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The Spanish Era covers a period of about three centuries. It is the longest
period by which the Philippines was colonized by any foreign country. The first
Spanish expedition to the country was made by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.
1521
Ferdinand Magellan (Spanish name:Fernando de Magallanes), a Portuguese
explorer in the service of the Kingdom of Spain, led a Spanish expedition to
circumnavigate the world in search for the "spice islands." They started their
voyage on September 20, 1519 with a fleet of five wooden ships, a crew of 241
men, and supplies for two years.
The ships were named the Trinidad, San Antonio, Conception, Victoria, and
Santiago. Only three ships survived the weather and a mutiny. One of the ships,
the San Antonio, secretly deserted and returned to Spain. What remained of
Magellan's fleet arrived at Homonhon island, southeast of Samar, on March 16,
1521. He named his discovery the Archipelago of San Lazaro, planted a cross,
and claimed the lands for Spain. Later the archipelago was named Philippines
in honor of King Philip of Spain.
The first Catholic mass was celebrated in the island of Limasawa, located in
southern Leyte, on March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday. It was officiated by
Spanish Friar Pedro Valderama. Among those in attendance were Rajah Siagu
and Rajah Kolambu who forged a blood compact with Ferdinand Magellan just
two days earlier.
Pedro Valderama baptised Rajah Kolambu, Rajah Humabon, and some four
hundred natives into Christianity on April 14, 1521. It was held somewhere in
Cebu where Magellan erected a huge cross. It was the start of the conversion
of many Filipino into Roman Catholicism.
Ferdinand Magellan was killed in an offshore battle with the natives of Mactan
Island headed by its local chieftain Lapu-lapu on April 27, 1521. He was killed
by poisoned arrows in what is referred to as the historic Batttle of Mactan.
The death of Ferdinand Magellan forced the Spaniards to leave the country and
return to Spain. The ships Trinidad and Victoria set sail from Cebu but only the
Trinidad led by its captain Sebastian del Cano with a crew of 18 Europeans
and four Malays managed to arrive in Seville, Spain on September 8,1522 to
complete the circumnavigation of the world. The ship brought back spices to
pay for the expenses of the expedition.
Ferdinand Magellan's expedition sparked Spain's interest on the islands which
alarmed the Portuguese because of their declining world power and influence.
He was widely credited for discovering the Philippines for the Europeans, half a
world away. Four more Spanish expeditions followed between 1525 and 1542.
The fourth set sail under the leadership of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos.
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