Research About

RESEARCH ABOUT
-HISTORY OF SPANISH ERA

-HISTORY OF EMPANTRY
-HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE ARMY
RUSSEL M. ARCOS
4TH YEAR - BRAVO
“SPANISH ERA”
THE SPANISH PERIOD

Spanish colonial motives were not, however, strictly commercial. The Spanish at first
viewed the Philippines as a stepping-stone to the riches of East Indies (Spice Islands),
but, even after the Portuguese and Dutch had foreclosed that possibility, the Spanish
still maintained their presence in the archipelago.
The first Spanish expedition to the Philippines was led by the Portuguese adventurer
and navigator Ferdinand Magellan, who died tragically soon after arriving on the
adjacent island of Mactan in March 1521. for sending out three more unsuccessful
voyages, King Philip II (for whom the islands are named) sent Miguel Lopez de Legazpi,
who in 1565 founded the first Spanish permanent settlement in Cebu. The majority of
the coastal and lowland regions from Luzon to northern Mindanao were under Spanish
rule by the end of the 16th century after the founding of the Spanish city of Manila in
1571. Soldiers and friars marched together, and within a short period of time, everyone
in the area living under Spanish rule had nominally converted to Roman Catholicism.
But Spain never fully conquered the Muslims of Mindanao and Sulu, known as Moros by
the Spanish.
Most of the time during the first 100 years of Spanish control, a tax farming system
known as the encomienda that was imported from the Americas was used to enforce
Spanish dominance. By the end of the 17th century, however, the Spanish had
abandoned the system due to abuse of the local tribute payers, a lack of religious
education by encomenderos (traitorous tribute collectors), and repeated withholding of
money from the crown. The king's own choice for governor-general started the process
of electing his own civil and military governors to rule directly.
The governor-general was so powerful that he was frequently compared to an
independent monarch, and central authority in Manila had a medieval feel until the 19th
century. He presided over the Audiencia, or supreme court, served as captain-general
of the armed forces, and had the freedom to engage in business for his own gain.
Not just because it was the political center of the islands, Manila dominated. Manila's
commercial supremacy was guaranteed by the galleon trade with Acapulco, Mexico. In
addition to keeping those Spanish who were looking for a quick buck in Manila, the
trade of Chinese silks for Mexican silver attracted a sizable Chinese population. Despite
being the victims of recurrent atrocities carried out by distrusting Spanish, the Chinese
persisted and eventually established a dominance of commerce that endured over the
centuries.
The Philippines' ecclesiastical capital was Manila. The archbishop competed with the
governor-general for political control of the islands' church, which was civilly led by the
governor-general. The archbishop, who was also considered to be the legal lieutenant
governor in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, frequently prevailed. Religious
organizations, Roman Catholic hospitals, schools, and bishops accumulated enormous
riches, primarily in the form of land, to strengthen their political influence. The majority of
their estates were comprised of royal grants and devises, although many arbitrary
additions were made outside the bounds of the initial gifts.
Wealth and position in society were not the only sources of the church's power. The
priests and friars outnumbered civil officials in the provinces and had a grasp of regional
languages uncommon among civilian Spanish speakers. They thereby provided the
colonial authorities with crucial information. Nothing less than the complete
christianization and hispanization of the Filipino was the Spanish clergy's cultural aim.
Local faiths were fiercely suppressed throughout the early years of missionary work,
and traditional customs were not accepted. However, as the number of Christians
increased and the ardour of the clergy decreased, it became harder to stop the
continuation of old beliefs and practices under Roman Catholic guise. Therefore, pre-
Spanish Filipino culture was not completely eliminated, especially in terms of religion.
Spanish influence also affected economic and political structures, though maybe not to
the same extent as in the religious sphere. The priests made an effort to herd everyone
into the settlements or pueblos that were built around the large stone churches.
However, the previous barangays' fragmented demographic patterns mostly remained.
However, the once-hereditary status of the datu was now open to Spanish appointment.
Up until the late 18th century, agricultural technology changed extremely slowly as
shifting agriculture gradually gave way to more intensive stationary farming, partly under
the direction of the friars. Class divisions were strengthened by the socioeconomic
effects of the Spanish policies that came along with this change. Although traditional
property rights had been restricted to usufruct, the datus and other members of the old
nobility took advantage of the advent of the Western concept of absolute ownership of
land to claim as their own the fields cultivated by their numerous servants. The
principalia, descended from pre-Spanish aristocracy, were significant players in the
friar-dominated local government.

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RESEARCH ABOUT

-HISTORY OF SPANISH ERA

THE SPANISH PERIOD

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