On April 27, 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led a force of 50 Spanish conquistadors and several hundred native Filipinos in a battle against Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan, a small island in the Philippines. The Battle of Mactan is significant because it marked the first direct conflict between European explorers and the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. The battle resulted in the death of Magellan and is often seen as a turning point in the Spanish conquest of the Philippines.