Old Butuan , housed and displayed at the
National Museum of the Philippines. displayed in the city. Butuan, during the pre-colonial times, was a precolonial city-state ruled by a rajah, an
Indianized kingdom known for its
metallurgic industry and sophisticated naval technology. Butuan flourished at the 10th and 11th centuries CE, and had an extensive trade network with the
Champa civilization and the
Srivijaya Empire. By 1001, Butuan had established contact with the
Song dynasty of
China. The
History of Song recorded the appearance of a Butuan mission at the
Chinese imperial court, and the rajahnate was described as a small
Hindu country with a
Buddhist monarchy, which had a regular trade connection with
Champa. The mission, under a king named "Kiling", asked for equal status in court protocol with the Champa envoy, but ultimately was denied by the imperial court. However, under the reign of Sri Bata Shaja, the diplomatic equality was eventually granted to the kingdom, and as a result the diplomatic relations of the two nations reached its peak in the
Yuan dynasty. Evidence of these trading links is in the discovery of 11
balangay boats around Ambangan in
Barangay Libertad, which was described as the only concentration of archaeological, ancient, ocean-going boats in
Southeast Asia. More evidence of the post was the discovery of a village in Libertad that specialized in gold, as well as the discovery of deformed skulls similar to reports in
Sulawesi. Other assorted artifacts have also found by locals and
treasure hunters.
Colonial period On March 31, 1521, an
Easter Sunday,
Ferdinand Magellan ordered a
mass to be celebrated. This was officiated by Friar Pedro Valderrama, the
Andalusian chaplain of the fleet, the only priest then. Another priest, the French Bernard Calmette (Bernardo Calmeta) had been
marooned at
Patagonia with Juan de Cartagena for being implicated in the mutiny at
Puerto San Julián. Conducted near the shores of the island, the
Holy First Mass marked the birth of
Christianity in the Philippines.
Rajah Colambu and Siagu were said to be among the first natives of the soon-to-be
Spanish colony to attend the mass among other Mazaua inhabitants, together with visitors from Butuan who came with the entourage of Siagu, king of Butuan. Controversy has been generated regarding the holding of the first mass—whether it was held in
Limasawa,
Leyte or in Masao, Butuan, in the hidden isle made up of
barangays Pinamanculan and Bancasi inside Butuan—in the latest discovered site in the small barangay of Barobo, situated near between
Agusan del Sur and
Surigao del Sur, or elsewhere. It is sure, however, that Ferdinand Magellan did not drop anchor by the mouth of
Agusan River in 1521 and hold mass to commemorate the event which was held at Mazaua, an island separate from Butuan which, in the geographical conception of Europeans who wrote about it, was a larger entity than what it is now.
Antonio Pigafetta who wrote an eyewitness account of
Magellan's voyage described in text and in map a Butuan that stretched from today's
Surigao up to the top edge of
Zamboanga del Norte. Upon contact, Butuan was then incorporated by the Spanish into the
Caraga Region. In 1635, Caraga was fortified by 45 additional Spanish soldiers and household
heads from Mexico, in 1670 a further 81 soldiers, and in 1672 still another 81. By the end of the 1700s, Caraga had 3,497 native families, protected by a company of (100) Mexican soldiers. The first municipal election in Butuan took place in March 1902 in accordance with Public Law No. 82 which coincided with the American occupation of the place. During the
Japanese occupation of the Philippines in
World War II, the Japanese enslaved local girls, teenagers, and young adults into becoming "
comfort women", who they routinely gang-raped and murdered in "comfort stations" that they established in the city in 1942. More than half of Butuan, if not all of it, was burned when
local guerrilla forces attacked the enemy garrison on March 12, 1943, in the Battle of Butuan. On January 17, 1945, guerrillas attacked Japanese troops on the road between
Cabadbaran and Butuan to prevent the Japanese garrison at Butuan from being reinforced. When the guerrillas depleted their ammunition supply, they were forced to retreat. Later in 1945, the
Philippine Commonwealth troops in Butuan together with the recognized guerrillas attacked the Japanese forces during the Battle of Agusan. On October 20, 1948, still recovering from the war, the entire municipality was ruined by a fire.
Modern era By the late 1940s to the 1970s, Butuan's industry specialized in
timber, earning it the nickname "Timber City of the South". The plentiful trees of the area invited many investors and migrants from
Luzon and
Visayas to the city, and inspired then Congressman Marcos M. Calo to file a bill elevating Butuan for cityhood. On August 2, 1950, this was passed, converting Butuan into a
city. However, by the early 1980s, the logging industry of the city began to decline, although the city was still an economic haven for many investors. The city's main income by that time frame and until this day depended on small and medium business, and large-scale projects by investors. On February 7, 1995, the city was reclassified from a chartered city to a highly urbanized city. Sixteen days later, on February 23, the region of
Caraga was created by virtue of Republic Act 7901, with Butuan as its regional center, and the provincial capital of
Agusan del Norte. In 2000, Republic Act 8811 formally transferred the capital of Agusan del Norte from Butuan to
Cabadbaran; however most provincial offices are still located in the city. In 2021, Timber City Academy, a school in Butuan, was ravaged by a fire. In the summer of 2023, the Agusan Capitol was rocked by a bomb threat, which prevented the governor from entering the city due to threats of a
rebel presence, according to some reports. Later on December of that year, the city was ravaged by a 7.6 magnitude
earthquake, which damaged many parts of the city's buildings, such as
SM City Butuan, as well as schools and major bridges. ==Geography==