BY JUAN DE PLASENCIA

His real name is Joan De Puerto Carrero, del convent de

Villanueva de la Serena

He was a Franciscan missionary who first arrived in the

Philippines in 1577

He was tasked by the King of Spain to document the customs and traditions of the
colonized (“natives”) based on, arguably, his own observations and judgments.

About the
He wrote the Doctrina Cristiana.
Author
Known for gathering the converts into reductions, and for
establishing numerous primary schools

One of the first to form a grammar and vocabulary of the

Tagalog language.

He died at Lilio, in the province of La Laguna, in 1590.

 • One of the many documents of a longer
Context of the monographs written by Spanish
Text expeditions to the Philippines during the
16th and 17th centuries.
The text is subdivided into
three parts:
author’s explanation on
postponing his reply to a
lordship letter to find the
truth about Indians
details of governance and
society of Tagalogs
detailing the worship of the
Tagalogs, their gods, and
their burials and
superstitions.
Chieftain •Datu

Balangay •Barangay
Caste System

Datu

Maharlica

Aliping Aliping
Namamahay Saguiguilid
Maharlica
 Don’t pay tax or tribute to the datu, but must accompany him in war, at their
own expense

 The chief offers them beforehand a feast, and afterward they divide the spoils

 When the Datu goes upon the water, those whom he summoned will row for
him

 When building a house, they must help and in return, must be fed for it
Land Distribution
The lands which they inhabited were divided among the whole barangay and thus each
one knew his own.

No one belonging to another barangay would cultivate them unless after purchase or
inheritance.

The lands on the tingues, or mountain-ridges, are not divided, but owned in common by
the barangay.

At the time of the rice harvest, any individual of any barangay, although he may have
come from some other village, if he commences to clear any land may sow it, and no one
can compel him to abandon it.
There are some villages in which maharlicas paid annually to the datu a hundred gantas of
rice. Why?
The chiefs in some villages
had also fisheries, with
established limits, and
sections of the rivers for
markets.
  Serve their master, whether he be a datu or not

Live in their own houses and are lords of their

Aliping
property and gold.
Namamahay
Their children inherit and enjoy their property and
lands.
 They serve their master in his house and
on his cultivated lands and may be sold.

Aliping Sa The master grants them, should he see

fit, a portion of their harvests, so that
Guiguilid they may work faithfully.

Servants who are born in the house of

their master are rarely sold.
Those to whom a debt was owed transferred the debt to another, thereby themselves making a
profit, and reducing the wretched debtors to a slavery which was not their natural lot.

If any person among those who were made slaves (sa guiguilid) through war happened to possess
any gold beyond the sum that he have to give his master, he can ransom himself to become a
namamahay
If he doubles the price of this ransom or more, as they might agree, he becomes wholly free.

After having divided all the trinkets which the slave possessed, if he maintained a house of his
own, they divided even the pots and jars, and if an odd one of these remained, they broke it;
and if a piece of cloth were left, they parted it in the middle.

Process of Slavery
Emphasis on There is a confusion of the two
terms, many have been classed as
Differences slaves who really are not.
between
Aliping
Namamahay Some Aliping Namamahay children
are taken advantage of and sold as
and Aliping Sa slaves even though it is illegal by
Guiguilir some and left as that if no judicial
intervention happens.
Birth Status of Children of Maharlica
Maharlica Father Slave Father

Maharlica Mother Maharlica The children are free if there are

no marriage

Slave Mother (owned) Mother becomes free and so are

the children

Slave Mother (owned by other The mother must pay a gold tael to
maharlica) her master and half of the children
becomes free if the father pays
sustenance
 Marriage between Maharlica and Slave
• The children were divided to the mother and father The children will inherit the
status of which parents they belong to.
• If only one child, he was half free and half slave. The only question here concerned
the division, whether the child were male or female. Those who became slaves fell
under the category of servitude which was their parent's, either namamahay or sa
guiguilir.
• If there were an odd number of children, the odd one was half free and half slave.
The maharlicas could not, after marriage, move
from one village to another, or from one barangay
to another, without paying a certain fine in gold, as
arranged to the barangay they’re from. Fines runs
from one to three taels and a banquet to the entire
barangay. Failure to pay the fine might result in a
war between the barangay which the person left and
the one which he entered. This applied equally to
men and women.

Movement from other Barangays

 When one married a woman of another village, the children were
afterwards divided equally between the two barangays. This arrangement
kept the number of obedient populace to the dato.

Things changed when some Dato followed Frayle’s orders which compels
people to leave and go for a Dato that protects them. There is a great
need of reform in this, for the chiefs are spiritless and faint-hearted.

Marriage Between Maharlicas in different

Barangays
 Investigations made and sentences passed by the dato must take place in the
presence of those of his barangay.

If any of the litigants felt that the judgements is not fair, a mediator is
named another village or barangay, whether he were a Dato or not, known
as fair and just men, who were said to give true judgment according to their
customs.

If the controversy lay between two chiefs, when they wished to avoid war,
they also convoked judges to act as arbiters; they did the same if the
disputants belonged to two different barangays. In this ceremony they
always had to drink, sponsored by the prosecutor.

Justice System
 Death Penalty
• Death is served to a man of low birth(not
maharlica) who insulted and or touched the
daughter or wife of a chief.

• Death is also served to witches, and

others(accomplice) of the same class who
hurt others using magic.
Other Penalties
• They condemned no one to slavery, unless he merited the death-penalty.
• All other offenses were punished by fines in gold, which, if not paid promptly, the
culprit must serve to the person aggrieved until the payment should be made.
1. Half the cultivated lands and all their produce belonged to the master. The
master provided the culprit with food and clothing, thus enslaving the culprit
and his children until such time as he might amass enough money to pay the
fine.
2. If the father should by chance pay his debt, the master then claimed that he
had fed and clothed his children, and should be paid, therefore. In this way
he kept possession of the children if the payment could not be met. This last
was usually the case, and they remained slaves.
• After the death of the father, the children pay the
debt. Not doing so, double the amount must be
paid.
• If the culprit had some relative or friend who
paid for him, he was obliged to render the latter
half his service until he was paid as aliping
namamahay.
• If the creditor were not served in this wise, the
culprit had to pay the double of what was lent
him.
Inheritances
As for inheritances, the legitimate
children of a father and mother
inherited equally, except in the case
where the father and mother showed a
slight partiality by such gifts
When the parents gave a dowry to any son who is marrying the chief’s
daughter, the dowry has to be greater than the sum to be given to the
other sons. The excess was not counted in the whole property to be
divided.
Anything that was given to any son was taken into consideration at the
time of the partition of the property unless the parents declare that
such a bestowal was made outside of the inheritance.
• If one had children by two or more legitimate wives, each child received the
inheritance and dowry of his mother, with its increase, and that share of his father's
estate out of the whole.

• If a man had a child by one of his slaves, as well as legitimate children, the former
had no share in the inheritance; but the legitimate children were bound to free the
mother, and to give him something, if the father were a chief; or if, finally, anything
else were given it was by the unanimous consent of all.
If besides his legitimate children, he had also some son by a free unmarried woman
(inaasawa), to whom a dowry was given but who was not considered as a real wife, all
these were classed as natural children and only the third part is given them.
For example, if there were two children, the legitimate one had two parts, and the one
of the inaasawa only one part.

When there were only children by the inaasawa, the latter inherited all.
If he had a child by a slave woman, that child received his share as above stated.

If there were no legitimate or natural child, whether there was a son of a slave woman
or not, the inheritance went only to the father or grandparents, brothers, or nearest
relatives of the deceased.
 Children Outside Marriage
• If a married woman caught to have a son outside of marriage, the
husband can punish the father of the child by demanding fine as a
dowry to legitimize the child and be part of the inheritance.
• If there were no other son, the child can have equal parts along
with children and relatives.
• But if the father did not pay a fine, the child will be illegitimate
and will not inherit anything.
• Adopted children inherit the double of what was paid for their
adoption.
• If this child should die first, his children do not inherit from the
second father for the arrangement stops at that point.
Marriage and Dowries
Dowries are given by the men to the women's parents. If the latter
are living, they enjoy the use of it.

At their death, provided the dowry has not been consumed, it is

divided like the rest of the estate, equally among the children,
except when the father bestows something additional upon the
daughter.

If the wife, at the time of her marriage, has neither father,

mother, nor grandparents, she enjoys her dowry which belongs to
no other relative or child.

Unmarried women can own no property, in

land or dowry, for the result of all their labors
accrues to their parents.
 If the wife left the husband for the purpose of
marrying another, all her dowry and an equal
additional amount fell to the husband. But if she
left him, and did not marry another, the dowry
was returned.
Divorce
When the husband left his wife, he only recovers
half of the dowry . If he possessed children at the
time of his divorce, the whole dowry and the fine
went to the children and was held for them by
their grandparents or other responsible relatives.
Arranged Married and Dowries
There is a fine stipulated in the contract, that he who violates it shall pay a
certain sum which varies according to the practice of the village and the affluence
of the individual.

The fine was heaviest if, upon the death of the parents, the son or daughter
should be unwilling to marry because it had been arranged by his or her parents.
In this case the dowry which the parents had received was returned and nothing
more.

But if the parents were living, they paid the fine, because it was assumed that it
had been their design to separate the children.
 • Upon the death of the wife who in a year's time
had born no children, the parents might return
one-half the dowry to the husband whose wife
Marriage and
had died.
Death of
Partner • Upon the death of the husband, one-half the
dowry might be returned to the relatives of the
husband.
RELATION OF THE WORSHIP OF THE
TAGALOGS, THEIR GODS, AND THEIR
BURIALS AND SUPERSTITIONS
• There are no temples consecrated to the performing of
sacrifices, the adoration of their idols, or the general
practice of idolatry.
• They have the name “simbahan” which means a temple
or place of adoration
• pandot or “worship” done during festivals are celebrated
in the house of the chief
• Sibi – temporary shed with roof (temporary temple)
• Sorihile – small Lamps on posts
• Nagaanitos – time of worship
Idols and Gods
• Bathala - “all powerful,” or “maker of all things.”
• Some of them also adored the stars, sun, and the moon
• the morning star, which they called Tala.
• the “seven little goats” [the Pleiades]
• the change of seasons, which they call Mapolon
• Balatic, which is Greater Bear
• Lic-ha - images with different shapes at times of some dead man who was brave in war and
endowed with special faculties to whom they commended themselves for protection in their
tribulations
• Dian masalanta- the patron of lovers and of generation
• Lacapati and Idianale - the patrons of the cultivated lands and of husbandry
• Reverence to buaya (crocodiles)
Tigmamanuguin, a bird singing in the tree
• If they meet by chance anyone who sneezed, they returned at once to
their house thinking some evil might befall them if they continue
especially if the bird will sing
• This song had two different forms: in the one case it was considered as
an evil omen; in the other, as a good omen, and then they continued
their journey.

Divination - to see whether weapons, such as a dagger or knife, were to be

useful and lucky for their possessor whenever occasion should offer
 • No established division of years, months, and days
• Determined by the cultivation of the soil, counted
by moons, and the different effect produced upon
the trees when yielding flowers, fruits, and leaves
• The winter and summer are distinguished as sun-
time and water-time — the latter term designating
winter in those regions, where there is no cold,
snow, or ice.
Timekeeping
• Since Christian Indoctrination, the seasons are not
same, for at Christmas it gets somewhat cooler.
• The years, since the advent of the Spaniards, have
been determined by the latter, the seasons have
been given their proper names, and they have been
divided into weeks.
Feasts and Offerings
• Offer to the devil what they had to eat in front of the idol, anointed with
perfumes, praise it in poetic songs sung by the catolonan. The
participants made beseeching responses for favors
• Some, Placing a good piece of cloth, doubled, over the idol, and over the
cloth a chain or large, gold ring, thus worshiping the devil without having
sight of him.
• The devil was sometimes liable to enter the body of the catolonan,
sometimes tied to a tree
• Cooking a jar of rice until the water was evaporated, after which they
broke the jar, and the rice was left as an intact mass which was set before
the idol
• Buyos—which is a small fruit wrapped in a leaf with some lime, a food
generally eaten in these regions—as well as fried food and fruits.
In the case of young girls who first had
At the end of this period, the
their monthly courses, their eyes were
catolonan took the young girl to the
blindfolded four days and four nights;
water, bathed her and washed her
and, in the meantime, the friends and
head, and removed the bandage from
relatives were all invited to partake of
her eyes.
food and drink.
Distinctions from Devils and Priest

Mangagauay,
Catolonan Manyisalat Mancocolam Hocloban
or witches

Aswang
Silagan Mananggal Mangagayoma Sonat
(Visayas)

Pangatahojan Bayoguin Vibit Tikbalang Tianak

 Burial

Buried beside his house, if a chief, a small constructed house

Four days of mourning

Laid him on a boat which served as a coffin

In place of rowers, various animals were placed within the boat.

If the deceased had been a warrior, a living slave was tied beneath his body until in this
wretched way he died.
Criticism

de Plasencia tried to avoid discussing the

“conflicting reports of the Indians” through an
“informed observation” to obtain the “simple
truth.”
This “truth,” however, is debatable, and the manner
of how he arrived at his reports is even more
problematic.
The text foregrounds two important figures: the observer (de Plasencia) himself,
with his own background, subjectivities and biases; and the observer’s subject
(Tagalogs), seen as the “other,”

Many portions of the narrative are problematic insofar as they view the Tagalogs
in such a way as to enhance the validity of the colonizer’s allegiances.

He is not an actual Tagalog which begs the question ‘What does he

know/understand about Tagalogs?
In de Plasensia’s account on land
ownership, for example, he said that “the
lands were divided among the barangay
and…no one belonging to another
barangay would cultivate them unless
after the purchase or inheritance.”

However, “since the advent of the

Spaniards, it is not so divided.” Such
statement implies that the intervention
of the colonizer has put order into the
divisiveness.
 He also made a conclusion that This claim undermines the fact that
Catholicism was able to expel the Tagalog population did not
primitive and evil belief systems of fully embrace Catholicism but
the Tagalogs regarding gods, burials appropriated it according to their
and superstitions, saying that “all indigenous religious practices.
the Tagalogs not a trace of this is
left; and that those who are now
marrying do not even know what it
is, thanks to the preaching of the
holy gospel, which has banished it.”
Of the local customs in “Laguna and tingues,
and among the entire Tagalog race.” What
constituted the Tagalog race in the first place?
How did he produce such a category? The
people of Laguna were just a small member
of the Tagalogs and referring them as the
mirror of the entire Tagalog race is
erroneous.

A large fraction of his accounts
were also based on false
comparisons, and not coupled
with accurate information.
The Tagalog idol, lic-ha, for
example, was matched up with
Romans’ statue of deity of a dead
man who was brave in war and
endowed with special faculties.
These two objects are evidently
different in nature and don’t fall
under the same category.
The mangagauay and mangagayoma, for instance, were both regarded as “witches”
who performed deceitful healing procedures, a judgment made by an outsider who
knew nothing about the complexity of indigenous mind.

What he failed to realize is that in traditional cultures, these so-called “evil”

practices were an integral part of Filipino folk beliefs; and the early Tagalogs never
considered them as acts of the devil.
Sources and Image Credits

https://www.aswangproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Tagalogs-Class-Structure-Philippines.jpg

https://cuyopress.com/2011/01/07/balanghai-or-butuan-boat-aka-balangay/

https://prezi.com/9i5yehdidr1t/customs-of-the-tagalogs/

http://www.artesdelasfilipinas.com/archives/186/accustomed-othering-in-colonial-writing

https://prezi.com/p/vjiz6mscj-2-/customs-of-the-tagalogs-by-juan-de-plasencia/

http://www.elaput.com/plas01.htm

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13701/13701-h/13701-h.htm