Activity:

Pictograph
Answer: Chinese
Answer: Spanish
Answer: Indios
Answer:
Chinese mestizo
Answer: Binondo
 Lesson 3: The
Ascendance of the
Chinese Mestizo
Philippine history is not complete
as basis for understanding
contemporary society unless it
includes the contributions of the
Chinese mestizos to the
development of the Philippines as
a nation. They played a
significant role in the formation of
the Filipino middle class in the
 Chinese history in the
philippines

As early as the 16th century, the

Chinese were already in the
Philippine archipelago. However,
some historians asserted that it
was during the pre-colonial period
that the Chinese first arrived in the
country as merchants between the
coasts of Manila and China.
 Chinese history in the
philippines
In 1594, the Spanish Government
Luis Perez Dasmariñas created
Binondo as a permanent
settlement for Chinese mestizos
who converted to Catholicism. In
this part of Manila, Chinese
merchants and traders were free
to do their business.
 Chinese history in the
philippines
Binondo also became the place of
intermarriages between Chinese
immigrants and Filipino natives,
thus the emergence of Chinese
mestizos. As the Chinese
population increased, the Spanish
saw them as a threat to their own
rule.
 Chinese history in the
philippines
Nevertheless, one fact that the
Spaniards could not discount them
was that the Chinese became
pivotal to their colonial rule
because they provided valuable
capital to Manila. Thus, despite
orders expelling all Chinese from
the Philippines, Governor
 Chinese history in the
philippines
Chinese mestizo communities, aside from
binondo, emerged in many other parts of
the archipelago. In Manila, notable
communities were Santa Cruz and Tondo.
In the early 17th century, more than 100
Chinese individuals were married to
native Filipinos in Iloilo, Pampanga and
Cebu. In northern Luzon, Chinese
mestizos could be found in Pangasinan,
 Chinese history in the
philippines
From the beginning of the
Spanish colonial period until
1740, the inhabitants of the
Philippines were classified into
three:
• Spaniards
• Indios
• Chinese
 Chinese history in the
philippines
As the Chinese mestizo population
grew, questions regarding their
legal status as inhabitants of the
country arose. It was only in 1741
that their legal status were officially
established when the whole
population of the Philippines was
reclassified into four according to
 Chinese history in the
philippines

These classes are the

following:
1.Spaniards and Spanish
mestizos
2.Indios
3.Chinese
4.Chinese mestizos
 Chinese history in the
philippines
Spaniards and Spanish mestizo were
not required to pay tribute or tax,
whereas the three other classes were
required to pay taxes depending on
their income. More so, a policy that
limited the number of Chinese
individuals who could reside in the
Philippines and restricted their area
At the end of the 19th century, there were
almost 500, 000 Chinese mestizos in the
Philippines with 46,000 living in Manila.
A Chinese mestizo then was:
1.Any person born of a Chinese father
and Indio mother.
2.A Spanish mestiza who married a
Chinese mestizo.
3.A child of a Spanish mestiza and a
Chinese mestizo.
However, a Chinese mestiza and an Indio
 Significance of the chinese
mestizo
• Chinese mestizos became prominent and
influential figures in the area of
industry, commerce and business during
the Spanish colonial period.
• Another significant role that Chinese
mestizos played in Philippine society was
the formation of the Filipino identity.
This was evident during the latter part of
the 19th century when they became
clearly influential in the economy of the
 Significance of the chinese
mestizo
• By 1800s, Chinese mestizos in the
provinces began to form opinions
regarding the Spanish rule. Spaniards
feared that the independent mindset
and liberalism of Chinese mestizos
might influence the political
consciousness of Indios.
• The most vivid manifestation of the
budding sense of Filipino nationalism
 Rizal and the chinese
mestizo
• The last significant role of the
Chinese mestizos in the making
of the nation was highly evident
at the turn of the century. Their
involvement in the armed revolt
against the colonizers showed
that they recognized Spain as the
enemy.
 Rizal and the chinese
mestizos
• Rizal is a 5th generation
Chinese mestizo. However, he
and his father were considered
as Indios. Some documents and
scholarly papers noted that
Rizal disliked being called
Chinese mestizo or Tsinoy and
dissociated himself from any
 Rizal and the chinese
mestizo
• Through his novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo,
Rizal exposed the abuses and
corruption of the Spanish
authorities, condemned the
oppression of the people by the
colonizers, and ridiculed the
hypocrisy and overbearing
 Rizal and the chinese
mestizo
• He also depicted the bloody
revolution that sparked people’s
fury and eventually led them to
revolt. At the same time, as a sign
of his contempt towards Chinese
immigrants in the Philippines,
his novels brimmed with insults
and scorn them.
 rizal and the chinese
mestizo
• Rizal clearly manifested his anti-
Chinese feelings in his writings,
as well as in his correspondence
with family and friends. By
virtue of his lineage, could have
had a special connection with the
Chinese.
 Rizal and the chinese
mestizo
• The concern on whether Rizal’s
disdain over his Chinese lineage
made him less of a hero is not
something to argue about.
Chinese mestizo or not, Rizal is
a nationalist and a Filipino.