Magellan's Cross. More than 500 years ago, Magellan sailed into the harbor of Cebu and eventually lost his life in the Battle of Mactan. Lapu-Lapu and his equally courageous warriors were not pleased to see these guests and attacked them in no time. Cebuano warriors outwitted the conquerors, and the sword duel ended Magellan's life. Although he lost his life and chance to circumnavigate the world, what Magellan brought to our shores has surpassed any event that succeeds, for better or worse. We don't have any defined shared culture like our Asian neighbors except for our Muslim brothers in the south. The Spanish conquest redefined almost everything about being Asian in our people, except the color of our skin.
Symbolically, the start of Catholicism. When Magellan set foot in Cebu and met Raja Humabon, they accepted Christianity. Thus, they were baptized together with the hundreds of their warriors. To mark the value of the baptism, Magellan planted a cross—The Magellan's Cross. There are a lot of pass-down stories about the cross. Some believed that the cross had miraculous healing power, and people started chipping it away to have a piece for thierselves. While there are claims that the original cross is long gone, and what was displayed is a replica, a plague beneath the Magellan's cross at its shrine says it isn't and what is there has the original cross but encased in Tigdalo wood for protection. Magellan's cross represents heritage and how our people and society have changed since then.
