Magellan Shrine

Butuanons believe that their city is where Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan proclaimed Spanish sovereignty over the Philippines in 1521. 

The 1872 Magellan marker, which claimed that the first Mass was held in Butuan on April 8, 1521, was erected by the Spanish governor José Maria Carvallo. A monument containing the marker can be seen by the bank of the Agusan River, at Butuan’s former poblacion known today as the town of Magallanes after the Spanish conquistador.