warmly received by the chieftain of Cebu, Rajah Humabon, and his
wife Queen Juana, persuaded them to form an alliance with Spain, leave their pagan
ways and be baptized as Christians.
Rajah Humabon was the first indigenous king of the Philippines to be converted to
Christianity, after he, his wives and the people of Cebu were baptized by Magellan's
priest.
Humabon was named Carlos in honor of King Carlos I of Spain, while his principal
wife Hara Amihan was named Juana, after the king's mother. He also made a blood
compact with Magellan, as a sign of friendship.
Notedly, the cross that Magellan planted signifies the establishment of Christianity in
the Philippines.