THE STORY OF LAPU-LAPU AS TOLD BY PIGAFETTA

 

According to the accounts of Italian historian Antonio Pigafetta, Ferdinand Magellan attempted to negotiate with Lapu-Lapu to honor Rajah Humabon's authority on the night preceding the battle.

Antonio Pigafetta, a survivor of Magellan's expedition, noted, "I believe that never again will such a voyage be attempted."

"In the early hours before dawn, sixty of us, accompanied by King Humabon, his son, prominent figures, and twenty to thirty balangay boats, armed with corselets and helmets, arrived at Mactan. Magellan initially sought peaceful compliance from the natives, conveying that recognizing Spanish sovereignty under King Charles and paying tribute would secure friendship. However, Lapu-Lapu's warriors, positioned advantageously with concealed pitfalls and armed with bamboo spears and hardened stakes, were defiant."

Pigafetta describes how Magellan, with forty-nine armored men armed with swords, axes, shields, crossbows, and guns, attempted to land on Mactan on the morning of April 28. Some native warriors, converted to Christianity, joined their ranks. Due to the shallow reefs, Magellan's ships could not approach closely, rendering their cannons ineffective against Lapu-Lapu's force of over 1,500 warriors.

"When daylight came, forty-nine of us waded through water for more than two crossbow flights to reach the shore, hindered by rocks. The musketeers and crossbowmen engaged for half an hour, but their weapons fell short..."

Magellan's men attempted to intimidate the natives by burning houses in Bulaia, but the response was a relentless barrage of arrows, which their armor deflected.

"Observing this, Magellan ordered the burning of their dwellings to instill fear. Instead, this incited greater fury. Many of our men fell as we burned twenty to thirty houses. The captain himself was wounded in the leg by a poisoned arrow, compelling a frontal assault. Despite valiant efforts, most fled, leaving only a handful by Magellan's side."

In the ensuing chaos, Magellan was targeted by native warriors and succumbed to fatal wounds, despite his efforts to defend himself with lance and sword. Pigafetta and a few others managed to escape the onslaught.

Pigafetta reported several Spaniards perished in battle, including native converts to Catholicism who had allied with them. Rajah Humabon and Zula, abstaining from battle by Magellan's directive, watched from a distance.

Upon recovering Magellan's body, Humabon requested its return along with those of slain crew members, offering abundant goods in return, an offer Lapu-Lapu adamantly refused. Some survivors returning to Cebu later perished after allegedly being poisoned during a feast hosted by Humabon.

Juan Sebastián Elcano succeeded Magellan in command, ordering the fleet's immediate departure after the betrayal by Humabon. Elcano's expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1522 upon their return to Spain.

Legends of Lapu-Lapu

According to native lore, Lapu-Lapu did not perish but transformed into stone, guarding Mactan's seas. Fishermen honor this legend by tossing coins at a stone shaped like a man for permission to fish in his domain.

Another myth recounts the statue of Lapu-Lapu in Lapu-Lapu City, originally depicted with a crossbow aimed at an enemy, leading to superstitions after the successive deaths of three mayors. There was a proposal to replace the crossbow with a sword.

Another tale suggests Lapu-Lapu relocated to a mountain following the battle.