ON this day, 500 years ago, Rajah Humabon, the ruler of Cebu, allowed the planting of a Christian cross in Cebu. This was to consecrate the gravesite of one of Magellan's men, apparently stricken by scurvy. Humabon witnessed a Christian funeral ceremony, intentionally made pompous by the Spaniards to get his attention.
Scurvy was contracted by a number of Magellan's men because of vitamin C deprivation. It is fatal as it causes blood infection. If not of the compassion shown by our ancestors--first in Homonhon, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, then in Limasawa, and then later in Cebu--Magellan and his men could have died or weakened of starvation, dehydration, fatigue, and lack of nutrients from almost four months of traversing the Pacific with no decent food and water. "In a time of warring empires and transoceanic voyages, sailors dreaded scurvy more than any other disease," said Science journalist Catherine Price in her article "The Age of Scurvy" (2017) on Science History Institute. Access her article here: [https://bit.ly/3fxwjET].
In the evening, another man died. He was buried at the same site consecrated earlier. After which, Magellan's men unloaded merchandise and traded these wholesale to Humabon. "Those people live in accordance with justice, and have weights and measures, said Antonio Pigafetta," chronicler of the expedition. Pigafetta also took the opportunity to observe everything he could in Cebu--from musical instruments, houses, down to the decorative seashell chamber called laghan (Nautilus pompilius).
A detail from the "Planting of the Cross" (1965) by National Artist Vicente S. Manansala, property of the National Museum of the Philippines. Photographed by Ryan Tan.
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Seeing this post? Curious what this is about? This 2021, we will commemorate the Philippine part in the achievement of science and humankind in circumnavigating the planet for the first time. Central in this commemoration is the 500th anniversary of the Victory at Mactan on 27 April 2021. These and more are collectively known as the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines by virtue of Executive Order No. 103 (2020). Know more about the event here:
About us
[https://nqc.gov.ph/en/about]
Watch our promotional video
[https://youtu.be/ptgU1ZUgFZc]
Listen to Quincentennial Soundtrack
[https://spoti.fi/3nxWXPa]
Watch our lectures [https://portal.nqc.gov.ph/]
Quincentennial activities and materials here [https://bit.ly/3dHrnKF]
#VictoryAndHumanity
#Ph500
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