Relacion de las Costumbres de Los

Tagalogs (1589)

Las Costumbres de los Indios Tagalos de Filipinas

(other sources)
Historical Context

- during the 1st Century of Spanish rule, difficulty in

running local politics

- Filipinos hold the position of Gobernadorcillo

- Friars were instructed to supervise and monitor

 - supervised the election, helped in collection of taxes

- educating the youth, performed other civic duties

- the friars became the most knowledgeable and

influential figure in the pueblo
Friars who were assigned in mission territories:

- inform their superiors,

- prepared reports on the numbers they converted

- people’s way of life, socio-economic conditions,
problems they encounter
-submitted letters, observations, experiences
Plasencia’s work is an example that contains numerous
information that historians could use in reconstructing the
political and socio-cultural history of the Tagalog region.

A primary source
Other Friars and colonial officials who also wrote about
Filipinos which can further enrich our knowledge…
Miguel de Loarca (Panay)(1582)
- Relacion de las Islas Filipinas
- way of life of the Western Visayas area
Lt. Gov. Antonio de Morga
- Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
- state of the Philippines in the ltter part of the 16th
century
Fr. Pedro Chirino S. J. (1604)
- Relacion de las Islas Filipinas

Fr. Juan Delgado S. J. (1751)

- Historia General

Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina S. J. (1668)

- Historia natural del sitio, fertilidad de las Islas
e Indios de Bisayas
About the text

- The original document of Customs of the Tagalogs

is kept in the Archivo General de Indias (A.G.I.) in
Seville, Spain

- A duplicate copy is kept in the Archivo Franciscano

Ibero-Oriental (A.F.I. O.) in Madrid, Spain
About the text

- An English translations appeared in Volume VII of the

Blair and Robertson’s “The Philippine Islands.”

- Another English translations from Filipiniana Book

Guild
Relevance

- Plasencia’s work is a very popular primary source as it

vividly describes Filipinos way of life before Spanish and
Christian influences

- it contains information on social classes, political

stratification and legal system of the Tagalog region
Relevance

- it tackles property rights, marriage rituals, burial

practices, and the manner in which justice is dispensed.

- preserves and popularizes the unwritten customs and

tradition, religious and superstitious beliefs of the Filipino
 - Priest and missionaries also read Plasencia’s
“Customs of the Tagalog and Doctrina Christiana
that can help and inspire them to become effective
evangelizers.

- Plasencia’s historical writing also disprove the claim of

some Spaniards about Filipinos being uncivilized and
lacking in culture
1.Who is Fr. Juan de Plasencia? When did he serve
in the Philippine islands?
2.How did he describe the hierarchy of people in the
barangay?
3.Which particular precolonial policy or rule stood
out to you ? Why?
4.What does Fr. Plasencia’s account reveal about the
religious and spiritual beliefs of the early Filipinos?
5.What are the reasons of the natives for offering
sacrifices?