The book “Glimpses in History of Early Cebu” published in 1980 written by Professor Lina Quimat, former president of the Cebu Historical Society, provides a picture of the royals of early Cebu.
Decades before the arrival of Fernando Magallanes (Ferdinand Magellan), the Mactan we know now was then called Mat-an (meaning “with eyes”). It was said the people of the island were shrewd and vigilant as if they had eyes all over, this was the reputation of the island people known all over the Bisayan Islands.
Mat-an is spelled in different ways by the Spaniards; Matan, Mattan, and Mauthan.
The ruler of the island was Hari Mangal and his wife, Rani/Hara Bauga. They had two sons, Lapulapu and Malingin. The knights of Hari Mangal were Bali-alho, Sugpo-baha, and Bugto-pasan.
An islet near Mat-an Island was named Olanggoh (now called Santa Rosa), ruled by Cusgan and a daughter with the name Bulacna (soon to be the love interest of Lapulapu). There was also Zola, the chieftain of another tip of the island of Mat-an.
Lapulapu and Bulacna had three children, Cimangtas, Savilic, and Catahuman. The book says that Lapulapu died at the age of 80 in the Island of Mat-an, a year before Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived. Since Legaspi arrived in 1565 and Lapulapu died in 1564, that makes his birth year 1484.
Humabon was the King of Mainland Cebu and a cousin of Lapulapu. The wife of Humabon (he was also called Hamabar) was Humamai who was later baptized as Juana. Humabon (Humabon is derived from the word “humab-on” meaning fond of ambush) had a son by the name of Garra, who succeeded him and later called as Hari Garra. Hari Garra had three children, two sons Tupas and Magguio (he was called by Legaspi as Simaguio) and a daughter by the name of Batungay. It was Tupas who was the King of Cebu (called as the Kingdom of Banawa) when Legaspi arrived in 1565.
The “Battle of Mat-an” which started on April 27, 1521 continued until the evening of April 30, 1521. It was Rajah Humabon who set up the sumptuous banquet with poisoned food for the remaining soldiers of the fallen Magellan. The survivors arrived in the port of Cebu on May 1, 1521. It was said that of the Spaniards who retreated from Mat-an and took part in the banquet only 18 were left to go back to Spain. That is why they burned their two ships and it was only the ship “Victoria” that arrived in Spain on October 18, 1522.