Pre-Colonial Philippines

Part 2 Discussion

Rose Langbid-Roda, MIH

Faculty, Department of History
Accounts on Tabon Man
• “The Tabon caves: Archaelogical Explorations
and Excavations on Palawan Island, Philippines”
by Robert Fox (1970).
• Anthropologist
• Specific in stating the location where they
recovered the fossils, “towards the rear of the
cave along the left wall” and that “in the area
which the human fossils were discovered had
been disturbed by Magapode birds.”
• The excavation was partial, thus the statement on
“the available data would suggest that Tabon Man
may be dated from 22,000 to 24,000 years ago”
and that further excavations and chemical analysis
of the bones will define the exact age of the
human fossils.”
• Fox said that, “always the problem when writers
work from conversations”
• “Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study
of Philippine History (revised Ed.) William
Henry Scott. (1984) {1969 1st publication}
• Historian
• Found in west coast of Palawan
• Relying on the works of experts like saying
that, “Physical anthropologists who have
examined the Tabon skullcap are agreed it
belonged to modern man....”and “Two
experts have given further opinion that the
Mandile is Australian..” which means that
Scott was not present during the excavation
relies with studies alone.
Department of History
Historical Context before Magellan’s Voyage
Ø One of the benefits that Europeans gained from the Crusades was the
discovery of some products that were not available in their home country.
(ex. porcelain, silk, herbs, spices and etc.)
Ø Spices became the most expensive commodity among Europeans and
many merchants aspired to monopolise its supply and distribution.
Ø Spice Trade (Silk Road or the Arabian-Italian trade route)
Ø The closing of the land-route of the Spice Trade with the conquest of the
Ottoman Empire of Constaninople (present day Turkey) and gateway of
the West in 1453 forced European Kingdoms to purchase spices directly
from the source.

Department of History
European Trade Passages to Asia before 16th Century
Historical Context before Magellan’s Voyage

Ø Prince Henry the

Navigator put a maritime
School
Ø Spice Islands (present day
Moluccas Islands)
Ø The route enabled them
to trade directly with the
producers of Spices and
other Orientals goods.
Ø Discovery of many
territories

Department of History
Potuguese Route to Asia
Historical Context before Magellan’s Voyage

Historical Context
Ø Spain, the marriage of Queen Isabella of Castille and King Ferdinand II of
Aragon (1469) coupled with victory of the Ctaholic monarchs ov the Moors in
the Battle of Granada (1492) resulted in the rise of Spain as wold power.
Ø Spain started to explore economic options outside the Iberian Peninsula.
Ø Financed trans-Atlantic voyages of Christopher Columbus (1492-1502)
resulted in the discoveries of territories on the other side of the Atlantic
Ocean.
Ø The Spanish monarch also supported the plan of Mgaellan to go to East by
sailing westward, a proposal that Portugal refuse to finance.
Ø Magellan-Elcano Expedition left the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda in Seville
on Aug.20, 1519
Ø Purpose: to search for a new maritime path to the Spice Islands not would
not violate Spain’s treaty with Portugal.
Department of History
Spanish Attempt and Voyages
Christopher Columbus (1492)

- alternative short route to Asia

- Santa Catalina, Pinta , Nina
- discovered the “new world” American
continent
 The Division of the World
Ø Pope Alexander VI
-Papal Bull of Inter Caetera (May 3,
1493)

Ø Imaginary line was drawn from

north to south at 100 degree
west of the Azores (an
autonomous region of Portugal,
are an archipelago in the mid-
Atlantic).
ü East-Portugal
ü West-Spain
The Division of the World

Ø Pope Alexander VI issues a papal bull or decree, “Inter

Caetera," in which he authorizes Spain and Portugal to
colonize the Americas and its native peoples as subjects.

Ø The decree asserts the rights of Spain and Portugal to

colonize, convert, and enslave. It also justifies the
enslavement of Africans.

Department of History
The Division of the World
Ø Treaty of Tordesillas (June 7, 1494)

Provisions:

• Imaginary line of 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands

• If ships discovered lands east of the demarcation line, said lands
should be returned to Portugal
• No Portuguese ships shall be sent to lands belonging to Spain

Department of History
The Division of the World
EAST - Portugal The Division of the World
WEST - Spain
Magellan-Elcano Expedition

Department of History
 Ferdinand Magellan
Ø Portuguese

Ø Magellan-Elcano Expedition left the port of Sanlucar de

Barrameda in Seville on Aug.20, 1519. Purpose: to search
for a new maritime path to the Spice Islands not would
not violate Spain’s treaty with Portugal.

Ø February 1520 reached Rio de la Plata

Ø Five ships: Trinidad, Victoria, Santiago, San Antonio,

Conception (only 3 reached the Philippines)

Ø March 17, 1521-sighted the Mountains of what is now

Samar, “islas de san lazarus”

Ø September 7, 1522 - the ship Victoria arrived in Spain

with few survivors and of them was Antonio Pigaffeta.

Department of History
Antonio Pigafetta
Ø Born around 1490 in the town of Vicenza (Venice, Italy) and was the
eldest son of Giovanni Pigaffeta.
Ø Astronomy, Geography and Cartography and worked in the ships
owned by the Knights of Rhodes.
Ø A well-educated man possesing an avid curiosity around the world.
Ø Joined the delegation of Monsignor Francesco Chieregati when the
latter was assigned as Papal Nuncio to Spain in 1519 and it was during
this time he became acquianted with the spice trade.

Ø Presented his credentials to Magellan and was approved as one of the

sobresalientes (supernumeraries) or men coming from prominent
families who will join the trip for adventure and advancement of military
service.
Department of History
About the Book
ØPigafetta kept a detailed journal from the time they left Spain until
they returned to Spain after 3 years.
ØWhen he returned to Italy, many asked him to write a formal account
of the Magellan’s expedition and have it published.
ØUnable to find a financer for his his publication.
ØAccounts of Maximilianus Transylvanus and Peter Martyr were
already out and interest on Magellan expedition had died down.
Ø1536, a condensed version of his manuscript was published in
Venice, Italy by Jacques Fabre.

Department of History
About the Book
ØThe original journal of Pigafetta did not survive time and what was
handed down are copies of the manuscript that were never printed in
his lifetime.
ØVersions of the manuscripts were published and in 1819 and English
version was published. James Alexander Robertson made his
version of the Ambrosian copy and it appeared in the Philippine
Islands opus (Vol.33) and a separate edition.
ØPigafetta’s account is the longest and most comprehensive out of the
four primary sources that dealth with the Magellan Expedition.

Department of History
About the Book
ØRecounted the individual fates of the 5 ships
ØNarrated how they survived the unforseen problems and challenges
such as shortage of food, various types of diseases, crews lack of
confidence in Magellan’s leadership, the hostile attitude of the people
they encountred during the journey.
ØMaps, glossries of native words and geographic information
ØDescriptions of flora and fauna of the places

Department of History
Excerpts from Magellan’s Voyage Around the World

ü The excerpts is not presented in its entirety.

ü Limited to the narration of what happened to the

expedition upon reaching the Philippines (landed in
Homonhon up to the battle of Mactan).

ü Pigafetta and Enrique de Malacca were not natives of the

Visayan region, there were inaccuracies in the information
about the spellings of the places they visited.

Department of History
Excerpts from Magellan’s Voyage Around the World

Ø Reaching the islands of Homonhon (Samar) - the archipelago of San

Lazaro
Ø The abundance of foods in the islands such as coconuts
Ø Exhange of goods
Ø The hospitatlity of the natives
Ø Painted Natives (Pintados)
Ø Abundance of golds
Ø the conduct of the FIRST MASS and the construction of a cross in the
mountain
Ø Balanghai as the mode of transportation from island to another

Department of History
Excerpts from Magellan’s Voyage Around the World
Ø Stayed in Mazaua (Limasawa) for 7 days and moved northwest passings the
sialnds of Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan, Baybai and Gatighan
Ø Arrived in the Port of Zubu (Cebu) on April 7, 1521
Ø Friendship between Magellan and the king of Zubu (Blood Compact)
Ø The conversion of Rajah Humabon later baptized as Don Carlo and the rest of
the subjects
Ø The wife/queen was baptized as Johanna
Ø Magellan gave the queen the child Jesus as replacement for her idols.
Ø Burning of the idols and the baptism of the subjects
Ø Villages rendered obedience to Magellan and the king (Rajah Humabon)
Ø Mactan chiefs (Zula and Cilapulapu) and the latter refused to obey the King of
Spain
Ø The Battle of Mactan (April 27, 1521)
Ø Death of the Magellan (shot in the right leg with a posioned arrow)
Ø The remaining men retreated.
Department of History
Account’s Relevance?

Department of History
Account’s Relevance

üContributed to European historiography as it preserved and

popularized the achievements of the Magellan-Elcano expedition.
üMagellan’s Contributions (geography, navigation,history)
1. For proving that the earth in not flat but an oblate sphere.
2. Completed the first circumanavigation around the world.
3. Confirmed that the Portuguese route is not the only way to
the Spice Islands and that you can go to East by sailing
West.
4. Brought the attention of the Europeans that on the other side
of the American continent exists a large body of water
named Mar Pacifico (Pacific Ocean).

Department of History
Account’s Relevance

üContributed in the enrichement of Philippine Historiography

providing us a glimpse of the political, economic and social
conditions of the Visayas region during the 16th century
üDescription of the appearance, social life, religious beliefs, and
cultural practices of the people they encountered in the islands of
Samar, Leyte and Cebu.
üEconomic activities of the local folks and the goods they offered
for trade.
üA source of historical information about the beginning of
Christianity in the Philippines.

Department of History
Enrique de Malacca

üMagellan’s slave/interpreter.
üA native of the Malay Archipelago who became a slave of the
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the 16th century.
üAntonio Pigafetta, who wrote the most comprehensive account of
Magellan's voyage, named him "Henrique" (which was Hispanicised
as Enrique in official Spanish documents). Pigafetta explicitly states
that "Henrique" was a native of Sumatra.
üHis name appears as "Henrique", which is Portuguese, and is
probably the name given to him at his christening, as he was
baptised a Roman Catholic by his Portuguese captors.

Department of History
Boxer Codex
• It is a manuscript written circa 1595 which contains illustrations of
Filipinos at the time of their initial contact with the Spanish. Aside from a
description of and historical allusions to the Philippines and various other
Far Eastern countries, it also contains seventy-five colored drawings of the
inhabitants of these regions and their distinctive costumes and 15
illustrations deal with Filipinos.

• Even before, the various regional differences of the Filipinos were

apparent in their appearance and manner of dress.

Department of History
Boxer Codex
Ø The Visayans had tattooed bodies or fair-skinned while in Zambales, they were
darker and had a hairstyle that involved shaving the forehead and front half of
the head but retaining loose long hair at the back.

Ø Class system practiced by the ethnic groups were portrayed in the Codex. The
social ranking was distinct from one place to another. Clothing (or the lack of
it) discretely distinguished the differences.

Ø The abundance of gold jewelry worn by the Filipinos. The Spaniards were
obsessed with gold. In their belief that the islands were full of gold, they
willingly exchanged Brazil for the Philippines in one of their treaties with
Portugal.
Ø The ff. images shows what the 16th-century Filipinos looked like in the eyes of
the Europeans.

Department of History
The Visayans had
tattooed bodies or
fair-skinned while in
Zambales, they were
darker and had a
hairstyle that
involved shaving the
forehead and front
half of the head but
retaining loose long
hair at the back.

Department of History
A pair of gold-embellished
Visayan Noble couple.
"shimmering sashes of
woven gold with ornate
repousse buckles.. while
lighter cloth waistbands
adorned with cord
weights...rattled with every
step.."

Department of History
A Tagalog Noble couple dressed in
gold accessories. "The dress of the
women is not as neat nor as elegant as
that of the Bisayans, because they
wrap a cotton or taffeta mantle around
the body with very little polish. They
wear jackets and skirts in the same
way we have described of the Bisayans.
They also wear their dress skin-tight,
gathering it at the waist and breast
because they use no chemise or
stockings...All carry over their dress
some small mantles, which reach to the
waist, these are of colored cotton, and
some are of satin, taffeta, and damask
obtained from China."

Department of History
Naturales Tagalos Noble
couple. "The women carry much
gold jewelry because they are
richer than the Bisayans. Men
and women also wear many
bracelets and chains of gold in
the arms. They are not used to
wearing them on the legs.
Women likewise wear around
their necks golden chains like the
men do."

Department of History
A pair of male and female
hunters from Zambales. "..if
some close relative dies or is
killed, they have to kill other
men to avenge the death of their
kinsman, and until mourning is
done, they cut off their hair at
the back and in front, and they
stop eating rice, and promise
not to do other things until they
have achieved their revenge."

Department of History
Visayan Principal couple covered in tattoos.
"They have another type of clothing, which
consists of cotton blankets. The men carry on
their heads some very fine multi-colored head
scarfs which they wear as some sort of Turkish
turban. They call these in their language purones
(putong). The young men wear them finely with
many inserts of strips of gold. The garments and
dresses of Bisayan women consist of some
blankets with diverse colored stripes made of
cotton. They wear a pezuelo, a chemise with half
sleeves that reach the elbows. They are close-
fitting, without collars, and are low-necked or
low-cut and are fastened at the front with braids
or cords of silk. Many wear a lot of gold jewelry
that they use as fasteners and small golden
chains, which they use as best as they can."

Department of History
A Cagayan warrior in a feathered
headdress. "They wear their hair long up
to the shoulders and cut short at the front
up to the temples. They wear on their
heads crowns or garlands made of
fragrant herbs. Their weapons are lances
and shields a fathom long and three-
fourths (of a fathom) wide. They have
some quilted weapons and a cap like a
colored morrion or helmet and some
daggers more than eight fingers in width
and a palm and a half in length, with hilts
of ebony, with which they can cut off a
head with one stroke."

Department of History
Negrillos or Negrito hunting
couple. "...the majority of these
bowmen or archers are Negritos.
They have many herbs a drop of
which, introduced into the
bloodstream, would cause quick
death, unless remedied by another
herb."

Department of History
Naturales Tagalos. They also
wear many golden chains around
the neck, especially if they are
chiefs, because these are what
the value most, and there are
some who wear more than ten or
twelve of these chains. They
wear a headdress of small cloth
(putong) which is neither wide
nor long and which they wrap
once around the head with a
knot. They do not have long hair
because they cut it as in Spain's.

Department of History
Tagalog common men. “The
Moros (Islamized Tagalogs)
are dressed with clothes of
cotton and are not naked like
the Bisayans...from the
calves of the knees they wear
many chainlets often made of
brass, which they call
bitiques (bitik). These are
worn only by the men who
regard them as very stylish."

Department of History
Tagalog Common Women.
"Women wear round diadems
made of gold on their heads
and over their hair, which is
kept loose. This is if they ere
wives of the chief. If of others,
the diadems they wear are
made of tortoise shell. These
are very elegant."

Department of History
Zambales Hunting Team
butchering a carabao with a
bararao. "They eat raw meat
better than dogs, because in
killing a carabao, which is a
buffalo, they slice it open and
eat the innards without washing
or cleaning any part, and they
consider this a great delicacy."

Department of History
A Zambales Hunting Pair
"Among other customs that these natives
of Zambales practice is when they kill
someone, they at once remove the head
and incise it in a crown pattern with a
bararao, and suck the brains out. They
then save the head or skull as treasured
property and trophy representing the
number of men they have killed, and the
more men they have killed and the more
cruelties they have inflicted, the greater
their honor, and he who has the most
trophies becomes the most feared, and is
thus considered the bravest and most
courageous."

Department of History
Visayan Couple
who belonged to
the nobility is
depicted with
gold
embellishments.

Department of History
Cagayan Woman. "The natives
possess much gold...but they do
not want to show them to the
Spaniards, fearing that the
Spaniards would appropriate
these. They also have some
stones that they value highly
called bulaganes and
bahandines, and these are worn
by women as jewelry."

Department of History
 End of Discussion.

Thank you for listening!

Prepared by:
Rose Langbid-Roda, MIH
Faculty, Department of History
CASS, MSU-IIT