A Cross on One Hand and a Sword
on the Other  Undertake the defense of the land from
The aim of the Spanish Colonization could be
simplified as the three “Gs” (God, Gold and Glory).
God- Upon the agreement of the Pope, Spaniards
will assume the obligation of christianizing the
Indians and in return the church awarded them the
patronal privileges. This aim made the priest as the
important machinery in their colonization and the
religion as the means of pacification of the Filipinos.
Gold- emergence of the idea of Mercantillism where in
the power of the government could was based on the
amount of gold and other important metals.
Glory- the colonization of the other land could bring
pride and honor for the monarch in the sense that
additional territory could make the colonizing country
powerful.
The Start of Colonization
The formal colonization of the Philippines was
made by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, he was called
Adelantado de Filipinas for successfully bringing
the archipelago within Spanish fold and became the
first Governor General of the Philippines.
The Spaniards were able to colonize Luzon and
Visayas using two strategies:
 First is through evangelizing the natives to
the Catholic faith since they observed that
the number one characteristic of Filipinos is
their being religious as seen in their animist
worship.
 Second is the colonization using military
power.
The Spaniards also utilized the Divide and Rule
measure as a colonial policy. Also known as Divide
et Impera, it is a combination of political, military
and economic strategy of gaining and maintaining
power by breaking up larger concentrations of
power into chunks that individually have less power
than the one implementing the strategy.
The System of Land Owning and Taxation
In the start of colonization, the main argument in
the colonial government is the creation of an
organized system of taxation.
The colonial government established the system of
encomienda and Repatimiento.
Encomienda- a royal grant to a deserving colonist
who helps in the colonization of the new land. The
grant is not a property but a jurisdiction over a
definite territory and its native inhabitants.
Duties of Encomiendero (administrator of the land)
external attacks
 Maintain the peace and order
 Support the missionaries who would teach
Christian doctrines.
Repatimiento- was a forced labor of the native
inhabitants to the colonial government for the
construction of the buildings and churches needed
by the government.
The encomienda system also transformed the social
class of the natives. The timawa or free people who
are responsible in paying taxes for the community
merge with the lowest class as an Indio.
The Centralized Government
After the establishment of the system of taxation,
they created a centralized government.
The colonies of the Spanish empire were classified
into two kinds according to the size of the colonies:
 Viceroyalties
 Gobernacion
The gobernacion is under the jurisdiction of the
viceroyalties so the Spanish government in the
Philippines is under the viceroyalty of Mexico.
The gobernadora and viceroy were both
representative of the King in the colonial
government and they seek the advice of the Council
of Indies.
Spanish Centralized Government
Governor-General is the chief officer of the colonial
government, president of the Royal Audiencia, head
of the military and has the power of cumplase.
Cumplase- is the power of the gobernador-general
to choose or change the law to be implemented in
his jurisdiction.
Because of the wide powers given to the governor,
he is subjected to Residencia at the end of his term
of office.
Residencia- a court of enquiry to which the
outgoing official was obliged to submit.
70 days of period by a specially commissioned
judge to examine into the conduct of a retiring
official.
Visitador- a secret representative of the Spanish
monarch who comes and inspects the administration
of the Gobernador General and then after makes
recommendations to the Spanish King.
The country is divided into different provinces and
each province is ruled by the Alcalde mayor who
functions as the chief administrative officer in the
province. To decentralize the power to the town, Maharlika
each province is divided into town or pueblos
governed by the Gobernadorcillo.
Timawa
Gobernadorcillo is the highest post in the
government which could be occupied by the natives
and has a right to engage into business called as Alipin
Indulto de Comercio. Then each town is divided
into barangay ruled by a Cabeza de barangay. Pre- Hispanic
The Spanish Policies
Reduccion- the natives are required to transfer near
the center or cabesera so that the Spaniard could
Peninsulares
easily monitor their actions and control them. The
cabesera was designed according to the plaza-real-
convento complex where in each center ot cabesera Insulares
had the plaza, church, government building or casa
tribunal, marketplace and the cemetery. This policy Creoles
helped in the pacification of the Filipinos, the easy
implementation of law and the spread of
Indios
Christianity because the people are concentrated in
the center. Hispanic

Tribute- all male 19-60 years old are obliged to pay

8 reales as an annual tax. In 1884 the tribute was Peninsulares- full blooded Spanish born in Europe
replaced by cedula personal, it’s a taxation based on
the annual income of the natives. Insulares- full blooded Spanish born in the Philippines

Polo Y Servicios- all male 16-60 years old are Creoles- mixed Europe and black decent
required to render 40 days of service to the Indios- indigenous/native people
government. The polista or the native who work
under the policy of polo y servicio is subjected to
hard labor like the cutting of lumber to be used in
making Galleons or church construction. Those who
could afford to pay falla (1 and ½ reales per day)
will be exempted to polo.
Bandala- the compulsory sale of the product of
natives to the Spaniards.
Galleon trade- the trading route which travels to
Manila to Acapulco in Mexico. This is the means
used by the Spaniards for more than 250 years to
limit the route of the trading to avoid the products
and ideas from other countries and imperialists to
enter the Philippines.
Social Stratification
Social stratification- people are divided into
different hierarchies.
The different policies of the Spaniards changed the
social stratification in the Philippines.