According to the documents of Italian historian Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan deployed forty-nine armored men with swords, axes, shields, crossbows and guns, and sailed for Mactan in the morning of April 28. Filipino historians note that because of the rocky outcroppings, and corals near the beach, the Spaniards could not land on Mactan. Forced to anchor their ships far from shore, Magellan could not bring his ships' firepower to bear on Datu Lapu-Lapu's warriors, who numbered more than 1,500.
"When morning came, forty-nine of us leaped into the water up to our thighs, and walked through water for more than two cross-bow flights before we could reach the shore. The boats could not approach nearer because of certain rocks in the water. The other eleven men remained behind to guard the boats. When we reached land, [the natives] had formed in three divisions to the number of more than one thousand five hundred persons. When they saw us, they charged down upon us with exceeding loud cries... The musketeers and crossbow-men shot from a distance for about a half-hour, but uselessly..."
Magellan then tried to scare them off by burning some houses in what is now the Barangay of Buaya, known then as Bulaia.
"Seeing that, the captain-general sent some men to burn their houses in order to terrify them. When they saw their houses burning, they were roused to greater fury. Two of our men were killed near the houses, while we burned twenty or thirty houses. So many of them charged down upon us that they shot the captain through the right leg with a poisoned arrow. On that account, he ordered us to retire slowly, but the men took to flight, except six or eight of us who remained with the captain. The natives shot only at our legs, for the latter were bare; and so many were the spears and stones that they hurled at us, that we could offer no resistance. The mortars in the boats could not aid us as they were too far away."
Many of the warriors attacked Magellan; he was wounded in the arm with a spear and in the leg by a kampilan. With this advantage, the people of Mactan finally overpowered, and killed him. He was stabbed, and hacked by spears and swords. Pigafetta and the others managed to escape,
Recognizing the captain, so many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off his head twice... An Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face, but the latter immediately killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian's body. Then, trying to lay hand on sword, he could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. When they wounded him, he turned back many times to see whether we were all in the boats. Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best we could, to the boats, which were already pulling off...
According to Pigafetta, several of Magellan’s men were killed in battle, and a number of converted Christian Indians who had come to their aid, were killed by warriors, and soldiers. There are no official records of the number of casualties in the battle.
Magellan's allie, Rajah Humabon, and Datu Zula were said not to have taken part in the battle due to Magellan's bidding, and watched from a distance. Some of the Spaniards who survived the battle returned to Cebu, and while attending a feast given by Rajah Humabon, were poisoned. The natives acted this way due to the actions of some indigenous women being raped by the Spaniards. Magellan’s body, however, was never recovered from the natives. Pigafetta reports that the Christian king sent a message saying that if they return the bodies of Magellan and his crew, they would give as much merchandise as they wished. However, they refused saying that they would not return the body in exchange for all the riches in the world for they intended to keep him as a memorial.
Magellan was succeeded by Juan Sebastián Elcano as commander of the expedition. Elcano and his fleet sailed west and returned to Spain in 1522, completing the first circumnavigation of the world.
"When morning came, forty-nine of us leaped into the water up to our thighs, and walked through water for more than two cross-bow flights before we could reach the shore. The boats could not approach nearer because of certain rocks in the water. The other eleven men remained behind to guard the boats. When we reached land, [the natives] had formed in three divisions to the number of more than one thousand five hundred persons. When they saw us, they charged down upon us with exceeding loud cries... The musketeers and crossbow-men shot from a distance for about a half-hour, but uselessly..."
Magellan then tried to scare them off by burning some houses in what is now the Barangay of Buaya, known then as Bulaia.
"Seeing that, the captain-general sent some men to burn their houses in order to terrify them. When they saw their houses burning, they were roused to greater fury. Two of our men were killed near the houses, while we burned twenty or thirty houses. So many of them charged down upon us that they shot the captain through the right leg with a poisoned arrow. On that account, he ordered us to retire slowly, but the men took to flight, except six or eight of us who remained with the captain. The natives shot only at our legs, for the latter were bare; and so many were the spears and stones that they hurled at us, that we could offer no resistance. The mortars in the boats could not aid us as they were too far away."
Many of the warriors attacked Magellan; he was wounded in the arm with a spear and in the leg by a kampilan. With this advantage, the people of Mactan finally overpowered, and killed him. He was stabbed, and hacked by spears and swords. Pigafetta and the others managed to escape,
Recognizing the captain, so many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off his head twice... An Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face, but the latter immediately killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian's body. Then, trying to lay hand on sword, he could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. When they wounded him, he turned back many times to see whether we were all in the boats. Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best we could, to the boats, which were already pulling off...
According to Pigafetta, several of Magellan’s men were killed in battle, and a number of converted Christian Indians who had come to their aid, were killed by warriors, and soldiers. There are no official records of the number of casualties in the battle.
Magellan's allie, Rajah Humabon, and Datu Zula were said not to have taken part in the battle due to Magellan's bidding, and watched from a distance. Some of the Spaniards who survived the battle returned to Cebu, and while attending a feast given by Rajah Humabon, were poisoned. The natives acted this way due to the actions of some indigenous women being raped by the Spaniards. Magellan’s body, however, was never recovered from the natives. Pigafetta reports that the Christian king sent a message saying that if they return the bodies of Magellan and his crew, they would give as much merchandise as they wished. However, they refused saying that they would not return the body in exchange for all the riches in the world for they intended to keep him as a memorial.
Magellan was succeeded by Juan Sebastián Elcano as commander of the expedition. Elcano and his fleet sailed west and returned to Spain in 1522, completing the first circumnavigation of the world.
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