From Waterways to Churches: How Land Has Affected Pre-colonial and 19th Century Philippines

With the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines in the 1500s being the start of decades-long
repression, colonization, and reformation, it is inevitable that there will be differences in the lifestyles
between the unhispanized and hispanized periods of the Philippines. Pre-colonial times compared to that
of the 19th century certainly differ and thus have shifts in social organization. One aspect of this would be
the lands in which they inhabited, an important factor in determining the kind of lives these Filipinos lead.
With that, comparing pre-colonial society to 19th century society, vis-à-vis their land, this paper
aims to explain the following fundamental changes: the location of residence, the ownership of land,
and the hierarchies that developed from it.

Firstly, pre-colonial Filipinos lived in dispersed communities or barangays of 30-100 families

along bodies of water.1 They were fond of bathing, and thus stayed along rivers or creeks, as, in the words
of Fransisco Colin: “for the more they are in the water the better they like it.” 2 Pre-colonial Filipinos
bathe as much as twice a day, and are generally neat and orderly in their buildings and daily life. 3
Furthermore, given their location, they were much more inclined to fishing and seafood diets, along with
going on raids and participating in trade. On the other hand, upon the arrival of the Spaniards in the
Philippines, this scattered way of living near the waters shifted to more condensed settlements of
thousands of people called cabeceras, where they can hear the sound of a church bell. 4 This shift
happened under the policy of reduccion, which was implemented to make it easier for the limited number
of priests to control the Filipinos. With the goal of spreading Christianity in mind, central villages were
established and more churches were built. In the words of Doeppers, “it was through the efforts of these
bands of missionaries, laboring individually in villages, that the Philippines became a Catholic land and
that Spain was able to maintain control of the colony with meager forces until 1896-1899.” 5 Thus,
compared to the rather lax and natural lifestyle of pre-colonial Filipinos by the shores, the 19th century
was more rigid and heavily influenced by religion.

Next, pre-colonial communities considered land (e.g. in the tingue or mountain range, and
uninhabited forests) and its supply (i.e. crops, water sources, woodlands) as communal resources in the

1Excerpts from Juan de Plasencia, in Jocano, Felipe Landa. The Philippines at the Spanish Contact. Manila: MCS
Enterprises, 1975, p. 109
2Excerpts from Fransisco Colin, in Jocano, Felipe Landa. The Philippines at the Spanish Contact. Manila: MCS
Enterprises, 1975, p. 166.
3Excerpts from Boxer's Codex, in Jocano, Felipe Landa. The Philippines at the Spanish Contact. Manila: MCS
Enterprises, 1975, p. 197.
4Greg Bankoff, “Big Fish in Small Ponds: The Exercise of Power in a Nineteenth-Century Philippine Municipality,”
Modern Asian Studies 26, no. 4 (1992): pp. 679-700, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0026749x00010027, 679.
5Daniel F. Doeppers, “The Development of Philippine Cities before 1900,” The Journal of Asian Studies 31, no. 4
(March 1972): pp. 769-792, https://doi.org/10.2307/2052101, 774.
bayan or community.6 However, the lands they inhabited, especially the irrigated portions, were divided
among the whole barangay; so each member of the community knew their own area. Land was allotted to
every member, and resources were generally without restrictions. For instance, Juan de Plasencia notes
that any individual, regardless of whether or not he is a member of the village, may clear and sow any
land without anyone compelling him to stop.7 In contrast, land in the 19th century was owned by the
friars. The friars held these lands for centuries, and had laid claims to these without any titles, on top of
imposing heavy rentals on the natives who occupied them. 8 However, those who had amassed enough
wealth—particularly, the mestizos—were able to lease land from the friars, creating a new hierarchy in
19th century society, which will be further elaborated in the next paragraph about hierarchies.

The different land locations and ownership created different hierarchies as well. For pre-colonial
Filipino society, it was the chief or datu that governed the land and led the people, along with being the
judge for crimes and the like. Datus would lead raids and handle trading among communities. Next are
the timawa and maharlika were generally the freemen of the barangay, and may pay a tribute to the datu,
although it is not always the case. In the lowest class are slaves or alipin who provide labor to the upper
classes. The slaves of this time were rather free in terms of being able to marry any social class and not
being owned by any. Meanwhile, it was the gobernadorcillo who was the most senior official in the
municipality/settlement, having nearly the same responsibilities as the pre-colonial datu, with executive
and judiciary powers, plus administering the local area and collecting tributes. 9 With this, it can be seen
that there are still present similarities between pre-colonial Philippines and the 19th century in terms of
governing leaders of the land, despite being decades apart. At the same time, the most apparent hierarchy
would be the landowners/friars at the top, followed by the inquilinos, and lastly, the farmhands and
sharecroppers at the bottom. Being able to lease land from friars opened up the space for inquilinos in the
social hierarchy, given that they are the tenants who provide land and cash advances for farming tools.
These would be used by the farmhands and sharecroppers, who are responsible for taking care of the
crops and ultimately providing labor. Thus, it can be seen that social structure changes along with the
shift in land ownership and location.

Overall, much can be said about the changes brought about by the management and supervision
of lands in the Philippines during the pre-colonial period and 19th century. By simply changing

6William Henry Scott. “Tagalog Society and Religion.” In Barangay: 16th Century Philippine Society and Culture.
Quezon City: ADMU Press, 1994, p. 229.
7Excerpts from Juan de Plasencia, in Jocano, Felipe Landa. The Philippines at the Spanish Contact. Manila: MCS
Enterprises, 1975, p. 109
8Charles H. Cunningham, “Origin of the Friar Lands Question in the Philippines,” American Political Science Review
10, no. 3 (1916): pp. 465-480, https://doi.org/10.2307/1945652, 475.
9 Greg Bankoff, “Big Fish in Small Ponds: The Exercise of Power in a Nineteenth-Century Philippine Municipality,”
Modern Asian Studies 26, no. 4 (1992): pp. 679-700, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0026749x00010027, 681.
community arrangements from being scattered along the waterways to being more densely populated
within the vicinity of churches, and by taking the titles and ownership of land away from the natives, new
hierarchies that affected social organization and the people's lifestyles were created. Moreover, where the
people are situated, as well as how these systems are approached greatly affect the people and the future
generations to come. Hence, it is clear that these events and changes were foundations to the kinds of
lifestyles, systems, and hierarchies that are present today.

Laurice L. Tumanda, HISTO 11-C

Bibliography

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Cunningham, Charles H. “Origin of the Friar Lands Question in the Philippines.” The American Political
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Doeppers, Daniel F. “The Development of Philippine Cities Before 1900.” The Journal of Asian Studies
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Excerpts from Boxer's Codex, in Jocano, Felipe Landa. The Philippines at the Spanish Contact. Manila:
MCS Enterprises, 1975, p. 197.

Excerpts from Fransisco Colin, in Jocano, Felipe Landa. The Philippines at the Spanish Contact. Manila:
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Excerpts from Juan de Plasencia, in Jocano, Felipe Landa. The Philippines at the Spanish Contact.
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Scott, William Henry. “Tagalog Society and Religion.” In Barangay: 16th Century Philippine Society and
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