Content and Contextual Analysis

Customs of the Tagalogs

Context Analysis
Title of the document (1 point)
Customs of the Tagalog

Original Language of the Document (2 points)

Spanish

Language used in Translation (2 points)

English

Translator (2 points)
Frederic W. Morrison

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Author’s Name: Juan De Plasencia

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Birth of the Author
Date (1 point): 16th century Death (1 point): 1590

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Place (1 point): Extremadura, Spain
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Relevant information about the author that would link the author to the
primary source. (2 points)
"Indians" were examined, observed, collected, and interviewed by Juan
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de Plasencia. During his missionary work, particularly older men from

different districts or communities collect information about the different
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customs and cultures of natives about their social stratification and

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conditions, government, justice administration, inheritance, slaves, and

dowries. He was also considered to be a native Filipino defender. He is
considered a primary source for these activities since he observed them.
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Therefore, it is mixed with his own judgment and prejudices, noting that he
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was not a Tagalog or a native Filipino.

Date of Writing and/or Publication of the Original document. (1 point)

The original document was written in 1589 during Spanish Colonial
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period.
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Place Written (2 points)

The document was written in Naglarcan, Laguna where the author had
conducted his study about the practices and tradition of the native Filipinos.
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Author’s Purpose for Writing the document. (2 points)

This document was a duty given to Father Juan de Plasencia by Governor
Santiago de Vera. Furthermore, the aim was to provide alcalde-mayors with a
guide to resolving disputes between native Tagalogs. Also, since they already
have information about their behaviors that they can exploit for their own
advantage, it is to amplify their dominance over the native Tagalogs. Not

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 only did it allow the Spaniards to rule, but also to reconfigure and rebuild
Philippine society.

Social milieu around the time that the event occurred and was written (What
was happening in history around the time that the document was written?) (2
points)
In 1589, the revolts of Cagayan and Dingras against the tribute took
place in the present-day provinces of Cagayan and Ilocos Norte in Luzon.
Ilocanos, Ibanags, and other Filipinos revolted against suspected tax
collectors' violations, including high tax collection. It started when the
natives were killed by six tax collectors who had arrived from Vigan. Spanish
and Filipino colonial troops were sent by Governor-General Santiago de Vera
to pacify the rebels. Eventually, the rebels were pardoned and the Philippine
tax system reformed.

Who was the intended audience of the document? (2 point)

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The intended audience of the document or report are the alcalde-mayors,

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the King of Spain and Western readers.

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Content Analysis

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This document became the country’s first Civil Code, used by the alcaldes-
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mayores in their administration of justice. Write one (1) rule beside each
topic based from the text.
1. On Marriage (2 points) - When two maharlicas of the opposite gender
marry, their offspring is automatically a maharlica or a noble; When a
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maharlica and his/her own slave will have an offspring, the slave and
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the child will become freemen/freewomen; When a maharlica and a

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slave of another will have their own offspring, their child will become a
slave or a freeman/freewoman.
2. On Debt (2 points) - Those to whom a debt was owed transferred the
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debt to another, thereby themselves making a profit, and reducing the

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wretched debtors to a slavery which was not their natural lot. If any
person among those who were made slaves through war, by the trade
of goldsmith, or otherwise happened to possess any gold beyond the
sum that he had to give his master, he ransomed himself, becoming
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thus a namamahay, or what we call a commoner. The price of this

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ransom was never less than five taels, and from that upwards; and if
he gave ten or more taels, as they might agree, he became wholly
free.
3. On Slavery (2 points) - Slaves serve their master in his house and on
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his cultivated lands, and may be sold. The master grants them, should
he see fit, and providing that he has profited through their industry, a
portion of their harvests, so that they may work faithfully. For these
reasons, servants who are born in the house of their master are rarely,
if ever, sold. That is the lot of captives in war, and of those brought up
in the harvest fields.

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 If there are any, what are the personal biases, suspected errors, or
misleading statements of the author that showed up in the document? (3
points)
“The reason of this was that, at the time of their settlement there,
another chief occupied the lands, which the new chief, upon his arrival,
bought with his won gold; and therefore the members of his barangay paid
him for the arable land, and he divided it, among those whom he saw fit to
reward. But now, since the advent of the Spaniards, it is not so divided.” In
this part, Plasencia indicated that disputes between barangays were reduced
due to the Spaniards' arrival, thus manipulating the viewpoint of the readers
into believing that Spaniards brought peace to the natives when they
actually gathered knowledge through their propaganda and subtly rebuilt the
Philippine society.
“Therefore, to this end, I collected Indians from different districts-old
men, and those of most capacity, all known to me; and from them I have
obtained the simple truth, after weeding out much foolishness, in regard to

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their government, administration of justice, inheritances, slaves, and
dowries.” In here, he defined Tagalog's government, justice, inheritances,

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slaves, and dowries as foolish, which is a declaration of hypocrisy since
oppression, bigotry, corruption, coercion, and hierarchy were also filled with

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their colonization.
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