Module 2 Vocabulary Flashcards: Primary/Secondary Sources and First Mass/First Cry Debates
Lesson 1: The First Mass
Context: Aims of Spanish arrival included propagating Christianity; erected a wooden cross, converted indigenous populations, conducted masses.
Primary source reference: Pigafetta’s accounts claim the first mass occurred on Easter Sunday, 31\ March\ 1521.
Location debate: Pigafetta’s account vs Albo’s logbook (Magellan’s companion) mention Mazaua vs Mazava; no explicit mention of Limasawa as the first mass in the sources.
Names and sites involved:
Mazaua (as per Magellan’s accounts)
Mazava (as per Albo’s logbook)
Limasawa (controversial in scholarly debate)
Scholarly contention:
Some scholars favor Limasawa as the site.
Others support Masao, Butuan tradition.
Contested dimensions:
Interpretations of Pigafetta’s accounts.
Voyage geography/route interpretations.
Legislative and celebratory factors surrounding the event.
Lesson 2: The Philippine Revolution — First Cry of the Philippine Revolution
Figure reference: Guillermo Masangkay (Fig. 3) — Masangkay accounts published in Torres, 2018.
Masangkay’s account (1932): He recounts being part of the Katipunan and present at the August 26, 1896 Balintawak gathering at Apolonio Samson’s house (Caloocan).
Key participants (Masangkay account): Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Aguedo del Rosario, Tomas Remigio, Briccio Pantas, Teodoro Plata, Pio Valenzuela, Enrique Pacheco, Francisco Carreon, and delegates from Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Cavite, Morong (now Rizal).
Meeting details (Masangkay account):
Time: about 9:00 AM on August 26, meeting opened with Bonifacio presiding; Jacinto served as Secretary.
Debates over uprising timing: Plata, Pantas, Valenzuela argued against early revolt due to lack of arms/food and Rizal’s argument about the wealthy not siding with the Katipunan.
Bonifacio’s response: left the hall, addressed outside crowd, urged revolt by fiery speech emphasizing that delayed uprising would still be crushed and the organization had been discovered;
Cedula pledge: people were asked to tear their cedulas as a sign of severance from Spanish rule; crowd tore cedulas and shouted “Long Live the Philippines Republic.”
Outcome: with cedula pledge, the board voted to start the uprising; the people outside proclaimed revolt.
Santiago Alvarez account (Candelaria, Alporha & Kunting, 2021) — details of Masangkay’s narrative and the sequence of events following the pledge.
Masangkay chronology and movements:
Night of August 21–22: trek to Kangkong, then Bahay Toro due to crowding and security concerns; Melchora Aquino’s Granary (Cabesang Melchora) provided food and shelter.
August 23–24: gatherings at Bahay Toro and Melchora’s barn with leaders including Bonifacio, Jacinto, Valenzuela, Teodoro Plata, and others.
Decisions at the meeting: (1) uprising to defend freedom to start at midnight, Saturday, August 29, 1896; (2) be on alert for opportunity to strike earlier if favorable; (3) objective to capture Manila.
Teodoro Agoncillo’s Narrative (1956): A prominent historian’s view on the Cry of Balintawak vs Cry of Pugad Lawin
Agoncillo’s summary: Katipunan leaders assembled on Aug 24 at Balintawak after discovery; Bonifacio and others evaded Spanish sentries and moved to Balintawan/Bahay Toro; around Aug 22, 500 rebels left Balintawak for Kangkong; on Aug 23–24 they moved toward Pugadlawin and Balint Lawin; the famous cedula-tearing event occurred at Juan A. Ramos’s yard (Melchora Aquino’s son).
The event popularly called the Cry of Balintawak occurred, though Agoncillo notes it happened at Pugadlawin; the naming is a matter of historical labeling.
Important Dates and Events (for quick reference)
First Mass date claimed: 31\ March\ 1521 (Easter Sunday) per Pigafetta.
Debated sites: Mazaua (Pigafetta), Mazava (Albo’s logbook), Limasawa (scholarly debate).
Balintawak gathering (First Cry of the Philippine Revolution): 26\ August\ 1896 (Masangkay account) with events proceeding toward Balintawan / Bahay Toro and Kangkong.
Pugadlawin / Cry events: late August 1896 with the famous cedula-tearing episode at some site near Balintin-lawin; commonly linked to Aug 23–24 in the Agoncillo narrative and to the overall sequence culminating in the uprising.
Upward timeline notes from Masangkay and Alvarez accounts include dates: 23\ August\ 1896, 24\ August\ 1896, and the plan for midnight of 29\ August\ 1896 for the uprising.
Notable figures: Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Teodoro Plata, Pio Valenzuela, Aguedo del Rosario, Briccio Pantas, Francisco Carreon, Melchora Aquino (Cabesang Melchora), Apolonio Samson.
Formulas, Numbers, and Key Symbols Used
Dates and durations (formatted in LaTeX where numbers appear):
First Mass: 31\ \text{March}\ 1521
Aug 26, 1896: 26\ August\ 1896
Aug 23–24, 1896 events; plan for uprising at midnight of 29\ August\ 1896
Timings reported: “nine o’clock in the morning”; “at about eleven that night”; “nearly two in the morning”
Crowd sizes: >500 Katipuneros; “three hundred”, etc. (as described in the accounts)
The numbers are kept in plain text where appropriate, with LaTeX used for exact dates and quantities as shown above.
Quick Reference: Key Figures and Accounts
Guillermo Masangkay (1932 account) — Aug 26 Balintawak; details of attendees and debate about timing; Cedula pledge; push toward uprising.
Santiago Alvarez (Candelaria, Alporha & Kunting, 2021) — corroborates Masangkay narrative with additional details about the trek and meetings.
Teodoro Agoncillo (1956) — argues the Cry occurred at Pugad Lawin (Aug 23, 1896 in his narrative) and discusses the sequence of movements Sept 1896; notes the naming issue of “Cry of Balintawak” vs “Cry of Pugadlawin.”
Melchora Aquino (Cabesang Melchora) — hosted Katipuneros at her granary; central to the Bahay Toro gathering venue.