Information about Mactan Shrine

Mactan Shrine

The Mactan Shrine serves as a site of one of the defining moments in the Philippines' history -
the Battle of Mactan. Located in Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Shrine is a must-see
for everyone interested in history.
The shrine commemorates the battle between the Spanish and the Visayan native people in
April 27, 1521. It was erected on the supposed spot where the battle between Chief or Datu of
Mactan Lapu-Lapu and Portuguese explorer General Ferdinand Magellan took place. The
historical place was then preserved and houses a shrine dedicated in honor of Lapu-Lapu,
Ferdinand Magellan, and the Battle of Mactan
History
In 1519, General Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator headed a Spanish fleet in the
name of Spain during King Charles I to find a western sea route to Asia and get some spices.
They landed in Cebu Island on 1521, where they started Christianity and persuaded some
chiefs to pledge their allegiance to the King of Spain.
However, Lapu-Lapu was the native chieftain of Mactan Island, and he resisted the early
Spanish colonists in their attempts to subdue his people and to be converted to Christianity and
to be subjected to the throne of Spain. The subsequent battle between the Spaniards and Lapu-
Lapu with his men took place on April 27, 1521 at the spot of the famous Mactan Shrine. The
battle resulted to the death of Magellan.
History records that Lapu Lapu was the first Philippine native to resist foreign invasion and
colonization. As such, he is regarded as the first national hero of the Philippines
Feature
At the seashore side, the 20-meter bronze statue of Lapu-Lapu stands proudly in honor of his
bravery and nationalism. Known as the first Philippine national hero to fight for colonization, the
statue is sculpted with Lapu-Lapu holding a kampilan sword and a shield on the other. It
celebrates the braveness and nationalism of the Cebuanos and Filipinos to confront aggressors.
Just meters away from the Lapu-Lapu Shrine is the Magellan Monument built in 1866. The 30
meter high memorial tower, which is an obelisk with a sphere on its apex, honors the
Portuguese explorer who brought Christianity to the Philippines and commanded the first ever
circumnavigation of the Earth.
You will also find a panoramic painting that displays the Battle of Mactan and the Magellan
Marker, a bug stone plaque erected in 1941.
Festival

The “Kadaguan sa Mactan” or Victory at Mactan is celebrated every April 27 at the Mactan
Shrine to commemorates the Battle of Mactan. The festival includes a recreation of the battle.