One of the most enduring and perhaps, heated debates in Philippine history is ascertaining the site of the first Catholic Mass in the Philippines, and 2021 marks 500 years since this historical event for Catholic Filipinos. Using our knowledge of history and historiography, let us look at the two traditions claiming to be the sites of the first Mass—Butuan and Limasawa—and try to see what’s the deal with this historical problem.

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