Philippine History

The history of the Philippines from 1521 to 1898, also known as the Spanish Colonial Era or
period of time, begins with the arrival in 1521 of European explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailing
for Spain, which heralded the period when the Philippines was a colony of the Spanish Empire, and
ends with the outbreak of the SpanishAmerican War in 1898, which marked the beginning of
the American Colonial Era of Philippine history.

Spanish expeditions and colonization

Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines on March 16, 1521. When European traders in search for a new
route to the Spice Islands, stumbled into the Philippines.

Although the archipelago may have been visited before by the Portuguese, the earliest documented
European expedition to the Philippines was that led by Ferdinand Magellan, in the service of the king
of Spain. The expedition first sighted the mountains of Samar at dawn on the 16th March 1521,
making landfall the following day at the small, uninhabited island of Homonhon at the mouth of
the Leyte Gulf.[1] On Easter Sunday, 31 March 1521, at Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte, as is
stated in Pigafetta's Primo Viaggio Intorno El Mondo (First Voyage Around the World), Magellan
solemnly planted a cross on the summit of a hill overlooking the sea and claimed for the king of
Spain possession of the islands he had seen, naming them Archipelago of Saint Lazarus.[2]
Magellan conquered and sought alliances among the natives beginning with Datu Zula, the chieftain
of Sugbu (now Cebu), and took special pride in converting them to Catholicism. Magellan's
expedition got involved in the political rivalries between the Cebuano natives and took part in a battle
against Lapu-lapu, chieftain of Mactan island and a mortal enemy of Datu Zula. At dawn on 27 April
1521, Magellan invaded Mactan Island with 60 armed men and 1,000 Cebuano warriors, but had
great difficulty landing his men on the rocky shore. Lapu-Lapu had an army of 1,500 on land.
Magellan waded ashore with his soldiers and attacked the Mactan defenders, ordering Datu Zula
and his warriors to remain aboard the ships and watch. Magellan seriously underestimated Lapu-
Lapu and his men, and grossly outnumbered, Magellan and 14 of his soldiers were killed. The rest
managed to reboard the ships. (See Battle of Mactan)
The battle left the expedition with too few crewmen to man three ships, so they abandoned the
"Concepcin". The remaining ships - "Trinidad" and "Victoria" sailed to the Spice Islands in
present-day Indonesia. From there, the expedition split into two groups. The Trinidad, commanded
by Gonzalo Gmez de Espinoza tried to sail eastward across the Pacific Ocean to the Isthmus of
Panama. Disease and shipwreck disrupted Espinoza's voyage and most of the crew died. Survivors
of the Trinidad returned to the Spice Islands, where the Portuguese imprisoned them.
The Victoria continued sailing westward, commanded by Juan Sebastin Elcano, and managed to
return to Sanlcar de Barrameda, Spain in 1522. In 1529, Charles I of Spain relinquished all claims
to the Spice Islands to Portugal in the treaty of Zaragoza. However, the treaty did not stop the
colonization of the Philippine archipelago from New Spain.[3]
After Magellan's voyage, subsequent expeditions were dispatched to the islands. Five expeditions
were sent: that of Loaisa (1525), Cabot (1526), Saavedra (1527), Villalobos (1542),
and Legazpi (1564).[4] The Legazpi expedition was the most successful as it resulted in the discovery
of the tornaviaje or return trip to Mexico across the Pacific by Andrs de Urdaneta.[5] This discovery
started the Manila galleon trade, which lasted two and a half centuries.
In 1543, Ruy Lpez de Villalobos named the islands of Leyte and Samar Las Islas
Filipinas after Philip II of Spain.[6] Philip II became King of Spain on January 16, 1556, when his
father, Charles I of Spain, abdicated the Spanish throne. Philip was in Brussels at the time and his
return to Spain was delayed until 1559 because of European politics and wars in northern Europe.
Shortly after his return to Spain, Philip ordered an expedition mounted to the Spice Islands, stating
that its purpose was "to discover the islands to the west". In reality its task was to conquer the
Philippines for Spain.[7]
On November 19 or 20, 1564 a Spanish expedition of a mere 500 men led by Miguel Lpez de
Legazpi departed Barra de Navidad, New Spain, arriving off Cebu on February 13, 1565, conquering
it despite Cebuano opposition.[8]:77
In 1569, Legazpi transferred to Panay and founded a second settlement on the bank of the Panay
River. In 1570, Legazpi sent his grandson, Juan de Salcedo, who had arrived from Mexico in 1567,
to Mindoro to punish Moro pirates who had been plundering Panay villages. Salcedo also destroyed
forts on the islands of Ilin and Lubang, respectively South and Northwest of Mindoro.[8]:79
In 1570, Martn de Goiti, having been dispatched by Legazpi to Luzon, conquered the Kingdom of
Maynila (now Manila).[8]:79 Legazpi then made Maynila the capital of the Philippines and simplified its
spelling to Manila. His expedition also renamed Luzon Nueva Castilla. Legazpi became the country's
first governor-general. With time, Cebu's importance fell as power shifted north to Luzon. The
archipelago was Spain's outpost in the orient and Manila became the capital of the entire Spanish
East Indies. The colony was administered through the Viceroyalty of New Spain (now Mexico) until
1821 when Mexico achieved independence from Spain. After 1821, the colony was governed directly
from Spain.
During most of the colonial period, the Philippine economy depended on the Galleon Trade which
was inaugurated in 1565 between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico. Trade between Spain and the
Philippines was via the Pacific Ocean to Mexico (Manila to Acapulco), and then across
the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean to Spain (Veracruz to Cdiz). Manila became the most
important center of trade in Asia between the 17th and 18th centuries. All sorts of products
from China, Japan, Brunei, the Moluccas and even India were sent to Manila to be sold for silver 8-
Real coins which came aboard the galleons from Acapulco. These goods,
including silk, porcelain, spices, lacquerware and textile products were then sent to Acapulco and
from there to other parts of New Spain, Peru and Europe.
The European population in the archipelago steadily grew although natives remained the majority.
They depended on the Galleon Trade for a living. In the later years of the 18th century, Governor-
General Basco introduced economic reforms that gave the colony its first significant internal source
income from the production of tobacco and other agricultural exports. In this later period, agriculture
was finally opened to the European population, which before was reserved only for the natives.
During Spains 333 year rule in the Philippines, the colonists had to fight off the Chinese pirates (who
lay siege to Manila, the most famous of which was Limahong in
1574), Dutch forces, Portuguese forces, and indigenous revolts. Moros from western Mindanao and
the Sulu Archipelago also raided the coastal Christian areas of Luzon and the Visayas and
occasionally captured men and women to be sold as slaves.
Some Japanese ships visited the Philippines in the 1570s in order to export Japanese silver and
import Philippine gold. Later, increasing imports of silver from New World sources resulted in
Japanese exports to the Philippines shifting from silver to consumer goods. In the 1580s, the
Spanish traders were troubled to some extent by Japanese pirates, but peaceful trading relations
were established between the Philippines and Japan by 1590. [9] Japan's kampaku (regent), Toyotomi
Hideyoshi, demanded unsuccessfully on several occasions that the Philippines submit to
Japan's suzerainty.[10]
On February 8, 1597, King Philip II, near the end of his 42-year reign, issued a Royal
Cedula instructing Francisco de Tello de Guzmn, then Governor-General of the Philippines to fulfill
the laws of tributes and to provide for restitution of ill-gotten taxes taken from the natives. The decree
was published in Manila on August 5, 1598. King Philip died on 13 September, just forty days after
the publication of the decree, but his death was not known in the Philippines until middle of 1599, by
which time a referendum by which the natives would acknowledge Spanish rule was underway. With
the completion of the Philippine referendum of 1599, Spain could be said to have established
legitimate sovereignty over the Philippines.[11]

Political system[
The Spanish quickly organized their new colony according to their model. The first task was the
reduction, or relocation of native inhabitants into settlements. The earliest political system used
during the conquista period was the encomienda system, which resembled the feudal system in
medieval Europe. The conquistadores, friars and native nobles were granted estates, in exchange
for their services to the King, and were given the privilege to collect tribute from its inhabitants. In
return, the person granted the encomienda, known as an encomendero, was tasked to provide
military protection to the inhabitants, justice and governance. In times of war, the encomendero was
duty bound to provide soldiers for the King, in particular, for the complete defense of the colony from
invaders such as the Dutch, British and Chinese. The encomienda system was abused
by encomenderos and by 1700 was largely replaced by administrative provinces, each headed by
an alcalde mayor (provincial governor)[12] The most prominent feature of Spanish cities was the
plaza, a central area for town activities such as the fiesta, and where government buildings, the
church, a market area and other infrastructures were located. Residential areas lay around the
plaza. During the conquista, the first task of colonization was the reduction, or relocation of the
indigenous population into settlements surrounding the plaza.
National government[edit]
On the national level or social class, the King of Spain, via his Council of the Indies (Consejo de las
Indias), governed through his representative in the Philippines, the Governor-General of the
Philippines (Gobernador y Capitn General). With the seat of power in Intramuros, Manila, the
Governor-General was given several duties: head of the supreme court, the Royal Audiencia of
Manila; Commander-in-chief of the army and navy, and the economic planner of the country.[citation
needed]
All executive power of the local government stemmed from him and as regal patron, he had the
authority to supervise mission work and oversee ecclesiastical appointments. His yearly salary was
40,000 pesos!!! The Governor-General was commonly a peninsular Spaniard, a Spaniard born in
Spain, to ensure loyalty of the colony to the crown or tiara
Provincial government[edit]
Main article: Provinces of the Philippines
On the provincial level, heading the pacified provinces (alcaldia), was the provincial governor
(alcalde mayor). The unpacified military zones (corregimiento), such as Mariveles and Mindoro, were
headed by the corregidores. City governments (ayuntamientos), were also headed by an alcalde
mayor. Alcalde mayors and corregidores exercised multiple prerogatives as judge, inspector
of encomiendas, chief of police, tribute collector, capitan-general of the province and even vice-regal
patron. His annual salary ranged from P300 to P2000 before 1847 and P1500 to P1600 after it. But
this can be augmented through the special privilege of "indulto de commercio" where all people were
forced to do business with him. The alcalde mayor was usually an Insulares (Spaniard born in the
Philippines). In the 19th century, the Peninsulares began to displace the Insulares which resulted in
the political unrests of 1872, notably the execution of GOMBURZA, Novales Revolt and mutiny of
the Cavite fort under La Madrid.
Municipal government[edit]
Main articles: Municipalities of the Philippines and Cities of the Philippines
The pueblo or town is headed by the Gobernadorcillo or little governor. Among his administrative
duties were the preparation of the tribute list (padron), recruitment and distribution of men for draft
labor, communal public work and military conscription (quinto), postal clerk and judge in minor civil
suits. He intervened in all administrative cases pertaining to his town: lands, justice, finance and the
municipal police. His annual salary, however, was only P24 but he was exempted from taxation. Any
native or Chinese mestizo, 25 years old, literate in oral or written Spanish and has been a Cabeza
de Barangay of 4 years can be a Gobernadorcillo. Among those prominent is Emilio Aguinaldo, a
Chinese Mestizo and who was the Gobernadorcillo of Cavite El Viejo (now Kawit). The officials of the
pueblo were taken from the Principala, the noble class of pre-colonial origin. Their names are
survived by prominent families in contemporary Philippine society such as Duremdes, Lindo, Tupas,
Gatmaitan, Liwanag, Pangilinan, Panganiban, Balderas, and Agbayani, Apalisok, Aguinaldo to name
a few.[citation needed]
Barrio government[edit]
Main article: Barangay
Every pueblo was further divided into "barrios", and the barrio government (village or district) rested
on the barrio administrator (cabeza de barangay). He was responsible for peace and order and
recruited men for communal public works. Cabezas should be literate in Spanish and have good
moral character and property. Cabezas who served for 25 years were exempted from forced labor. In
addition, this is where the sentiment heard as, "Mi Barrio", first came from.
The Residencia and the Visita[edit]
To check the abuse of power of royal officials, two ancient castilian institutions were brought to the
Philippines. The Residencia, dating back to the 5th century and the Visita, which differed from
the residencia in that it was conducted clandestinely by a visitador-general sent from Spain and
might occur anytime within the officials term, without any previous notice. Visitas may be specific or
general.
Maura law[edit]
The legal foundation for municipal governments in the country was laid with the promulgation of
the Maura Law on May 19, 1893. Named after its author, Don Antonio Maura, the Spanish Minister
of Colonies at the time, the law reorganized town governments in the Philippines with the aim of
making them more effective and autonomous. This law created the municipal organization that was
later adopted, revised, and further strengthened by the American and Filippino governments that
succeeded Spanish.

Economy[edit]
Manila-Acapulco galleon trade[edit]

Plaza Mexico, Intramuros - The Manila-Acapulco Galleon

Historical painting by Botong Francisco

The Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade was the main source of income for the colony during its early
years. Service was inaugurated in 1565 and continued into the early 19th century. The Galleon trade
brought silver from New Spain, which was used to purchase Asian goods such
as silk from China, spices from the Moluccas, lacquerware from Japan and Philippine cotton textiles.
 These goods were then exported to New Spain and ultimately Europe by way of Manila. Thus, the
[13]

Philippines earned its income through the trade of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon.
The trade was established and operated primarily for the benefit of Spain and Spaniards. While the
trade did bring some results which were beneficial to the Philippines, most effects were
disadvantageous.[14] However, the trade did result in cultural and commercial exchanges between
Asia and the Americas that led to the introduction of new crops and animals to the Philippines such
as tamarind, avocado, guava, papaya, pineapple, horses and carabao.[14] These gave the colony its
first real income. The trade lasted for over two hundred years, and ceased in 1815 just before the
secession of American colonies from Spain.
Royal Society of Friends of the Country[edit]
Jos de Basco y Vargas, following a royal order to form a society of intellectuals who can produce
new, useful ideas, formally established the Spanish Royal Economic Society of Friends of the
Country, after the model of the Royal Basque Society. Composed of leading men in business,
industry and profession, the society was tasked to explore and exploit the island's natural bounties.
The society led to the creation of Plan General Economico of Basco which implemented the
monopolies on the areca nut, tobacco, spirited liquors and explosives.
The Society offered local and foreign scholarships and training grants in agriculture and established
an academy of design. It was also credited to the carabao ban of 1782, the formation of the
silversmiths and gold beaters guild and the construction of the first papermill in the Philippines in
1825. It was introduced in 1780, vanished temporarily in 1787-1819, 18201822 and 1875-1822 and
ceased to exist in the middle of the 1890s.
Royal Company of the Philippines[edit]
See also: Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas
On March 10, 1785, King Charles III of Spain confirmed the establishment of the Royal Philippine
Company with a 25-year charter.[15] The Basque-based company was granted a monopoly on the
importation of Chinese and Indian goods into the Philippines, as well as the shipping of the goods
directly to Spain via the Cape of Good Hope. The Dutch and British bitterly opposed them because
they saw the company as a direct attack on their Asian trade. It also faced the hostility of the traders
of the Galleon trade (see above) who saw it as competition. This gradually resulted in the death of
both institutions: The Royal Philippine Company in 1814 and the Galleon trade in 1815. [16]
The first vessel of the Royal Philippine Company to set sail was the "Nuestra Seora de los
Placeres" commanded by the captain Juan Antonio Zabaleta.[17]
Taxation[edit]
Taxation is a system income-generating mechanism introduced by the Spanish colonial government.
Direct taxes are personal tribute and income tax. Indirect taxes are custom duties and the bandala.
These are enforced contribution of the people to Spanish government In 1884, the tribute was
replaced by cedula personal.
Also there was the bandal (from the Tagalog word mandal, a round stack of rice stalks to be
threshed), an annual forced sale and requisitioning of goods such as rice. Custom duties and
income tax were also collected. By 1884, the tribute was replaced by the cedula personal, wherein
everyone over 18 were required to pay for personal identification. [18] The local gobernadorcillos were
responsible for collection of the tribute. Under the cedula system taxpayers were individually
responsible to Spanish authorities for payment of the tax, and were subject to summary arrest for
failure to show a cedula receipt.[19]
Aside from paying a tribute, all male Filipinos from 16 to 60 years old were obliged to render forced
labor called polo. This labor lasted for 40 days a year, later it was reduced to 15 days. It took
various forms such as the building and repairing of roads and bridges, construction of Public
buildings and churches, cutting timber in the forest, working in shipyards and serving as soldiers in
military expeditions. People who rendered the forced labor was called polistas. He could be
exempted by paying the falla which is a sum of money. The polista were according to law, to be
given a daily rice ration during their working days which they often did not receive. [citation needed]