.

'•

RPTER 2 CONTENT RND CONTEXTUAL

RNRLYSIS Of SELECTED PRIMARY
SOURCES
OVERVIEW
THE COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE of the past through
credible and reliable sources·is essential to the-understanding
and learning of the students of their own history. History
must be studied carefully; hence it' necessitates the
application of historical method. Historical method is the
process of critically examining and analyzing the records
and survivals of the past (Gottschalk, 1969).
The intent of the application of historical method is to
make students competent in their.interpretation of facts and
critical analysis of historical narrative or account. For this
to be achieved, the students will be engaged in content and
contextual analysis of the selected primary sources.
Content analysis is a systematic evaluation of the primary
source be it a text, painting, caricature, and/or speech that in
the process students could develop and present an argument
based on their own understc!nding of the evidences from their
I • readings, The students will identify pertinent information
from the text/document and expla~n its importance to their
underst~nding of history in the Philippine setting. Contextual
analysis on the other hand, considers specifically the time,
place, and situa~ion when the primary source was written. The
analysis as well includes the author's background, authority
on the subject. and intent perceptible, and its relevance and
meaning to people and society today.
The approach is essential to the enhancement of student's
analytical ~nd critical thinking skills and their ability to
articulate their own views on the specific primary source in this
chapter. Moreover, for this to be realized, the selected primary
sources which will be utilized are provided and introduced
separately with a brief description for each.

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY 17

 q;

lESSOM \
I

FIRST VOYRGE RROUNO THE WORLD

.t

WHOEVER has the willp owe r to unde rtak

e a jour ney acro ss ocea ns bege ts the one
enti ty desi red. The deve lopm ent of Port
ugue se mar itim e emp ire, appa rent scien
and tech nolo gica l adva ncem ent, Euro pean tific
attra ctio n to Asia's :-vealth and spices, incit
Spai n to expe nd for an expe ditio n. Subs ed
eque ntly, Spai n alon g with othe r Euro
nati ons enga ged in disc over ing and taki pean
ng poss essio ns of land s beyo nd the cont
inen t.
T~e peri od of disc over y and expa nsio
nism bega n in the 15th cent ury, henc efor
from Euro pe cam e to the East huge vess th
els load ed with mer chan dize and men
com man d to disc over and cove t land s in und er a
the east . This was an even tua\ ity whic h adjo
peop le and nati ons and such enco unte r had ined
far-r each ing cons eque nces unti l 19 th cent
ury.
The Phil ippi ne islan d in 1521 has been
"rediscovered" by the Span ish com miss ione
auth ority , Ferd inan d Magellan? a Port d
ugue se navi gato r who gain ed conf iden
supp ort from the m·onarchy of Spai n. This ce and
info rma tion on redis cove ry whic h the worl
is cogn izan t of is attri buta ble to an Itali d
an chro nicle r, Anto nio Piga fetta . The deta
the worl d's first circu mna viga tion were ils of
accu ratel y reco rded in his jour nal. This chro
serv es as the lens thro ugh whic h the voya nicle
ge and circu mna viga tion of the worl d can
appr ehen ded with certa inty . It spec ifica be
lly furn ishe s imp orta nt deta ils on the disc
of the islan ds and peop le inha bitin g the over y
place, thes e peop le were to be the Filip
grea t ance stor s who lived peac efull y and inos '
with abun danc e in the area . The com preh
of the cult ural life of thes e people was mad ensi on
e poss ible thro ugh the chro nicle of Piga
fetta .
The narr ativ e of the voyage whic h is
a tran slati on by Lord Stan ley of Alderley
is pres ente d below. However, only the
, nece ssar y and imp orta nt deta ils of
the
narr ativ e were take n base d on wha t
is
usef ul for the stud ents . In brief, the
narr ativ e as it was writ ten, com men ced
with the desc ripti on of the prep arat ion
for the voyage, the capt ain and his men
,
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA, Patrician of Vlcenz
a, and Knight of the date s as to whe n it left Spai n, the
Rhodes, to the ver·1 ,1lustrious and vety
excell ent LORD PHILIP
DE VILLIERS LISLEADEN. the famou s
Grand Maste r of Rhodes,
time whe n ocea os were cros sed like the
h,s most respe cted Lord
Atla ntic Oce an, Pacific Oce an, and Indi
Source: https://archive.org/dela~s/firslV(Yfageroun
an
d0Opiga Ocea n. In part icula r, Piga fetta wro
te

• 18
li'EAD /NO$ IN PHII. IPPIN E HIST ORY
appertaining to the description of the different places he had seen, the people he met
and their distinct and interesting culture. The historic voyage began In 1519 and was
successfully completed in 1522.
Since there are several curious persons (very illustrious and very reverend lord) who not
only are pleased to listen to and learn the great and wonderful things which God has permitted
me to see and suffer in the long and perilous navigation, which I have performed (and which
is written herea~er), but also they desire to learn the methods.and fashions of the road which
I have taken in order to go thither, [and who do] not grant firm belief to the end unless they
are first well advised and assured of the commencement. Therefore, my lord, It will please you
to hear that finding myself in Spain in the year of the Nativity of our Lord, one thousand five
hundred and nineteen, at the court of the most serene king of the Romans, with the reverend
lord, Mons. Francis Cheregato, then apostolic proto-notary, and ambassador of the Pope Leon
the Tenth, who, through his virtue, a~rwards arrived at the bishoprick of Aprutino and the
principality of Theramo, and knowing both by the reading of many books and by the report of
many lettered and well-informed persons who conversed with the said proto-notary, the very
great and awful things of the ocean, I deliberated, with the favour of the Emperor and the
above-named lord, to experiment and go and see with my eyes a part of those things. By which
means I could satisfy the desire of the said lords, and mine own also. So that it might be said
that I had performed the said voyage, and seen well with my eyes the things hereafter written ...
Finally (very illustrious lord). a~er all provisions had been made, and the vessels were
in order, the captain-general, a discreet r:znd virtuous man, careful of his honour, would not
commence his voyage without first making some good and wholesome ordinances, such as it
is the good _custom to make for those who go to sea. Nevertheless he did not entirely declare
the vayage which he was going to make, so that his men should not from amazement and fear
be unwilling to accompany him on so long a voyage, as he had undertaken in his intention.
Considering the great and impetuous storms which are on the ocean sea, where I wished to go:
and for another reason also, that is to say that the masters and captains of the other ships ofhis
company did not love him: of this I do not know the reason, except by cause of his, the captain-
general, being Portuguese, and they were Spaniards or Castili!lns, who for a long time have been
in rivalry and ill will with one another. Notwithstanding this all were obedient to him. He made
his ordinances such as those which follow, so that during the storms at sea, which often come on
by night and day, his ships should not go away and separate from one another. These ordinances
he published and made over in writing to each master of the ships, and commanded them to be
observed and inviolably kept, unless there were great and legitimate excuses, and appearance
of not having been able to do otherwise...
Tuesday, the 20th September ofthe said year, we set sail from St. Lucar, making the course
of the south-west otherwise named Labeiche; and on the twenty-s/,rth of the said month we
arrived at an island of great Canaria, named Teneriphe, which is in twenty-eight degrees
latitude; there we remained th rte days and a half to take in provisions and other things wh1Ch

RU.DINGS IN PHIL.,l'INI HISTORY 19

were wanted. A~tr that Wt stt sail thence d
sojounud two days to sup I I an came to a port nam,d Monteros,, wher, 14/t
be known that ... h p you~ Ves with pitch, which 11 a thing ntmsary for ship,. It Is u,
a,,.ong t e othtr isles which
not a dro>1 of w t i
h d ,
b are at t ',al great Canarla, tnere Is one, where
• ,, a er s to e found proceed/ f "
hour ofmldd .1. d ng rom a ,ount,dn or a river, only once a day at the
ax, uiere emmds a cloud 1'-o h 8k h h
island· d f " U ' mt e Y w le envelops a large tree which is In this

Itaves,'an t ,a s upon the leaves of the tree, and a great abunjance of water diltils from these
so that at the foot of th t h .
e rte t ere is so large a quantity of water that It seems as if there
was an ever-running fountain. The men who inhabit this place are satisfied with this water·
also the animals, both domestic and wlld, drink of it... •
Saturday, the 16'" of M.irch, 1621, we arrived at daybreak in sight of a high ts/and, three
hundred leagues distant from the before-mentioned Thieves' Island. This isle Is named
Zamal. The next day the captain-general wished to land at another uninhabited island near the
first, to be in greater security and to take water, dlso to repose there a few days. Ht set up there
two tents on shore for the sick, and had a sow ldlled for them.
".. . .. ---, Monday, the 18'1' ofMarch, ofter dinner, we saw a
•-.....;&~,.,;
..r"",:t,;.;, ' - I' boat comttowards us with nlnt men in it: upon which
, ..,~,..:--,.,.., ••v J .,,,/1/ the captain-aerura l ordered that no on, should move
·•..:t \; "'•t
,1t;......,,_~ ·/ ~. 6
or speak without his permission. When these people
~7i'.t )i*:tf~.,,'.
• ,. ..,.. . ~-... '·'1t had come in'to 'this island towards us, immediately
) p.;:-~.:;). :'~_-J 1 \ 1 i\ the principal one amongst them went towards the
, >• 1 ~· '5' • 1
;- ,~\-:':;:~~:~~~ >
, : \ 1 , , captain-general with demonstrations of being very
, 11.·~ ... • 1-1, ~·
Ll}~l, joyous at our arrival. Five of the most showy of them
, ,;~
...
---~--. , remained with us, the others who remained with the
boat went to call some men who were fishing, and
....
·'·
afterwards all of them came together. The captain
seeing that these people were reasonable, ordered
food and drink to be given th1!111, and· he gave
.
::-.... (),~f: ..
l
them some red caps, looking glasses, combs, be/ls,
ivory, and. other things. When. !11= people saw
-.~-~"'·~•-
, .... \>. , ........ ..

the politeness of the captain, they preunted some

·'.t~ \ .. ,,. '
-- ;.::, ,,,,.:-.....I"'{\,
('\:I,
i fish, and a vessel of palm wiru, which they call in
their language Uraca; figs morr'tlran a foot long,
and others smaller and of a better savour, and two
cochos. At that time they had, nothing to give him,
and they made signs to us with their hands that in four days they would bring us Umai, which
is rice, cocos, and many othe; victuals.
To explain the kind of fruits above-named it must be ,known that the one which they call
cochl, is the fruit which the palm trees bear. And as we have bread, wine, oil, and vinegar,
proceeding from dif(erent kinds, so these people have those things proceeding from these palm
trees only. It must be said that wine proceeds from t/1e said palm trees in the following manner.
They make a hole at the summit of the tree ns far as its htart, which is named palmlto, from

20 RliDINOI IN PHILlrl'INI HlflOIIY

 which a liquor comes out in d d
somewhat of bitter. They h rops own the tree, like white must, which Is sweet, but with
• ave canes as thick h
they fasten them to th f as t e 1eg, in which they draw off this liquor, and
e tree rom the evenin t'll , 1
evening becaus th, li g 1 next morning, ana from the morning to the
' e ,s quor comes little by little...
.
These people became very r. ·1· an d ,I nendly
. . l ,am, iar with us, and explained many things to us
in t 11e1r anguage and told us th names of some islands which we saw wfth our eyes before 11s.
'Th . ' e
e island where they dwelt is • ca11edzuIuam, and it \ ,
. .rs not large.• As they were suffiaently
agreeable and conversible we had great pIeasure with . them. The captain suing that they• were
of th is good condition, to do them greater honour conducted them to th~ ship, and showed them
all his goods, that is to say, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, mace, gold and all that
was in the ship. He also had some shots fired with his artillery, at which they were so much
afraid that they wished to jump from the ship Into the sea. They made signs that the things
which the captain had shown them grew there where we were going. When they wished to leave
us they took leave of the captain and of us with very good manners and gracefulness, promising
us to come back to see us. The island we were at was named Humunu; nevertheless because we .
found there two springs of very fresh water we named it the Watering Place o(good signs, and
because we found here the first signs of gold. There is much white coral to be found here, and
large trees which bear fruit smaller than an almond, and which are like pines. There were 'also
many palm trees both good and bad. In this place there were many circumjacent islands, on
which account we named them the archipelago of St. Lazarus, because we stayed there on the
day and feast of St. Lazarus. This region and archipelago is in ten degrees north latitude, and a
hundred and sixty-one degree; longitude from the line ofdemarcation.
Friday, the 22"' of March, the above-mentioned people, who had promised us to return,
came about midday, with two boats laden with the said fruit cochi, sweet oranges, a vessel of
palm wine, and a cock, to give us to understand that they had poultry in their country, so that
1 we bought all that they brough~. The lord of these people was old, and had his face painted,
and had gold rings suspended to his ears, which they name Schione, and the others had many
bracelets and rings ofgold on their arms, with a wrapper of linen round their head. We remained
at this place eight days: the captain went t~ere every day to see his sick men, whom he had

;
tg.
placed on this island to refresh them: and he'gave them himself every day the tvater of this said
fruit the cocho, which comforted them much. Near this isle is another where there are a kind of
people who wear holes in their ears so large that they can pass their arms through them, these
lrO people are Caphre, that is to say,· Gentiles, and they go naked, except that round thei, niiddlcs
they wear cloth made of the bark of trees. But there are some of the more remarkable of them
who wear cotton stuff, and at the end of it there Is some work of silk done with a needle. T11tse
people are tawny, fat, and painted, and they anoillt themselves with the oil of coco nuts and
sesame, to preserve them from the sun and the wind. Their hair is very black and long, reaching
to the waist, and they carry small daggers and knives, ornamented with gold, and many ot/ier
things, such as darts, harpoons, and nets to fish, like...

REAl>INOI IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY 21

rI
o°"
week the 25"' of March• and featt ofour Lady, (n the aftern
The Monday of Passion ' ship to f{,h an d pu tti n;
db • d
thi s pla ce, I we nt to the side of our
rt from se it had ,rained and I
an emg rea y to depa roo m, my feet slipped, becau
do wn to the sto re '
my '.eet on a spar to go • db. · g near drowning by luclc I found at my left
ut an em
fell mto the sea witho Y one seeing me, an to cry out
wa s in the sea , I cau ght hold of it and began
nd th e sheet of the large sail wh ich
rits, but by the
h~
me up wi th the bo at. I was assisted not by my me
th k
till ey came to help an
d pic course between west and
fou nta in of pit y. That same day we took the
mercy and grace of the nghar, Ibusson,
fou r sm all isla nd s, tha t is to say, Cenalo, Huina
amidst
southwest, and passed
ari en. •
and Ab , at the morning
rch , ha vin g see n the nig ht before fire upo~ an island
Thursday, the 28th ofMa y call Boloto, with eight
nd ; wh ere we saw a small boat which the
we came to anchor at thi s isla of the captains,
the shi p of the cap tai n-general. Then a slave
ached afar to these people, wh
o
men inside, which appro Traprobana, spoke from
tra , oth erw ise na me d tel y, an d
who was from Suma sid e of the ship, but they withdrew
immedia
cam e nea r to the us
understood his talk, and t they would not trust to
shi p fro m fea r of us. So the captain su ing tha nk, an d the
would not enter the d tied and placed on a litt
le pla
d the m a red cap , an d other things, which he ha to ad vise their king,
showe
dia tel y an d joy ou sly , an d then returned
m imme they call Ballanghai,
people in the boat took the saw come two long boats, which
rea bo uts , we
Two hours afterwards, or the mats; when they
the m wa s the ir kin g sit ting under an awning of
t of king, who understood him
full of men. In the larges , the said slave spoke to the
n-g ene ra/
were near the shi p of the cap tai common people. Then
ies the kin gs kno w more languages than the
• well, because in these cou ntr not move from
peo ple to go to the cap tain's ship, whilst he would
the king ordered some of
his boat,
his people returned to the
wa s nea r eno ug h to us. This was done, and when e to his ship,
his boat, which men who cam
e. Th e cap tai n gav e go od entertainment to the a rat her
he went away at onc captain
s, on wh ich acc ou nt the king wished to give the
and gave them all sorts of
thi ng him very ch mu
st ful l of gin ger . Ho we ver, the captain thanked
d a che went with the ships near
to
large bar ofsolid gold, an that, when it was late, we
ept the pre sen t. A~ er
but would not acc
king.
the houses and abode of the before-mentioned slave,
Go od Fri day , the captain sent on shore the
The next day which wa s provisions for his
kin g to beg him to give him for money somt
who was our interpreter,
to the frltnd. The
d no t com e to his co un try as an tnemy, but as a
that he ha d the ship, and embraced
ships, sending him word eig ht men in a boat, and entere
th sev en or
king on hearing thi s cam e wi e, and two dorades,
chi na dis hes cov ered with leaves full of ric
the captain, and gave him
thr ee several other
d of the sor t ab ove -m entioned, and ht gave him
, an fashion,
which are rather large fish of red an d yel low cloth, made in the Turkish
this king a rob e
things. The captain gave and to others mirrors.
his peo ple he gav e to some of them knives,
and a very fine red cap , an d to through the said
ser ved up to the m. The captain told the king,
A~er that refreshments
we re ich the king
h him , cas si cas si, tha t is to say, brothers. To wh
d to be wit
interpreter, that he w_ishe captain showed him cloths
be the sam e towards him. After that the
answered that he des ire d to artillery, of which he
al, an d mu ch oth er merchandise, and all the
ofdifferent colours, linen,
cor that the captain
, at wh ich the kin g wa s much astonished; after
him
had some pieces fired before
'l'INI!: HI ITO ""
Rl!ADINOS IN PHILll
22
 . andplacedh 1m · m · the mtu•J:rt of three comrades,
/,ad one ofhis. soldie rs armed with white armour, d h •
. .
ord s an d dag ger s The lcin uthouo ht .L· ver y stra nge , an t e captain
111/,os. tru,k him With sw
o' s
worth a hundred ofhis
6 U1t
•
n thus in wlrfte armour was
.

the int erp ret er, tha t a ma

told hrm, through ship two
ed that there were in each
an sw ere d tha t it wa s true; he was further inform rds , cui rasses,
men; he ber ofswo
ma n. Aft er tha t the cap tain showedhim agreat num
hundred like tha t then showed
of the me n pla y wit h the ir swords before the king; he
and helmets, and made two had found the strait to com
e
rt an d the shi p com pas s, ond informed him how he ut see ing
him the sea cha o ofthe time he hod been wit
ho
he hadspent in coming; als
there, arid ofthe time which the end the captain asked ff he wo uld be pleased
g wa s ast oni she d. At
any land, at whrch the kin y lived, to see some of the
peo ple sho uld go wit h him to the places where the
that two of his nt with another...
ofhis cou ntr y. Th is the king granted, and I we
thi ngs a piece of duth
gen tle, an d go nak ed, and are painted. They wear
This kind of people are y are
er their natural parts: the
a tre e, like a line n dot h, round their body to cov s; the ir ha ir is
'11ade from downward
d in tree doth from their waists
'
me n are dre sse
great drinkers. The wo ir ears. These ple peo
the gro und ; the y we ar certain gold rings in the (
black, and reaches dow n to pe ofa pear;
:w us it wh ich the y cal l are ca, which is something ofthe sha
fru
chew most of their time a g time they spit it out, fro
m
ad the fou r qua rte rs, and aft er they have chewed it for a lon r fro m the
they cut it in y fi~d themselves the bette
fking. ich a~ erw ard s the y hav e their mouths very red. The hot . so tha t they could
:11h ch, for thi s country is ver y
,ghai, ref res hes the m mu ts,
use ofthis fruit because it s, cats, pigs, fowls, and goa
,th ey ho ut it. In thi s isla nd the re is a great quantity of dog nd is in nin e
not live wit es. This isla
dhim os, figs , ora ~ge s, lem ons , millet, wax, and gold min m the lin e
rice, ginger, coc d and sixty-two longitude
fro
Then ree s and two -th ird s nor th latitude, and one hundre ere we fou nd the two
deg t fro m the other island wh
,from -fiv e lea gue s dis tan
ofdemarcation: it is twenty
,boat, s island is named Mazzava.
(oW1tains offresh water. Thi k ofMaestral, passing thr
ough
; ship, ain ed sev en day s in thi s place; then we took the tac ha n. In this
We rem i, and Satig
•ather isle s, tha t is to say , Cey lon, Bohol, Canighan, Baiba Of the se
the midst of five as eagles.
much d of bir d cal led Ba rba stigly, which are as large
island of Satighan is a kin ere are als in o
r
ear to wa s late . We ate it, an d it had the taste ofa fowl. Th
it
we killed only one, because as a fowl, with a long tai
l.
tor tois es, par rot s, and certain black birds as large san d in
chis island dov es, the
t a good arms length under
slave. ey lay egg s as lar ge as tho se ofagoose. These they pu d giv es ou t; and when
Th hea t wh ich the heated san
'or his che d by the gre at From
the sun, where they are hat ese eggs are good to eat.
i. The hat che d the y pus h up the sand and come out. Th g Sa tig han
these birds are re are twenty leagues, an
d on leavin
',raced tha t of Sat igh on the
th.is island ofMazzabua to we waited for
rades, Kin g of Ma zza bua cou ld not follow us; therefore
the
we went by the west; but en the king arrived he wa
s
other nds , tha t is to say . Pol o, Ticobon, and Pozzon. Wh p wi th
him near three isla bade him come on board
his shi
shion,
ast oni she d at our nav iga tion, the captain-general Zzu bu, which is
much us we went to
trrors.
nci pal peo ple , at wh ich they were much pleased. Th
!esaid S0'71e ofhis pri
ighan.
fifteen leagues of f from Sat having passed by
,.eking
ab ou t mid day , we ent ered the port of Zzubu, h
cloths Su~day, the i..,, of April, on trees• On approach'mg t e
s. The re we saw ma ny houses which were built Th
rich he ma. ny village ships to lian11 ,t th · fl ags. en iv~
'1ptain nci pa l tow n the cap tain -general commanded all his o 01 eir
pn
E HISTORY 23
ISTOltY READINGS IN PHILIPPIN
 ---
• '
in the fas hio n in which th en uflfn 1;: .t
lowered th e sa ils ey are str uc k wh
rg to, 1gnt, and he ha all the
d
. y fir. ed, at which the people of th.15 1 Were great/v6'" • h d n sent a
artiller p,ace
.h h .
.,, , ng, tene • The captai
bro uu ht up 1111 1 k' .
w1t t e mterpreter tO t e mg of thts island Zzuhu.
young man whom he
had h
•
the to•
b
"n ,. d f l
These having come to w , , oun a gre
at number
o. peop e and their king
with them,
ich ha d he (I' d
all alarmed by the ar
till ery wh ssured them, saying
d en ,re • But the mterpreter rea rts to show s1iuns
th at it was th (4 h. arrived at po '
fire artillery when they o
e as ion an culstom to cou ntry, they had (ired
d
• nds zp; an a so, to do more honour of the
of peace an. d i ne h • to the kin g
bade one ~fhis principal
th g an d all his peo ple were reas$ured. He then of
all e artzllery. T~e kin t his master was captain
we re see kin g. Th e int erpreter answered him tha ign to
men ask what we command ofthe said sov
ere
t kin g in the wo rld , an d that he was going by the d passed,
the greates where he ha
nd s. Ho we ver , 'on acc ount of what he had heard
discover the Molucca isla od fame, he had wished to
pass
fro m the Kin g of Ma zza va, ofhis courtesy and go an dise.
and especially for his merch
, an d als o to ob tain som e refreshment ofvictuals
by his country to visit him
e to the ship, and
ing the Kin g of Ma zza va, with the Moor, cam
Tuesday morning follow t the king was preparin
ga
n on be ha lf of the Kin g of Zzubu, and said tha er dinne r
saluted the captai d that a~
ch as he cou ld, to ma ke a present of to him, an
quantity ofprovisions,
as mu ce with him.
s, wit h oth ers of his principal people, to make pea
nephew d told him that all of us
he would send two ofhis ed with his own armour, an
me n arm
Then the captain ha d one of his her astonished; but
nne r, at wh ich the Moorish merchant was rat
would fight armed in tha
t ma nds and rough to
be afrqid , an d tha t ou r arms ivere soft to our frie
the captain told him no
t to troy the
a man, so our arms des
and tha t as a clo th wip es away the sweat from elligent tha n the
our enemies; was more int
th. Th e cap tai n sai d this to the Moor, because he
enemies ofour fai bu.
ate it all to the King ofZzu
others,· and for him to rel
taking
an and the port of Cipit,
bac kw ard s, pas sin g bet ween the isla71d of Cagay d be tw een cer tain
We turne d o. We passe
d a qu art er sou th- eas t, to seek the islands ofMaluc a gre at dep th.
a course east an ma ny weeds, although there
was there
und wh ich we fou nd
little mountains, aro in another sea.
en the se isle ts it seemed that we were ar
Pa ssing betwe led Zolo and Taghima, ne
it to the eas t, we saw to the west two islands cal ve spo ken ,
Having le~ Cip which I ha
./ .
fou nd. Th e two pea rls of the King of Bu.me, of acc ou nt
which islands pearls are obtained them, according
to the
found the re, an d thi s is the manner in which he of the Kin g of Zo lo, who told
were Bu rne ma rried a daughter
Th e Kin g of dded on getting
which was given me of it. rls. He des ired to have them, and de
se two big pea ed men, and
him that her father had the ou t with five hundred prahus full of arm
one nig ht he set t
them by any means, and m to Burne, and did no
too k the kin g wit h his two sons, and brought the
went to Zolo, an d pearls.r
til they gave him the two
restore them to liberty un near two inhabited places
called
our cou rse eas t and a qua rter north-east we passed t fro m the before-
Continuing gues distan
n, and pas sed nea r an isla nd called Monoripa, ten lea e no hou ses on
Cavit and Subani sels, and hav
inh abi tan ts of thi s island always live in their ves
mentioned islets. The
""I NI! H18TO RY
R1!ADIN08 IN PH ILl
24
shore. In these two distric ts of Cavit and Subanin, which are situat ed
in the same island as that in
-.7 hich are Butua n and Calagan, the best cinnam
on ofany grows. If we c~uld have remai ned here only
two days, we could have laden the ships with it; but we did not wish
to lose time, but to profit by
the favourable wind, for we had to double a cape and some islets which were a~oun
d it. Wherefore,
remaining under sail, we made a little barter, and obtained seventeerr
pounds of cinnamon for two
big knives, which we had taken frotn the Governor of Pulaoan.
Having seen the cinnamon tree, I can give some description of it. It is
a small tree, not: more
than three or four cubits high, and of the thickness of a man's finger,
and it has not got more
than three or four little branches. Its leaf is like that of the laurel. The
cinnam on for use which
comes to us, is its bark, which is gathered twice in the year. Its wood
and leaves when they are
green have the taste and force of the bark itself. Here it is called Cainm
ana, since cain means
wood and mana sweet.
Having set the head of the ship to north-east, we made for a large city
called Maingdanao,
situated in the same island in which dre Butua n and Calagan, in order to
get precise inform ation
of the position of Maluco. Following this course we took possession
of a bignaday, a vessel
similar to a prahu, and being obliged to have recourse to force and violenc
e, we killed seven out
of eighteen men who formed the crew. These men were better made
and more robust than all
those we had seen hitherto, and they were all chief men of Mindanao.
There was among them
a brother of the king who said that he well knew where Maluco was. Afterw
ards, following his
indications, we le~ the north-e~st course which we held, and took a sout1z
-east course. We were
then in 6° 7' N. latitude and thirty leagues distant from Cavit.

Making for the south-east we found four islands, named Ciboco,

Birabam Batolac,
Sarangani, and Candigar. Saturday, the 26th of October, about nightf
all, whilst coasting the
island ofBirabam Ba tolac, we met with a very great storm, before which
we lowered all our sails,
and betook ourselves to prayer. Then our three saints appeared upon the
masts and dispersed
rhe darkness. St. Elmo st.cod for more than two hours at the mainm
ast head like a flame. St.
:'1icholas at the head of the foremast, and St. Clara on the mizen mast.
In gratit ude for their
assistance we promised a share to each of t~e saints, and we gave to each
an offerin g.. ,
At last, when it pleased Heaven, on Saturday the 6th of Septem ber of
the year 1522 we
entered the bay of San Lucar; and of sixty men who composed our crew 1
when we left Maluco,
we were reduced to only eighteen, and these for the most part sick. Of
the others, some died of
hunger, some had run away at the island of Timar, and some had been
conde mned to death for
their crimes.

From the day whe~ we le~ this bay of San Lucar until our return thithe
r, we reckoned that
we_ had run more than fourteen thousand four hundr ed and sixty league
s, and we had compl eted
going round the earth from East to West.

Mo~day the 8th of September, we cast anchor near the mole of Seville
, and discharged all
the arttllery. Tuesday, we all went In shirts and barefoot with a taper
sh • in our hand t · • h
_ rme ofS t. Maria • f v·
o 1ctory, and of St. Marla de Antigu' a. s o v1s1t t e

READIN GS IN PHILIP PINI HISTORY

25
&i
r
Then, leaving Seville, I went to Valladolid, where I presented to his Sacred Majesty Don
Carlos, neither gold nor silver, but things much more precious in the eyes ofso great a Sovereign.
I presented to him among other things, a hook written by my hand of all the things that had
occurred day by day in our voyage. I departed thence as I was best able, and went to Portugal,
and related to King iohn the things which I had seen. Returning through Spain, I came to Franu,
where I presented a few things from the other hemisphere to Madam the Regent, mother of the
most Christian King Don Francis. Afterwards, I turned towards Italy, where I established for
ever my abode, and devoted my leisure and vigils to the very illustrious and noble lord, Philip de
Villiers Lisleadam, the very worthy grand master ofRhodes.
The Chevalier, ANTONIO PIGAFETTA

26 ReAOINOS IN PHIL.IP'PINli HISTORY

EXERCISE 2.1
_ _ __
--~--- - - - - Date: _ _ _ _ _
Name=--------
_____ _ _ _ _ __ Score: _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Course & Year: _ _ _ _ _
ed in the following item s.
Ide ntif y wh ~t is bei ng des crib
nam e of the chronicler of the
1. It refers to the complete
aro und ~e World".
doc um ent entitled, "The Voyage
ing ships headed by Ferdinand
2. It is the first ocean where the sail
Spain in 1519.
Magellan crossed afte r leaving
t
mu s traversed by Magellan's flee
3. It is the small passage or isth
th American con tine nt.
somewhere at the tip of the Sou
in·e
t can be found eas t of the Philipp
4. It is the vast water bod y tha
islands.
nd
afetta which refers to the isla
S. It is the term used by Pig
brated.
where the historic mass was cele
given by Magellan to the native
6. It refers to the gif t which was
. queen.
ed
chief of Matan wh o had def end
7. It refers to the name of the
ed Magellan in the bat tle.
his people, territory, and defeat
an).
.historic bat tle of Ma tan (Mact
8. It is the compl~te dat e of the
d
nam e given to the first bap tize
9. It refers to th~ Christian
for conversion according to
queen who had the gre at desire
Pigafetta.
. . . . San
is ~e exa ct dat e of arri val of the remaining fleet in
10. It
Lucar, Spain.

HIITOIIY
27
Rl!ADINGI IN
 I

EXERCISE 2.2
N a m e : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Date: _ _ _
_ _ _ __
Course &Yea r:-- ---- ---- --"" "--- --
Score: _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Give a concise explan ation/d iscussi on on the following items.
1. What js the primar y reason of the author in writing the docum
ent? How was it
produced?

2. What is the main theme in the document? Explain briefly.

3. What specific information of importance is provided in the text? Explain

its importance
to the understanding of Philippine history.

'i
4. What light does it shed on people, their politics and economy, religiou I
s and cultural
practices? Analyze the text.
\I
I
I

5. What is your personal evaluation on the impact of the document in the

understanding
of the 16th centur f people and their culture in the islands?

f
s 28
l,, Rl!ADINOS IN PHILIPP IN! HISTOl!.Y