Battle of Mactan

The death of Magellan

The Battle of Mactan, is significant in that it represents a significant challenge to the Spanish colonization and evangelism in The Phillipines. It was not just a revolt against Spanish colonialism, it was also agains the evangelism, conversions to Christianity that slowly destroyed the native culture of the Phillipines.

The backdrop to the Battle of Macatan was on March 16, 1521 when Magellan landed on the Homonhon Island in the Eastern Samar province of Phillipines. He met the Rajah of Kolambu and Siagu who guided him to the Rajah of Cebu, Humabon. Not much is known about the Rajah of Cebu, but it's believed their ancestors belonged to one of the Chola branches, who had settled in South East Asia. They usually followed a religion that was a mix of animism and native practices. The trigger to the conflict was Magellan converting the Rajah of Cebu Humabon, along with his Queen and entire family into Christianity. In fact the Rajah is considered the first native Fillipino who converted to Christianity.

It was not just conversion, Magellan changed the Rajah's name to Carlos, the queen as Juana, they were given an image of the Santo Nino, the infant Jesus, and the first ever Christian mass was held in the island. Magellan did not just stop at that, he issued orders to all the island chiefs to convert, and also supply the Spanish ships with food. While all the chiefs complied with the order, one of the chiefs on Mactan island, Datu Lapu-Lapu, refused to accept it, nor be converted . In effect Lapu, refused to obey the King of Spain, while most other chiefs did.

Going back in time, the Rajahs of Cebu was founded by a certain Sri Lumay, a prince from the Hindu Chola dynasty of Sumatra, he devloped Cebu as a major trading center then. Lapu's origin was in Borneo, and he settled at Manduae now in Phillipines. While Humabon was the one who granted refuge to Lapu, the relationship between them deteriorated later, and soon a deadly rivalry formed, which Magellan hoped to exploit for his own purposes.

When Humabon converted , he along with Datu Zula convinced Magellan to go to Mactan, and subdue Lapu-Lapu. For Magellan it seemed the right opportunity to strengthen his influence in the islands. On the midnight of April 27, 1521 Magellan and his men attacked the island of Mactan, with swords, axes, crossbows and guns, they were also aided by many of the natives who had converted . However the ships cud not land on the island due to the rocky coral reefs.

With their ships anchored off the coast, Magellan and his men were forced to wade offshore, and this worked to the advantage of Lapu and the Macatan islanders. The musketeers were too far back, and the islanders rained a shower of arrows and spears on the Spanish. Though Magellan ordered his men to fire using guns and crossbows, but they ran out of ammunition soon, and had to fight using swords and axes. The Spaniards were soon surrounded by Lapu and the native islanders, who specifically targetted Magellan.He was soon surrounded by Lapu and the native islanders, and the end was nigh near, and was killed by the natives in action. And it was not just him, even those native islanders who converted to Xtianity were killed too.

Lapu- Lapu is to date regarded as the first Phillipine national hero to resist foreign rule. In a country, that is hard core Catholic, their biggest hero was a man who rejected Christianity, and fought against it, quite an irony that one. He appears on the seal of it's national police and a 1-centavo coin.