Notes on the Spanish Colonial Period (1521–1898)

 Expeditions to the Philippines were sent by Spain in the 16th century. In their conquest,
the Spaniards brought Christianity with them. The clergy made a great impact on faith,
education, and government.
 Through the Manila-Acapulco trade (1565–1815), liberal ideas entered the country. Also,
the trade gave rise to a wealthier middle class. Children in middle class families could then
be sent to Europe to get an education. Upon their return, they brought European ideals of
liberty and freedom with them. Such ideals would then give rise to Filipino nationalism.

Philippine Literature during the Spanish Occupation

The Spanish missionaries taught the gospel through the native language, so they hired natives to
translate Spanish religious instructional materials. Eventually, the natives became fluent in Spanish
and became known as ladinos.

Ladinos mainly wrote devotional poetry. Two of them were Fernando Bagongbanta and Gaspar
Aquino de Belen. Bagongbanta wrote “Salamat nang walang hanga/gracias de sin sempiternas,”
which appeared in Memorial de la vida cristiana en lengua tagala (1605), a book containing basic
Catholic doctrines. On the other hand, de Belen wrote “Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong
Panginoon natin na tola” (1704), the earliest version of pasyon.

Also, the native drama called the komedya or moro-moro was popular. It depicted the war between
Christians and Muslims, wherein the former always wins. The poet Jose de la Cruz (1746–1829)
was a master of such art form.

Native literature continued. Though the Spaniards destroyed the written literature in their effort to
replace it with their own, the oral tradition survived and flourished in areas beyond the reach of
the Spaniards.

Francisco Baltazar (1788-1862), the master of traditional Tagalog poetry, became well-known
for his work Florante at Laura (1838–1861), the most famous metrical romance of the country.

Pedro Paterno (1857–1911) wrote Sampaguitas y poesias varias (1880), the first poetry collection
in Spanish by a Filipino; and the novel in Spanish Ninay (1885), considered to be the first Filipino
novel.

Jose Rizal (1861–1896), a prominent ilustrado and the country’s national hero, is famous for the
novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. These novels portray the corruption and abuse of
the Spanish officials and the clergy.

Andres Bonifacio (1863–1897), the founder of the Katipunan, wrote the poem “Pag-ibig sa
Tinubuang Lupa.” This poem appeared in the Kalayaan, the official newspaper of the Katipunan,
in March 1896.
Leona Florentino (1849–1884), known as the “mother of Philippine women’s literature,” was a
poet in both Ilocano and Spanish. Twenty of her poems were preserved and exhibited in Europe.
The poems were included in the Encyclopedia International des Oeuvres des Femme in 1889.

Philippine Literature during the Spanish occupation was mostly influenced by Christianity as well as the
European ideals of liberty and freedom through trade. Filipino writers either wrote in Spanish or in their
own tongue or both.

I565-1863

Spanish occupied Philippines in early 15th century. The Spanish colonization period has two
classification Religious and Secular.

RELIGIOUS LITERATURE

 Religious lyrics written by Ladino poet or those versed in both Spanish and Tagalog were
included in early catechism

PASYON

 Long narrative poem about the passion and death of Christ.

1. 1704- Gaspar Aquino de Belen

2. 1750- Don Luis Guian
3. 1814- P. Mariano Pilapil
4. 1856- P. Aniceto dela Merced

SENAKULO

 Dramatization of the pasyon, it shows the passion and death of Christ.

SECULAR LITERATURE

 Non- Religious literature

IBONG ADARNA

AWIT

 Colorful tales of chivalry made for singing and chanting.

FLORANTE AT LAURA

KORIDO

 Metrical tale written in octosyllabic quatrains.

1879- Modesto de Castro's "Pagsusulatan ng dalawang binibini na si URBANA at ni FELIZA.

PROSE NARRATIVES

 Written to prescribe proper decorum.

SONGS

 A composition for voice and voices performed by singing.

KUNDIMAN

 Is a Filipino love song traditionally sung by a man wooing the woman of his dream.

LERON LERON SINTA

 This song depicts humbleness.

SARUNG BANGGI

 A kundiman which means "one night" or "one evening" In Bicol.

RELIGIOUS DRAMA

 Setting forth events recorded in the Bible or moral lessons to be drawn from religious
teaching.

DRAMA

 Enacted of in front of audience. It is also known as play.

PANUNULUYAN

 A Philippine Christmas dramatic ritual.



WRITTEN LITERATURE

 Short stories and poetry

SHORT STORIES

 A brief work of literature

1838 FLORANTE AT LAURA

POETRY

 An imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound and rhythmic

language.

1788-1862 FRANCISO BALTAZAR popularity called Balagtas, he is the acknowledge master

of traditional Tagalog poetry.

1746-1829 JOSE DELA CRUZ was the foremost exponent of the komedya during his time.