Readings of the Philippine History
Karina Faye Labasan
Module 1: Learning History
History
- Study of history is more than just
knowing and memorizing facts
- Historian’s duty to draw insights from
the ideas and realities that they shaped
the lives of men and women and the
society.
- Understanding it can help us
comprehend how situations happened,
identify their elements, and think of how
these situations can solve today’s
pre-dicaments and help plan the future
Study of History
- The study of the beliefs and desires,
practices, and institutions of human
beings.
- Allows us to gain valuable perspectives
on the problems of our society
Module 2: Understanding Sources
Sources
- Historical sources that our history
studied and written
- In analyzing them, several
methodologies and theories were used to
study history
Types of Sources:
a. Primary Sources
- Materials produced by people or
groups that are participants or
eyewitnesses to the event.
- Can range from eyewitness
accounts, diaries, letters, legal
documents, official documents,
photographs
Examples:
1. Photographs that may reflect social conditions
of historical realities and everyday life
2. Old sketches and drawings that may indicate
the conditions of life of societies in the past
3. Old maps that may reveal how space and
geography were used to emphasize trade routes,
structural build-up, etc.a
b. Secondary Sources
- The testimony of anyone who is
not an eyewitness
- That is one who was not present
at the event which he tells
- Books, articles, and scholarly
journal that had interpreted
primary sources or had used to
discuss certain subjects of
history
Module 3: Magellan’s Voyage Around
the World
Perspective
- Refers to the point of view of the said
writer who as a witness to the event
- Hostorians are careful using these
sources as the writer may example,
missionary chronicles or narratives that
were written by the religious
missionaries who came to the
Philippines to spread Christianity
Barbarians or Uncivilized
- What missionaries called Filipinos
before as they came to the Philippines
Having Different Perspective
- Same events can have different
interpretations by different observers
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Karina Faye Labasan
- Reading historical events from all sides
will enable us to form our own studies
about the said event
Historical Context
- Europeans gained from the Crusades
was the discovery of products that were
not available in their own country
- Porcelain, silk, incense, herbs, perfumes,
fabrics, carpets, spices, and other
oriental products
Asian Products
- Highly had Crusaders invest in
Spices
- Became the most expensive and
in-demand commodity among
Europeans because of their numerous
uses
- Many merchants aspired to monopolize
their supply and distribution in the
markets of Europe
Silk-Road or Arabian-Italian Trade Route
- Routes where the asian goods reached
- Expensive and often times disrupted by
wars, calamities, and bandits
Closing of the Spice Trade Route
- Conquest by the Ottoman Empire Of
Cantantinople
- Present day Turkey and the “Gateway of
the West” then
- Forced European kingdoms to look for
other ways to purchase spice directly
from the source
- Decided to explore the oceans to look
for a way to the famed Spice Islands
Prince Henry
- Navigator of Portugal
- Put up a maritime school that trained
sailors who would later discover an
eastern route going to the Spice
Island(Moluccas Island in the
Modern-day)
- The route enabled them to trade directly
with the producers of spices and other
oriental goods
Marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile & King
Ferdinand II of Aragon (1469)
- Couple the Victory of the Catholic
Monarchs over the Moors in the Battle
of Granada
Battle Of Granada (1492)
- Resulted in the rise of Spain as a world
Power
- Spain started to explore their economic
options outside the Iberian Peninsula
Spain
- Inspired by the success of portugal they
aspire to have a fair share in the spice
trade
- Financed the Trans-Atlantic Voyage of
Christopher Columbus (1492-1502)
- Also supported the plan of Ferdinand
Magellan to go the Easy by sailing
Westward, a proposal that Portugal
refused to financed
Trans-Atlantic Voyages of Christopher
Columbus
- Resulted in the discovery of the
territories on the other side of the
Atlantic Ocean
Magellan-Elcano
- Expedition left the port of Sanlucar de
Barrameda in Seville on August 20,
1519, with 270 men of different
nationalities
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- Main objectives as to search of a new
maritime path to the Spice Islands that
would not violate Spain’s treaty with
Portugal
- Suffered natural and manmade
challenges and 3 out of 5 ships reached
the Philippines
As Magellan Reaches the Philippines
- Filipinos marked with hospitality and
traded with them
- Some filipinos ere converted to
Christianity
Lapu-lapu
- Chieftain of Mactan
- Refused to trade with the Spaniards,
resulting to Magellan wage war
Battles between Lapu-Lapu vs. Magellan
- Spaniards lost the battle
- One of the casualties was Magellan
- Survicirs returned to Cebu and were also
attacked by their former allies
- Prompted to leave the island
- Number of them was just enough to man
2 ships (Victoria and Trinidad)
- The Ship Victoria was under Juan
Sebastian Elcano’s command
- Manage to purchase large amount of
spices as they arrived at the spice island
- Trinidad and the crew were captured by
the portuguese on their journey back
September 7, 1522
- Elcano and 17 Survivors arrived in
Spain (ship Victoria)
- One of them is Antonio Pigafetta who
was Magellan’s assistant
Background of the Author
Antonio Pigafetta
- Born around 1490 in the town of
Vicenza, Venice Italy
- Eldest son of Goivanni Pigafetta to
second wife Ange; Zoga
- Studied astronomy, Geography, and
cartography
- Worked in the ships owned by the
Knights of Rhodes
- Joined the delegation of Monsignor
Francesco Chieregati when the latter
was assigned as Papal Nuncio to Spain
in 1519
- Joined the knights of St. John of
Jerusalem in its battle against turks
- Died sometime in 1534
Pigafetta Applying to Magellan’s Voyage
- After getting approval from the Spanish
sovereign, he left Barcelona and went to
Seville
- Presented his credentials to Magellan
and to the Casa De La Contraction (the
office on charge of the voyages to the
New World
- Admitted as one of the Sobresalientes or
supernumeraries
Sobresalientes
- Supernumeraries
- Men coming from a prominent family
who ill join the trip for the love of
adventure and for advancement of
Military Service
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About the Book
- Pigafetta kept a detailed journal of what
happen from the time they left Seville in
1519 until the return to Spain 3 years
later
- He was unable to find a financier who
ould pay for the deposit since the
accounts of Maximilianus Transylvanus
and Peter Martyr were already out and
interest on Magellan’s expedition had
died down
- 1536, a condensed version of his
manuscript was publish
Pope Clement VII, Philippe de Villiers
L’Isle-Adam & Louis of Savoy
- Where pigafetta presente his draft of the
journal he wrote
- Hoping that they would help them
finance its publication
Jacques Fabre
- The one who publish the condensed
version of Antonio Pigafette’s book in
Venice 1536
Journal of Pigafetta
- Original copy did not survive
- Copies of the manuscript was handed
down that was never printed in his
lifetime
- 3 was french, 2 are Bibliotheque
Nationale in Paris
- Third one was originally owned by
Thomas Phillipps
- Beinecke Rare Book, bought the book
and kept in the Manuscript Libabry of
Yale University in New Haven
- 1800, Carlo Amoretti publish an Italian
Version and a french version
- James alexander Robertson made his
own English Version and appeared in
the Philippine Isalands opus(Volume 33)
Pigafetta’s Account
- Longest and most comprehensive out o
the 4 known primary source that dealt
with Magellan’s Expedition
- Recounted the individual’s fates on the
five ship (Trinidad, San Antonio,
Concepcion, Santiago, and Victoria)
- Includes maps, glossaries of native
words, geographic information and
descriptions of the flora and fauna of the
places they visited
Enrique Malacca
- Magellan’s Slave/ Interpreter helped
Antonio to get all this information
Excerpts from Magellan’s Voyage Around
the World
A. March 16, 1521
Zamal (samar)
- Where they land
B. March 17, 1521
- captain-general desired to land on
another island which was uninhabited
and lay to the right side of the
above-mentioned island, in order to be
more secure, and to get water and have
some rest. He had two tents set up on
the shore for the sick and had a sow
killed for them
C. March 18, 1521
- we sawa boat coming toward us with
nine men in it. Therefore, the
captain-general ordered that no one
should move or say a word without his
permission.
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- seeing that they were reasonable men,
ordered food to be set before them, and
gave them red caps, mirrors, combs,
bells, ivory, bocasine, and other things.
When they saw the captain's courtesy,
they presented fish, a jar of palm wine
which they call uraca(arrack)
Cocoanuts
- Fruit of palm tree
- Describe that they can get bread, wine,
oil, and vinegar from the tree
Humunu (Homonhon)
- was the first landing place of Ferdinand
Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who
organised a Spanish expedition to the
East Indies between 1519 and 1522.
Acquada da li buoni Segnialli ("the
Watering-place of good Signs")
- were the first signs of gold which we
found in those districts.
D. March 22
- Filipinos traded with the Spaniards with
coconuts, sweet oranges, jar of
palm-wine and a cock
- Their seignior an old man who was
painted [i.e., tattooed].
Raia Colambu
- First king of the island of Butuan and
Calagan
Raia Siaui
- Second king of the island of Butuan and
Calagan
Abba
– god of the filipinos before christianity
Ceylon(Leyte), Zubu (Cebu), Calaghann
(Calagan)
- Best port to get food
Zubu (Cebu)
- The largest and the one with most trade
Gatighan
- Island where there are bats as large as
eagles
Module 4: Customs of the Tagalog
Historical Content
- Colonial government had difficulty in
running local politics because of the
limited number of Spaniards
- Situation forced Spanish officials to
allow Filipinos to hold position of
gobernadorcillo
Friars
- Assigned in parishes to instruct and
supervise the gobernadorcillo if they
remain loyal to the crown
- Ended up performing the administrative
duties that colonial officials should have
been doing
- Supervised the election, helped in local
taxes
- Most knowledgeable and influential
figure in the pueblo
Details that the Friars need to report
- Number of the natives they converted
- People’s way of life
- Socio-economic situation
- Problems they encounter
Readings of the Philippine History
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Plasencia’s Relacion de las Costumbres de
Los Tagalog (Customs of the Tagalog, 1589)
- Example og the friars work
- Contains numerous information that the
historians use in recounstructing the
political and socio-cultural history of the
tagalog Region
Miguel de Loarca
- An encomendero of Panay
- Wrote his Relacion de las Islas Filipinas
1582
- Described the Filipinos’ way of life in
western Visayas
Antonio De Morga
- Wrote Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas
- Provides information about the state of
the Philippines in the latter part of 16th
Century
About the Author
Fray Juan de Plasencia
- Joan de Portocarrero
- Member of the Franciscan order
- Came together with the first
missionaries to the Philippines in 1578
- He and franciscan Fray Diego de
Oropesa were assigned to do mission
works in the southern Tagalog area
- Converted Christianity enable him to
write a work titled Relacion de Las
costumbres de los tagalogs
- Vividly describe the political, social,
economic, and cultural practices of the
Filipinos before they were introduced
Catholisism
- Believed that catechism or explaining
the basic catholic faith is another
important function of a missionary
- Biggest challenge at that time was how
to make an articles of faith
comprehensible to people who never
heard of christ or the catholic church
- Died in liliw, laguna 1590
Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Espanola y
Tagala
- First book Plasencia Wrote and was first
printed in the Philippines in 1593
- Used as an reading material for those
Filipinos who wished to deepen their
faith
Excerpts From the Customs of the
Tagalog
Thorn Datos (Datu)
- Chiefs
- The one who governed and were
captains of the wars
Barangay
- Tribal gathering
- Classed by their language among the
malay nations
3 caste system
- Nobles
- Commoners
- Slaves
a. Nobles
- Freeborn whom they call Maharlica
- Did not pay tax or tribute to the dato
- Must accompany the dato in wars
b. Commoners
- Aliping namamahay
- Are married, and serve their masters
whether a dato or not
- Accompanied him wherever he went
beyond the island, and rowed for him
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- Live in their own houses and are lords
of their property and gold
- Children inherit and enjoy their lands
c. Slaves
- Aliping sa guguilir
- Serve their masters in his house
and on his cultivated lands
- Master grants them and
provides that he profited
through their industry a portion
og their harvest so they may
work faithfully
- Servants born in the house of
their master are rarely, if ever
sold
Worship of the Tagalogs
People worshipped the Moon
- Especially worship when it is ne
- Had great rejoicing adoring iy and
bidding it welcome
Tala
- Morning star according to the Spaniards
Mapolon
- Change of the seasons
Balatic
- Greater bear
Iic-ha
- Possessed idols
- Images with different shapes
- Worshipped any little trifle

Simbahan Dian Masalanta

- A temple or place of adoration
Pandot or Worship
- What celebration or festival mean Lacapati & Idianale
- Celebrated it in a large house of the
chief
Sibi
- Temporary shed on each side of the
house with a roof
- Protected people when it rain Distinction of Priests
Nagaanitos
- The worship which was joined and
reunited the barangay or family
Bathala
- Especially worshipped
- To signify “all power” or “maker of all
things”
People worshipped the sun
- Worship for its beauty
- Universally respected and honored by
the heathens
- Idol who is a patron of lovers and of
generation
- Patrons of the cultivated lands and of
husbandry
- Paind reverence to water-lizards or the
buaya
a. Catolona
- Officiating priest
b. Mangagauay
- Witches who deceived by pretending to
heal the sick
c. Manyisalat
- Priest that have power of applying
remedies to lovers that they would
abandon and despise their wives
d. mancocolam
- Duty was to emit fire from himself at
night once or oftener each month
Readings of the Philippine History
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Maca
e. Hocloban - Another life of rest in paradise
- Witch of greater efficacy than - Village of rest
mangagauay
- Simply saluting or raising hand they Casanaan
killed whom they chose - Place of anguish
- Desire to heal heal those whom they - Place of punishment, grief, and
made ill by their charms affliction
- Was in Catanduanes an island off the
upper part of Luzon

f. Silagan
- Anyone clothed in white, to tear out his
liver and eat it

g. Magtatangal
- Purpose was to show himself at night to
many person without his head or entrails

h. Osuang
- Equivalent to a sorcerer
- Have seen to fly and murdered men and
ate their flesh
- Among Visayas Island

i. Mangagayoma
- Made charms for lovers out of herbs,
stones, woods which would infuse the
heart with love

j. Sonat
- Preacher
- Helps one die at which time he predicted
the salvation or condemnation of the
soul

k. Pangatahojan
- Soothsayer
- Predicted the future

l. Bayoguin
- Signified a “cotquean”
- A man whose nature inclined toward
that of a woman