A S C E N D A N C E

O F T H E
M E S T I Z O S
Chinese Mestizos
Philippine term use for persons of
mixed Chinese-Native ancestry
They have not been formally and
legally recognized as a separate group
Confusion (mestizo)
Mestizo as Spanish Mestizos (mixed spanish-native
ancestry) rather than Chinese mestizos

It is sometimes claimed that Spanish mestizos were

of great importance in Philippine History when
indeed the activities describe were those of Chinese
Mestizos.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is strictly defined by:
Genealogical considerations
rather than by place of birth.
Possession of a unique combination
of cultural characteristic
Early in the 15th century, Chinese mestizos were already
established in
the region particularly in Luzon.
The Chinese had been significantly involved in the economic
and social affairs in the Philippines
Direct contact between China and Philippines existed from at
least the Sung Period (960-1279)
Through the junk trade several points in the Philippines enjoyed
regular commercial and cultural contacts with the Chinese
The arrival of the Spanish conquerors in the Philippines in the
1560’s meant new opportunities for the Chinese
C
 The Chinese established themselves at or near Spanish
settlements, serving them in various ways: as provisionary of
food, as retail traders, and as artisans
By 1603, barely 32 years after the founding of Manila as a
Spanish settlement, the Chinese population was estimated
at 20,000 in contrast to perhaps 1,000 Spaniards
TRIBUTE PAYING CLASSES
The last three groups were considered tribute-paying
classes but the amount of their tribute payments and the
services demanded of them varied.
Normally, the indios paid the lowest
The Chinese mestizo paid double the tribute paid
The maintenance of these categories in orderly
fashion was provided by the Spanish legislation
Legal Status- as Chinese, mestizo, indio- by the terms
of its legislation, was not ordinarily a matter of
personal choice or orientation
 Binondo was founded as a Chinese town in 1594.
A royal order was passed for the expulsion of all Chinese
from
the Philippines; however, Governor Dasmarinas realized that
the city of Manila, the largest Spanish settlement, needed to
retain at least a small group of Chinese for its economic
services
Therefore, he purchased a tract of land across the river
from the
walled city and gave it to a group of prominent Chinese
merchants and artisans as the basis for a new Chinese
settlement.
In the beginning, religious and cultural questions were not
involved,
 They were recognized as a distinct element in Philippine
society, sufficiently numerous to be organized and classified
separately
They were bulked in the three central Luzon provinces of
Tondo, Bulacan, and Pampanga, comprising 60% of the
mestizos in the Philippines
The Province of Tondo alone accounted for almost 30% of the
mestizo population
But only 10% mestizos were spread in few spots on the other
island- notably in the provinces of Cebu, Iloilo, Samar, and
Capiz; 90% of them were in Luzon
Though they were still numerous in Central Luzon, but they began to be
noticed in farther Luzon –Abra and esp. in nueva Ecija

In the Visayas, the largest group of mestizo before was in Cebu, but afterward
there were a number of them in Antique

In Mindanao, they were already noticed in the eastern part of the island
(Caraga province) and in Misamis
Products were exported to overseas markets
Philippine products, like the hem and sugar, had already been exported
in quantity
While the products of European factory industry, particularly the
English Textiles began to find markets in the Philippines
The rise of the mestizo to economic importance was paralleled by the
rise in social prominence
Indeed, the mestizo’s wealth and the way they spent it made them, in a
sense, the arbiters of fashion in Manila and in others settlements.
 DISTINCTION OF TERM MESTIZO

According to Retana in this times the term “mestizo” is considered as

“Chinese mestizos)

Opposed by James Leroy because according to him the term “mestizos”

refers to “Spanish mestizos”
With the rise of the mestizos to a position of affluence and prestige, their
relations with the indios became a matter of increasing concern to the
Spaniards
It was from this time- the middle of the 19th century- that we began to
find the “divide and rule” theme in Spanish writings
The indios and the mestizo must be kept separated
The brains and money of the mestizos must not be allowed to become
allied to the numerical strength of the indios
 BY THE 1880’S THE
CHINESE POPULATION
HAD SOARED TO ALMOST
100,000
.
This measure eliminated the last obstacle of the mestizo in their
dominance in
international trade

Spanish policy also pushed aside the barriers to Chinese

immigration and
residence, thus Chinese could come to the Philippines without
any restriction

By the 1880s, the Chinese population had soared to almost

100,000; Chinese
were found in every corner of the Philippines
WAS THERE ANY SIGNIFICANCE TO THIS INCIDENT?

RADICAL SENTIMENTS WAS BUILDING UP

THE RIZAL ANCESTRY
1. Purely in terms of his ancestry, Rizal might be considered a 5th generation
Chinese mestizo
His paternal ancestor, a Catholic Chinese, married a Chinese mestiza
Their son and grandson both married Chinese mestizas
This grandson, having achieved wealth and status in his locality, was
able to have his family transferred from the mestizo pardon, or tax
census register, to that of the indios
Thus, Rizal’s father and Rizal himself were considered an indio
 SUMMARY

Chinese Mestizos, not Spanish mestizo

Chinese mestizo rose to prominence
Renewal of Chinese immigration to the
Philippines.
Chinese mestizos in the Philippines possessed a
unique combination of cultural characteristics.