QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY

(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)

CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOG

I. CONTEXT

1.1 AUTHOR

● Customs of the Tagalog is written by Juan de Plasencia. Having the

name of Juan Portocarrero and Fray Joan de Puerto Carrero del
convento de Villanueva de la Serena.
● Juan de Plasencia is a Spanish Friar of the Franciscan Order. He was
among the first group of Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the
Philippines on July 2, 1578.
● Some of his works aimed to put an end to some injustices being
committed against the natives by certain government officials. Because
of establishing numerous primary schools, for his linguistic abilities - he
was known as being one of the first to form a grammar and vocabulary
of the Tagalog language.
● He died in 1590 at Liliw, province of Laguna.

1.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

● Customs of the Tagalogs is a written document (manuscript) and was

written on October 21, 1589.
● With the command of the King of Spain, King Philip II, Juan de
Plasencia was tasked to write down the customs of the natives. It is
intentionally made to provide an exoticized description of the Tagalog
natives, clearly fed by politics and propaganda and operated with the
Western-outsider's gaze, that would be appealing to them (Spaniards).
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)

II. CONTENT

2.1 POLITICAL CUSTOMS

● Datos
- The chief who governed the people and were captains in their
wars whom they obey and reverence
● Maharlica
- The nobles or the free-born
- They did not pay tax or tribute to the dato, but must accompany
the dato in a war
● Aliping namamahay
- The commoners
- They are married, and serve their master, whether he be a dato
or not
- They live in their own houses, and are lords of their property and
gold
● Aliping sa guiguilir
- The slaves
- They serve their master in his house and on his cultivated lands,
and may be sold

2.2 CULTURAL / MARRIAGE CUSTOMS

● Marriage
- Prior to marriage the men are required to give a dowry (a piece
of land or gold) to the women’s parents.
- If a noble had children among their own slaves, the children and
their mother became free
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)
- If a noble had children among the slaves of
another, if recognize by his father who is a
maharlica then half of the child was free, if not,
the child was wholly a slave
- If a noble and a slave was married, whether namamahay or sa
guiguilir, the children were divided into slaves and free

● Divorce
Before the birth of children:
- if the wife left her husband with intentions of marrying another,
all her dowry and an equal additional amount fell to the husband
- If the wife left her husband with no intention of marrying another,
the dowry was returned to her
- When the husband left his wife, he lost the half of the dowry,
and the other half was returned to him
After the birth of children:
- The whole dowry and the fine went to the children, and was held
for them by their grandparents or other responsible relatives

2.3 ECONOMICAL CUSTOMS AND ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE

● The lands on the tingues (mountain ridges) are not divided but owned
in common by the barangay
● There are some villages, nobles paid annually to the dato a 100 gantas
of rice.
● Some villages have fisheries with established limits and sections of the
rivers for markets. No one could fish, or trade in the markets, without
paying for the privilege, unless he belongs to the barangay
● They have laws which condemned to death a man who insulted the
daughter or wife of a chief
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)
● They condemned no one to slavery unless he
inherited death-penalty
● All offenses were punished by fines in gold, and if not
made, they exposed the culprit to serve

● Inheritance
- The legitimate children inherit equally, except in the case where
the father and mother showed a slight partiality by such gifts as
two or three gold taels, or perhaps a jewel.
- If one had a legitimate child by 2 or more wives, they should
have received inheritance and dowry by their mother + the
increase of their father’s share.
- If a man had a child by one of his slaves + legitimate children,
the former had no share; the legitimate children were bound to
free the mother and give somethin - tael or a slave
- Legitimate children + son of inaasava = all are classed as
natural children. Although the son of inaasava should be
begotten after marriage. They won't inherit equally. 2:1;
legitimate child and inaasava child respectively. BUT! If no
legitimate child the other one inherits it all
- If a child of a slave woman, received as stated a while above.
But if no legitimate child or child of inaasava, the inheritance
goes to the nearest relative
- In the case of a child of a free married woman born while she is
married, if the husband punished the adulterer it is considered
as dowry
- If adopted, inherit 2x of what was paid for their adoption
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)
● Slaves

Becomes slaves: Emancipated through:

Captivity in war Forgiveness

Reason of debt Paying debt

Inheritance Condonation

Purchase Bravery

Commiting a crime Marriage

2.4 RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

● WORSHIP
Simbahan
- a temple or place of adoration
Nagaanitos
- whole barangay or family, united and joined in the worship
Badhala
- “all powerful” or “maker of all things”
Sun
- Worshiped for its beauty, respected and honored by heathens
Moon
- they celebrate especially when it is new, at which time they held
great rejoicing, adoring it and bidding welcome
Stars
- they don’t know them by their names except the morning star
named as Tala

Mapolon
- change of seasons
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)
Balatic
- Great Bear
Lic-ha
- Great Bear
Dian Masalanta
- the patron of lovers and of generation
Lacapati and Idianale
- the patrons of the cultivated lands and of husbandry
Buaya (crocodiles)
- They paid reverence to these creatures: from fear of getting
harmed by them

● SUPERSTITIONS
- Tagalogs believed that if they left their house and met on the
way a serpent or rat, or a bird called Tigmamanuguin which
was singing in the tree, or if they chanced upon anyone who
sneezed, they should return to their home for some evil might
befall them if they should continue their journey—especially
when the above-mentioned bird sang.
Vibit
- ghosts
Tigbalaang
- phantoms
Patianac
- If any woman died in childbirth, she and the child suffered
punishment; and that, at night, she could be heard lamenting

● Divination
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)
- The purpose of practicing these is to see
whether weapons, such as a dagger or knife,
were to be useful and lucky for their possessor
whenever occasion should offer

● Manner of Offering Sacrifices

- To proclaim a feast and offer to the devil what they had to eat
- It was done in front of the the idol, which they anoint fragrant
perfumes and praises it in
Object of Sacrifices:
- goats, fowls, and swine and laid before the idol. In
some, others offer a good piece of cloth, doubled,
over the idol, gold ring, etc.
- cooking jar of rice until the water was evaporated,
after which they broke the jar and the rice left as in
intact mass was set before the idol
- BUYOS, small fruit wrapped in a leaf with some
time, a food generally eaten in theses regions - as
well as food and fruits

● PRIESTS OF THE DEVILS

Catalonan
- An officiating priest, either a man or a woman
- The devil was sometimes liable to enter into the body of the
catolonan, said to take its shape and appearance, filled with
great arrogance and superiority and would sometimes shoot
flames from his/her eyes
Mangagauay
- Witches who deceived people by pretending to heal the sick
- They can instantly kill a person and/or could prolong life

Manyisalat
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)
- The same as mangagauay
- Had the power of applying such remedies to
lovers to make them abandon and despise
their own wives
Mancocolam
- whose duty it was to emit fire from himself at night, once or
oftener each month
Hocloban
- another kind of witch but is greater efficacy than the
mangagauay
- Can kill a person by simply saluting or raising their hand
- Can heal those whom they had made ill by their charms by
using other charms
- Found in Catanduanes, an island off the upper part of Luzon.
Silagan
- if they saw anyone clothed in white, they would tear out the
victim’s liver and eat it, thus causing death
- Found in Catanduanes
Magtatangal
- his purpose was to show himself at night to many persons,
without his head or entrails and returned to his body in the
morning
- occurred in Catanduanes
Osuang
- equivalent to a sorcerer
- Has the ability to fly and murder men and ate their flesh
- Exist in the Visayas Islands but not among the Tagalogs

Mangagayoma
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)
- another class of witches
- They made charms for lovers out of herbs,
stones, and wood, which would infuse the
heart with love
Sonat
- equivalent to a preacher
- It was his job to help one to die, at which time he predicted the
salvation or condemnation of the soul
Pangatahojan
- a soothsayer
- Can predicted the future
Bayoguin
- signified a cotquean
- a man whose nature inclined toward that of a woman
(homosexual)

● BURIAL
- The deceased was buried beside his house
- If CHIEF, he was placed beneath a little house or porch which
they constructed for this purpose
- re: before entering him, they mourned for 4 days and afterward
laid him on a boat which served as a coffin, placing him beneath
the porch, where guard was kept over him by a slave
- If WARRIOR, a living slave was tied beneath his body until in
this wretched way he died. In course of time, all suffered decay;
and for many days the relatives of the dead man bewailed him,
singing dirges, and praises of his good qualities, until finally they
wearied of it. Accompanied by eating and drinking

III. CONSEQUENCES
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)

3.1 CONTRIBUTION OF THE DOCUMENT IN

UNDERSTANDING THE GRAND NARRATIVE OF
PHILIPPINE HISTORY

● It mainly accounts the life system, social classes and the functions of
the different roles of the Filipinos during pre-hispanic period
● It accounts the religious system, practices and beliefs before
● It accounts the institution of slavery, marriage, parenthood, etc.
● In addition, it is important to the grand Spanish narrative as a civilizer.
The Spaniards will quote it as their prime authoritative source to show
just how primitive we were and how great their contribution was to our
development

3.2 RELEVANCE OF THE DOCUMENT TO THE CONTEMPORARY TIMES

● Many of the beliefs and practices before are still present today
● It affirms that during the Pre-Hispanic Period, Filipinos already had a
government as well as a set of beliefs and practices
● Some of the practices before weren’t being practiced today, still these
practices gave us our own identity
● Filipino people in the past until now are very religious, for they believe
that strong devotion may lead to a better life and their guidance to face
everyday

IV. REFERENCES
 QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
(673, Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City)
Blair, E. H. (2004, October 11). The Philippine Islands,
1493–1898, V7, 1588–1591. Project Gutenberg Ebook.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13701/13701-h/13701-
h.htm#d0e1500

Fernandez, J. (2018, January 13). Miguel de Talavera, ang Misyonerong

Totoy sa Taytay. Retrieved from https://taytaynijuan.me/misyonero-si-totoy-
taytay-rizal/

Gutay, J. D. (n.d.). Life and Works of Fray Juan de Plasencia. Retrieved April
27, 2021, Retrieved from
https://ofmphilarchives.tripod.com/id8.html#_ftnref5

Mapanoo, S. A. (n.d.). Accustomed Othering in Colonial Writing A Review of

“Customs of the Tagalogs” (two relations) by Juan de Plasencia From The
Philippine Islands 1493–1898. Artes De Las Filipinas. Retrieved April 27,
2021. Retrieved from
http://www.artesdelasfilipinas.com/archives/186/accustomed-othering-in-
colonial-writing