• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

BATTLE OF MACTAN (MACTAN BATTLEFIELD)

December 8, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Cebu City, Philippines (1521 AD)

The Battle of Mactan was the first great battle of the colonial era in the Pacifc.  Taking place barely three decades after Columbus discovered America, it was also one of the very few times in which the native forces successfully drove of the European invaders.  The battle made the Philippine leader Lapu-Lapu a national hero.  In addition to being a rare defeat for the Europeans during the 16th century, the Battle of Mactan was also famous as the engagement in which Ferdinand Magellan, the famous Spanish explorer and naval commander, was killed.

History

In March 1521, Ferdinand Magellan was two years into his historic voyage around the world when he arrived in the Philippines.  No European ships had yet been to the Philippines, as the Portuguese, who were making their way over from India had as yet only reached Indonesia, China and Japan.  Magellan made first contact several of the local chieftains, and quickly got busy setting the groundwork for setting up a new Spanish colony.

In Cebu, the local rulers were baptized, and other chieftains followed suit.  However, one of the local chieftains, Datu Lapu-Lapu, was wary of the Europeans, and not so quick to embrace either Roman Catholicism or Spanish authority.  Despite warnings and threats of violence from Magellan, Lapu-Lapu refused to give in to the foreigners.

On April 27, Magellan led a force of 49 heavily armed and armored men in an invasion of Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu had rallied his supporters.  Because of the difficult topography of the waters, the Spanish could not bring in their ship, or more importantly their cannon, within range of the defenders.  Instead they chose to fight with muskets and hand-to-hand arms.  What they were not prepared for was the force of well over a thousand natives hell bent on driving them back into the sea.

The battle was ferocious.  Because of their superior arms, the Spanish killed many natives.  In the end they were simply overwhelmed by numbers.  Amazingly, most of the Spanish fled and survived.  However, Magellan himself was killed, and his body kept as a trophy.  In the end the victory was a brief one, and the Spanish returned in force by the mid-16th century.  Interestingly, both Ferdinand Magellan and Datu Lapu-Lapu are now honored as national heroes in the Philippines.

Visiting

Mactan Island, where the namesake battle took place, is almost completely overbuilt now and the battle site largely obscured.  However, there are numerous monuments of the battle on the island, most notably the Lapu-Lapu shrine.  This large monument marks the spot where the native army repulsed the Spanish invasion, and features an impressive statue of the leader of the revolt.  Also marked is the spot where Ferdinand Magellan fell in the battle.

The Mactan Battlefield is located on Mactan Island, now a part of Cebu City, approximatlely three hundred miles south of Manilla.  The shrine and monument are open sites.  There is no cost of admission for either.  Web: www.cebucitytourism.com (official tourism website of Cebu City).

Filed Under: Battlefield Tagged With: Southeast Asia

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.