Katrina Pauline M.
Samillano
INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY
History has been defined as the study of
the past.
Greek historia means the knowledge
acquired through investigation.
As a discipline, it has been around for
about 2,400 years as old as
mathematics and philosophy.
Classical Latin - “the account of the
past of a person or group of people
through written documents and
historical evidences”
Task of the historian - arbiter of facts
and evidences, making his
interpretation and forming historical
narrative.
HISTORY, THE HISTORIAN, and
HISTORICAL SOURCES
Historical research requires rigor.
Historical methodology comprises
certain techniques and rules that
historians follow in order to properly
utilize sources and historical evidences
in writing history.
Historical Sources
- can be classified between primary
and secondary sources.
Primary Sources - sources produced at
the same time as the event, period, or
subject being studied.
e.g., Primary sources for studying
Commonwealth Constitution
Convention of 1935:
• minutes of the convention
• newspaper clippings,
• Philippine Commission reports of
the U.S. Commissioners
• records of the convention
• the draft of the Constitution
• even photographs of the event.
• Eyewitness accounts of convention
delegates and their memoirs
•Archival documents, artifacts,
memorabilia, letters, census, and
government records (most common
example)
Secondary Sources - sources which
were produced by an author who used
primary sources to produce the material.
Historical sources, which studied a
certain historical subject.
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e.g., on the subject of the Philippine
Revolution of 1896, students can read
Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt of the
Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the
Katipunan published originally in 1956,
which makes the Revolt of the Masses
as a secondary source.
The classification of sources between
primary and secondary depends not on
the period when the source was
produced or the type of the source but
on the subject of the historical research.
For example, a textbook is usually
classified as a secondary source, a
tertiary source even. However, this
classification is usual but not automatic.
Both primary and secondary sources
are useful in writing and learning
history.
The historian should be able to conduct
an external and internal criticism of the
source, especially primary sources
which can age in centuries.
External Criticism - the practice of
verifying the authenticity of evidence
by examining its physical
characteristics; consistency with the
historical characteristic of the time
when it was produced; and the
materials used for the evidence.
e.g., quality of the paper, the type of the
ink, and the language and
words used in the material, among
others.
Internal Criticism - examination of
the truthfulness of the evidence, content
of the source, and examines the
circumstances of its production.
e.g., Japanese reports and declarations
during the period of the war should not
be taken as a historical fact hastily.
entails that the historian acknowledge
and analyse how such reports can be
manipulated to be used as war
propaganda.
Validating historical sources is
important because the use of unverified,
falsified, and untruthful historical
sources can lead to equally false
conclusions.
One of the most scandalous cases of
deception in Philippine history is the
hoax (1) Code of Kalantiaw (set of
rules contained in an epic, Maragtas,
which allegedly written by Datu
Kalantiaw.)
The Code’s authenticity was
debunked by the American historian, a
doctoral student of the University of
Sto. Tomas, William Henry Scott in
1958.
(2) case of Ferdinand Marcos’s claim
as a decorated World War II soldier
who led a guerrilla unit called Ang
Maharlika.
Task of the historian:
1) look at the available historical
sources and select the most relevant
and meaningful for history and for the
subject matter that he/she is studying.
2) Organize the past that is being
created so that it can offer lessons for
nations, societies, and civilization.
3) seek for the meaning of recovering
the past to let the people see the
continuing relevance of provenance,
memory, remembering, and historical
understanding for both the present and
the future.
KKK AND KARTILYA NG
KATIPUNAN—THE QUEST FOR
STRATEGIC WAR
The content and provisions of the
Kartilya is a reaction and response to
certain value systems that they found
despicable in the present state of things
that they struggled against with.
In the context of the Spanish colonial
era where the indios were treated as the
inferior of the white Europeans, the
Katipunan saw to it that the alternative
order that they wished to promulgate
through their revolution necessarily
destroyed this kind of unjust hierarchy.
Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalangang
Katipunan ng Mga Anak ng Bayan
- historically important secret society
and revolutionary group.
- The members had the common goal of
gaining independence from Spanish
rule.
Founding of the Katipunan
- July 7, 1892 the Katipunan was
founded [Azcarraga street (now Claro
M. Recto Ave.) in Tondo Manila.]
- Katipunan was established when anti-
Spanish Filipinos had realized that
societies such as the La Liga Filipina
would be suppressed by colonial
authorities.
The Aims and Structure of the
Katipunan
Katrina Pauline M. Samillano
• Civil - principle of self-help and the
defense of the weak and the poor.
• Political - separation of the PH from
Spain: secure the independence of the
colony.
• Moral - focused on the teaching of
good manners, hygiene, and good
moral character.
The Katipunan Government
The Katipunan governing bodies:
• Kataastaasang Sanggunian
(Supreme Council) - highest; central
government.
• Sangguniang Bayan (Provincial
Council) - provincial government.
• Sangguniang Balangay (Popular
Council) - municipal government.
• Sangguniang Hukuman (Judicial
Council)- judicial power of KKK.
Katipunan Membership
TRIANGLE SYSTEM
• An original member would
recruit two new members who
did not know each other.
1. Katipon (Member) - Black hood,
with a triangle of white ribbons, inside
of which were the letters Z, LI, B.
2. Kawal (Soldier) - Green hood, with
a triangle of white lines. Suspended
from the neck was a green ribbon with
a medal, with the letter K in the ancient
Tagalog scipt inscribed in the middle.
3. Bayani (Patriot) - Red mask, with
white triangle, inside of which was K,
K, K, Zz, LL, and B. Red sash with
green borders.
Every member of the Katipunan
adopted a symbolic name:
• Bonifacio - May Pagasa
• Jacinto - Pingkian
• Artemio Ricarte - Vibora
• Aguinaldo - Magdalo
Prominent Katipuneras
Gregoria de Jesus - wife of Bonifacio,
called Lakambini. She sew KKK’s 3
flags.
Melchora Ramos y Aquino
“Tandang Sora” - Mother of
Katipunan. She fed the katipuneros and
nursed the wounded patriots. She was
arrested by the spanish authorities and
was exiled in Marianas.
Emilio Jacinto Y Dizon - youngest
and greatest writer of the katipunan.
His pen name was Dimas-Ilaw.
Kartilya Ng Katipunan
A document written for a fraternity
whose main purpose is to overthrow a
colonial regime
The Kartilya ng Katipunan was
founded in 1892 by Emilio Jacinto. It
teaches us to lead a purposeful life,
genuinely help others, and embrace
equality. It highlights the importance of
time, standing up for the oppressed,
and choosing honor over personal gain.
One of the key contributors to the
Kartilya was Andres Bonifacio, a
self-taught writer. He wrote several key
pieces, including a patriotic poem and a
politico-historical essay.
Decalogue of Katipunan
Introduced in 1896, The Decalogue of
Katipunan is about love for God,
country, and fellowmen. It emphasizes
honor, responsibility, and sharing with
those less fortunate.
Reading the “Proclamation of the
Philippine Independence”
The country commemorates the
anniversary of the Philippine
Independence which was proclaimed
on 12 June 1898—the crowning glory
of the Philippine Revolution started by
the Katipunan.
This ended the 333 years of Spanish
colonization. Nevertheless, as
mentioned earlier, a re-examination of
the document on the declaration of
independence can reveal some often
overlooked historical truths about its
importance in Philippine history.
Aside from this, the document reflects
the general revolutionary sentiment of
that period.
e.g., the abuses like friar abuse, racial
discrimination, and inequality.
No mention was made about the more
serious problem that affected the
masses more profoundly (i.e., the land
and agrarian crisis felt by the numerous
Filipino peasants in the 19th century).
(Teodoro Agoncillo, stated that the
Philippine Revolution was an agrarian
revolution.)
The proclamation also gives us the
impression on how the victorious
revolutionary government of Aguinaldo
historicized the struggle for
independence. They were mentions of
past events that were seen as important
turning points of the movement against
Spain.
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• The execution of the GOMBURZA,
for example, and the failed Cavite
Mutiny of 1872 was narrated in detail.
• Jose Rizal’s legacy and martyrdom
was also mentioned in the document.
• the Katipunan as the pioneer of the
revolutionary movement was only
mentioned once toward the end of the
document.
• There was no mention of the
Katipunan’s foundation. Bonifacio and
his co-founders were also left out.
What Happened in the Cavity
Mutiny?
The documentation of Spanish historian
Jose Montero y Vidal centered on how
the event was an attempt in
overthrowing the Spanish government
in the Philippines.
Although regarded as a historian, his
account of the mutiny was criticised as
woefully biased and rabid for a scholar.
Another account from official report
written by then Governor General
Rafael Izquierdo implicated the native
clergy, who were then, active in the
movement toward secularization of
parishes.
These two accounts corroborated each
other.
The following excerpts from the above
mentioned authors may be accessed for
clearer picture of the conflicting
narratives:
1) Jose Montero y Vidal, “Spanish
Version of the Cavite Mutiny of 1872,”
2) Rafael Izquierdo, “Official Report
on the Cavite Mutiny,”
3) Trinidad Pardo de Tavera,
“Filipino Version of the Cavite Mutiny,”
4) Edmund Plauchut, “The Cavite
Mutiny of 1872 and the Martyrdom of
Gom-Bur-Za,”
The Spanish accounts, i.e. 1 & 2 above,
apparently underscore the reason for
the “revolution”: the abolition of
privileges enjoyed by the workers of
the Cavite arsenal such as exemption
from payment of tribute and being
employed in polos y servicios, or
forced labor. They also identified other
reasons which seemingly made the
issue a lot more serious, which included
Katrina Pauline M. Samillano
the presence of the native clergy, who,
out of spite against the Spanish friars,
“conspired and supported” the rebels.
Izquierdo, in an obviously biased report,
highlighted that attempt to overthrow
the Spanish government in the
Philippines to install a new “hari” in
the persons of Fathers Burgos and
Zamora.
In the Spanish accounts, the event of
1872 was premeditated, and was part of
a big conspiracy among the educated
leaders, mestizos, lawyers, and
residents of Manila and Cavite.
The accounts detailed that on 20
January 1872, the district of Sampaloc
celebrated the feast of the Virgin of
Loreto, and came with it were some
fireworks display.
The Caviteños mistook this as the
signal to commence with the attack.
The 200-men contingent led by Sgt.
Lamadrid attacked Spanish officers at
sight and seized the arsenal.
Izquierdo, upon learning of the attack,
ordered the reinforcement of the
Spanish forces in Cavite to quell the
revolt. The “revolution” was easily
crushed, when the Manileños who were
expected to aid the Caviteños did not
arrive. Leaders of the plot were killed
in the resulting skirmish, while Fathers
Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were tried
by a court-martial and sentenced to be
executed.
Others who were implicated such as
Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, Antonio
Ma. Regidor, Jose and Pio Basa, and
other Filipino lawyers were
suspended from the practice of law,
arrested, and sentenced to life
imprisonment at the Marianas Island.
Izquierdo dissolved the native
regiments of artillery and ordered the
creation of an artillery force composed
exclusively by Peninsulares.
GOMBURZA
On 17 February 1872, the
GOMBURZA were executed to serve
as a threat to Filipinos never to
attempt to fight the Spaniards again.
Two other primary accounts exist that
seem to counter the accounts of
Izquierdo and Montero.
1. Dr. Trinidad Hermenegildo Pardo
de Tavera (Filipino version)
- The incident was merely a mutiny by
Filipino soldiers and laborers of the
Cavite arsenal to the dissatisfaction
arising from the draconian policies of
Izquierdo, such as the abolition of
privileges and the prohibition of the
founding of the school of arts and
trades for Filipinos, which the General
saw as a smokescreen to creating a
political club.
2. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera
(Filipino version)
- The Spanish friars and Izquierdo used
the Cavite Mutiny as a way to address
other issues by blowing out in
proportion the isolated mutiny attempt.
During this time, the Central
Government in Madrid was planning to
deprive the friars of all the powers of
intervention in matters of civil
government and direction and
management of educational institutions.
The friars needed something to justify
their continuing dominance in the
country, and the mutiny provided such
opportunity.
3. Edmund Plauchut (“The Cavite
Mutiny of 1872 and the Martyrdom of
Gom-Bur-Za,”)
- Analysed the motivations of the 1872
Cavity Mutiny. The friars used the
incident as a part of a larger conspiracy
to cement their dominance, which had
started to show cracks because of the
discontent of the Filipinos. They
showcased the mutiny as part of a
greater conspiracy in the Philippines by
Filipinos to overthrow the Spanish
Government. Unintentionally, and more
so, prophetically, the Mutiny resulted in
the martyrdom of GOMBURZA, and
paved the way to the revolution
culminating in 1898.
CARICATURE AND CORY’S
SPEECH
Political cartoons and caricature -
contemporary art forms that convey
popular beliefs and social realities.
Political Caricature
• A recent art form that exaggerates
human features and poking fun of its
subject.
• It veered away from classical art.
• It became a part of the print media as
a form of social and political
commentary.
• It usually targets a persons of power
and authority.
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• It is a unique way to represent
opinions and captures the audience
imagination.
PH Caricature of the America Era
• It is a book with 377 compiled
cartoons published in 1985.
• It is authored by the historian named
Alfred McCoy together with Alfredo
Reyes-Roces.
• It is a compiled political cartoons
published in newspaper dailies and
periodicals in the aforementioned time
period.
Different Media Columns:
1. The Independent
a) 1915, by Vicente Sotto
b) It was originally launched to
advocate reform of the
Nacionalista Party
2. Philippines Free
a) 1906, by W. A. Kincaid and
Theo S. Rogers
b) Its editorial viewpoint was
sufficiently transformed to
avoid the extreme patriotism
that characterized the other
American papers.
3. Lipag-Kalabaw
a) 1906
b) It was a voice for
independent radicals
affiliated with the
Nacionalista Party
A Glance at Selected Philippine
Political Caricature in Alfred McCoy’s
Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricature of the American Era (1900-
1941)
The translation from the Spanish
Colonial period to the American
Occupation period demonstrated
different strands of changes and shifts
in culture, society, and politics.
In the arena of politics, for example, we
see the price that Filipinos paid for the
democracy modelled after the
Americans.
First, it seemed that the Filipino
politicians at that time did not
understand well enough the essence of
democracy and the accompanying
democratic institutions and processes.
This can be seen in the rising dynastic
politics in Tondo as depicted in the
cartoon published by The Independent.
Patronage also became influential and
powerful, not only between clients and
patrons but also between the newly
Katrina Pauline M. Samillano
formed political parties composed of
the elite and the United States.
The transition from a Catholic-centered,
Spanish-Filipino society to an imperial
American-assimilated one, and its
complications, were also depicted in
the cartoons. One example is the
unprecedented increased of motorized
vehicles in the city.
Another example is what McCoy called
the “sexual revolution” that occurred in
the 1930s. Young people, as early as
that period, disturbed the conservative
Filipino mindset by engaging in daring
sexual activities in public spaces like
cinemas.
Here, we can see how that period was
the meeting point between the
conservative past and the liberated
future of the Philippines.
Lastly, the cartoons also illustrated the
conditions of poor Filipinos in the
Philippines now governed by the
United States. From the looks of it,
nothing much has changed. For
example, a cartoon depicted how police
authorities oppress petty Filipino
criminals while turning a blind eye on
hoarders who monopolize goods in
their huge warehouses (presumably
Chinese mechants).
The other cartoon depicts how
Americans controlled Filipinos through
seemingly harmless American objects.
By controlling their consciousness and
mentality, Americans got to control and
subjugate Filipinos.
Revisiting “Corazon Aquino’s
Speech Before the U.S. Congress”
Cory Aquino’s speech was an
important event in the political and
diplomatic history of the country
because it has arguably cemented the
legitimacy of the EDSA government in
the international arena.
EDSA - Epifanio de los Santos Avenue
The speech talks of her family
background, especially her relationship
withher late husband, Ninoy Aquino.
It is well known that is was Ninoy who
served as the real leading figure of the
opposition at that time. Indeed, Ninoy’s
eloquence and charisma could very
well compete with that of Marcos.
In her speech, Cory talked at length
about Ninoy’s toil and suffering at the
hands of the dictatorship that he
resisted.
Even when she proceeded talking about
her new government, she still went
back to Ninoy’s legacies and lessons.
Moreover, her attribution of the
revolution to Ninoy’s death
demonstrates not only Cory’s personal
perception on the revolution, but since
she was the president, it also represents
what the dominant discourse was at that
point in our history.
The ideology or the principles of the
new democratic government can also
be seen in the same speech.
Aquino was able to draw the sharp
contrast between her government and
of her predecessor by expressing her
commitment to a democratic
constitution drafted by an independent
commission. She claimed that such
constitution upholds and adheres to the
rights and liberty of the Filipino people.
Cory also hoisted herself as the
reconciliatory agent after more than
two decades of a polarizing
authoritarian politics. For example,
Cory saw the blown-up communist
insurgency as a product of a repressive
and corrupt government.
Her response to this insurgency rooted
from her diametric opposition of the
dictator (i.e., initiating reintegration of
communist rebels to the mainstream
Philippine society). Cory claimed that
her main approach to this problem was
through peace and not through the
sword of war.
Despite Cory’s efforts to hoist herself
as the exact opposite of Marcos, her
speech still revealed certain
parallelisms between her and the
Marcos’s government. This is seen in
terms of continuing the alliance
between the Philippines and the United
States despite the known affinity
between the said world super power
and the Marcos.
The Aquino regime, as seen in Cory’s
acceptance of the invitation to address
the U.S. Congress and to the content of
the speech, decided to build and
continue with the alliance between the
Philippines and the United States and
effectively implemented an essentially
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similar foreign policy to that of the
dictatorship.
For example, Cory recognized that the
large sum of foreign debts incurred by
the Marcos regime never benefitted the
Filipino people. Nevertheless, Cory
expressed her intention to pay off those
debts. Unknown to many Filipinos was
the fact that there was a choice of
waiving the said debt because those
were the debt of the dictator and not of
the country.
Cory’s decision is an indicator of her
government’s intention to carry on a
debt-driven economy.
Reading through Aquino’s speech, we
can already take cues, not just on
Cory’s individual ideas and aspirations,
but also the guiding principles and
framework of the government that she
represented.
RIZAL RETRACT AND CRY OF
REBELLION
Rizal was counselled by the Jesuit
priests, Frs.Jose Vilaclara & Estanislao
March to sign the required retraction
letter. (Retraction affirmed as true.)
The Cry of Balintawak became also
disputatious due to the historians’
variegated accounts on its date and
place. With different accounts of its
date and place, historical accuracy of
the event and thus its significance for
our national commemoration has been
put in an awkward situation.
Such document purportedly exists,
allegedly signed by Rizal a few hours
before his execution.
This document, referred to as “The
Retraction,” declares Rizal’s belief in
the Catholic faith, and retracts
everything he wrote against the Church.
There are four iterations of the texts of
this retraction:
1.) Published in La Voz Española and
Diario de Manila on the day of
the execution, 30 December 1896.
2.) Appeared in Barcelona, Spain, in
the magazine La Juventud, a few
months after the execution, 14
February 1897, from an
anonymous writer who was later
on revealed to be Fr. Vicente
Balaguer.
3.) “Original” text was only found in
the archdiocesan archives on 18
Katrina Pauline M. Samillano
May 1935, after almost four
decades of disappearance.
Only one eyewitness account of the
writing of the document exists—that of
the Jesuit friar Fr. Vicente Balaguer.
According to his testimony, Rizal
woke up several times, confessed four
times, attended a Mass, received
communion, and prayed the rosary,
all of which seemed out of character.
Another eyewitness account surfaced in
2016, through the research of
Professor Rene R. Escalante. In his
research, documents of the Cuerpo de
Vigilancia included a report on the last
hours of Rizal, written by Federico
Moreno.
Cuerpo de Vigilancia de Manila
(Security Corps of Manila)
- The intelligence service that the
Spanish colonial government created in
1895.
- primarily organized to gather
information on the activities of the
Katipunan members and supporters.
This account corroborates the existence
of the retraction document, giving it
credence. However, nowhere in the
account was Fr. Balaguer mentioned,
which makes the friar a mere secondary
source to the writing of the document.
The retraction of Rizal remains a
controversy.
Case Study 4: Where Did the Cry of
Rebellion Happen?
Journalists of the time referred to the
phrase “El Grito de Rebelion” or
“Cry of Rebellion” to mark the start of
these revolutionary events, identifying
the places where it happened.
August 1896 (Northeast of Manila) -
declared rebellion against the Spanish
colonial government.
Prominent Filipino historian
Teodoro Agoncillo emphasizes the
event when Bonifacio tore the cedula
or tax receipt before the Katipuneros
who also did the same.
Emilio Aguinaldo commissioned an
“Himno de Balintawak” to inspire the
renewed struggle after the Pact of Biak-
na-Bato failed.
A monument to the Heroes of 1896 was
erected in what is now the intersection
of Epifanio de los Santos (EDSA)
Avenue and Andres Bonifacio Drive-
North Diversion road, and from then on
until 1962, the Cry of Balintawak was
celebrated every 26th of August.
The site of the monument was chosen
for an unknown reason.
Various accounts of the Cry give
different dates and places.
1.) A guardia civil, Lt. Olegario
Diaz, identified the Cry to have
happened in Balintawak on 25
August 1896.
2.) Teodoro Kalaw, Filipino historian,
marks the place to be in Kangkong,
Balintawak, on the last week of
August 1896.
3.) Santiago Alvarez, a Katipunero
and son of Mariano Alvarez, leader
of the Magdiwang faction in
Cavite, put the Cry in Bahay Toro
in Quezon City on 24 August 1896.
4.) Pio Valenzuela, known
Katipunero and privy to many
events concerning the Katipunan
stated that the Cry happened in
Pugad Lawin on 23 August 1896.
5.) Historian Gregorio Zaide
identified the Cry to have
happened in Balintawak on 26
August 1896
6.) Teodoro Agoncillo put it at Pugad
Lawin on 23 August 1896,
according to statements by Pio
Valenzuela.
7.) Research by historians Milagros
Guerrero, Emmanuel
Encarnacion, and Ramon
Villegas claimed that the event
took place in Tandang Sora’s barn
in Gulod, Barangay Banlat,
Quezon City, on 24 August 1896.
Using primary and secondary
sources, four places have been
identified:
1.) Balintawak
2.) Kangkong
3.) Pugad Lawin
4.) Bahay Toro
while the dates vary: 23, 24, 25, or 26
August 1896.
Valenzuela’s account should be read
with caution: He once told a Spanish
investigator that the “Cry” happened in
Balintawak on Wednesday, 26 August
1896. Much later, he wrote in his
Memoirs of the Revolution that it
happened at Pugad Lawin on 23 August
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1896. Such inconsistencies in accounts
should always be seen as a red flag
when dealing with primary sources.
According to Guerrero, Encarnacion,
and Villegas, all these places are in
Balintawak, then part of Caloocan,
now, in Quezon City. As for the dates,
Bonifacio and his troops may have
been moving from one place to another
to avoid being located by the Spanish
government, which could explain why
there are several accounts of the Cry.
FIRST VOYAGE
• Mare Pacificum - Latin name for
Pacific Ocean which means peaceful
sea.
• Spice Island (Maluku or the
Moluccas) - small group of islands to
the north-east of Indonesia and the
largest producers of spices in the world.
• Treaty of Tordesillas - an agreement
between Spain and Portugal that
defines where each could explore and
claim.
The chronicle of Pigafetta was one of
the most cited documents by historians
who wished to study the precolonial
Philippines.
As one of the earliest written
accounts, Pigafetta was seen as a
credible source for a period, which was
prior unchronicled and undocumented.
Moreover, being the earliest detailed
documentation, it was believed that
Pigafetta’s writings account for the
“purest” precolonial society.
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA - a
chronicler commissioned by the King
of Spain to accompany and document a
voyage intended to expand the Spanish
empire.
• The one who wrote an account of the
expedition entitled, “The First Voyage
Around the World.”
• Famous Italian traveler
• Studied astronomy, geography, and
cartography
• Joined the Magallanes - Elcano
expedition
• Served as Magellan's assistant
• One of the few crew members who
completed the world's first
Circumnavigation
He would always remark on the
nakedness of the natives or how he was
fascinated by their exotic culture.
Katrina Pauline M. Samillano RPH Reviewer

He also noticeably emphasized the

native’s amazement and illiteracy to the
European artillery, merchandise, and
other goods, in the same way that
Pigafetta repeatedly mentioned the
abundance of spices like ginger, and of
precious metals like gold.

Pigafetta saw them as being naked

because from the European standpoint,
they were wearing fewer clothes indeed.
Pigafetta’s perspective was too narrow
to realize that such attire was only
appropriate to the tropical climate of
the islands.

Pigafetta would always mention the

abundance of gold in the islands as
shown in his description of leaders
wearing gold rings and golden daggers,
and of the rich gold mines.

In that era, Spain and Portugal coveted

the control of Spice Islands because it
would have led to a certain increase in
wealth, influence, and power. These
contexts should be used and understood
in order to have a more qualified
reading of Pigafetta’s account.