Roa, Lindsay P.

BSBA 3-3P
Polytechnic University of the Philippines

SHORT ESSAY
John Leddy Phelan argued that the colonization of the Philippines is less violent and
therefore less traumatic when compared to the Spanish subjugation of Mexico. DO YOU
AGREE WITH PHELAN’S ANALYSIS?

John Leddy Phelan is an author of the hispanization of the Philippines that talks
about the Spanish and the Filipino response that was established in 1565-170 also is the
author of one the great scholarly undertakings of this early European colonial period in
Southeast Asian history. According to his book, the study's key result is that the Philippines'
Hispanization progressed without the violence that had experienced in other territories of
the empire, such as Mexico. Phelan believes that a policy of more informal rule in the
Philippines led to increased acculturation between Spanish and local ideas, customs, and
traditions, at minimum until 1700.

The colonization of the European empire in the Philippines began by the explorer
Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and claimed it as a colony that lasted until the Philippine
revolution in 1898. The Spaniards have reconstructed the Philippines from its political,
economic and culture that creates structures, hierarchy, trading etc. The objective of their
colonization of the Philippines is to extract resources, enslave the local people, introduce
Christianity, reconstruct the political power to enable them to control the polices and the
security of the country as well as implementing the tax farming known as encomienda. With
the independent monarch of the governor general that dominated the audiencia or high
court, captain of the armed forces and has the privilege of exploiting for private profits have
led to more abuse and trauma of the indeos, mestizo and local tribe.

Many historians have records of the events, information, and different perspectives
regarding the condition of the Philippines in the ruling of the Spaniards. Their influence on
the empire shows their authority by establishing recognition, modernization of culture and
the contribution to the information that may improve our society, introducing Catholicism,
enhancement of the educational system etc. Moreover, Natives were subjected to an
oppressive tax system to collect taxes and, eventually, pay public facilities. The colonial
duration for both countries are roughly close with Mexico, previously known as New Spain,
having 300 years while the Philippines is for 333 years. Being colonized by the Spaniards,
the two countries have their own fair share of violent and traumatic events. Both nations
experienced immense and prolonged sufferings from Spain. Because of the power of the
European empire, they easily dominated the territories and thus changed the lives of locals
and the duration of the colonization have resulted in some revolutionaries of the
Philippines.

Mexico suffered through Spanish colonization because of disease transmitted at the

time, which resulted in millions of fatalities and more land being colonized. Non-native
diseases, such as microorganisms, were, according to my research. Smallpox, influenza,
mumps, measles, and a slew of other ailments were increasing among the Aztec youth, and
the locals lacked disease resistance. Therefore, the disease decimated the native population
of America. Also, to overthrow the Aztec, Spanish conquistadors Hernan Cortes and his
soldiers partnered with Tlaxcalan tribes. With these non-native diseases and an alliance that
included guns and horses, Spanish conquistadors were able to kill many indigenous and win
the battle. From their language, gestures, and traditions, Mexico was fully or mostly
influenced by the colonizers.

There is an administration that led the Philippines to many reforms that resulted in
revolutions of some ideologies that freed the country to its independence. I believe that no
matter how strong an empire or country may be with wrong beliefs and ideology one will
not benefit the world but put harm to it. The Spaniards have abused their power and their
sole purpose is led by greed that puts the Philippines and Mexico into a state of suffering.
Filipinos must be enslaved in their own country trying to survive in their own way under the
administration of the Spanish empire.

In my understanding, whether the Philippines have suffered the most because of the
duration of the colonization is longer or the Mexico have millions of deaths because of the
different diseases that the colonizer bring to lessen their defense to completely
overpowered by the Spaniard doesn’t matter cause the damage, the trauma and the million
of lives had ended. I don’t agree entirely with his analysis that the colonization of the
Philippines is less violent and less traumatic when compared to the Spanish subjugation of
Mexico. The Aztecs found it difficult and stressful to maintain their civilization, but this
should not overshadow the arduous and cruel experiences of Filipino people. I feel that the
severity of a traumatic incident that an individual or group has gone through differs from
country to country.
Reference:

Primary source

● Phelan, John Leddy. 1959. "Political Hispanization." In Land, Politics, and Society, by
John Leddy Phelan, 135. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press.

Secondary source

● Blancaflor S. (2018) titled 120 years after Philippine independence from Spain,
Hispanic influence remains Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-
america/120-years-after-philippine-independence-spain-hispanic-influence-remains-
n912916

● Ducksters. (2021). Mexico History and Timeline Overview. Ducksters. Retrieved from
https://www.ducksters.com/geography/country/mexico_history_timeline.php