Philippines: First Mass Location and Magellan's Plans Speculation

The Historian's Task

• The historian's task is to unveil the hidden history of the Philippines, which has been neglected or distorted.
• This task is important because understanding the past is essential to judging the present and building a better future.

Recovering the Past

• The historian should not focus solely on the pre-Hispanic era, but also consider the Spanish colonial period.
• The Spanish colonial period is important because it provides a glimpse into the lives of Filipinos during that time.
• Spanish documents, although biased, can provide valuable information about Filipino life and society.

The Formative Century

• There is a disproportionate amount of research devoted to the Revolutionary and American colonial periods.
• A real history of the Revolution needs to be written, one that studies the Revolution in all regions of the Philippines.

Method in History

• History can never be objective, as it is written from a particular point of view.
• The historian must demonstrate how they bridge the gap between documentation and conclusions.
• Non-traditional documents, such as folk songs and fashion, can also provide valuable insights into the past.

Nationalist History

• Nationalist history is rooted in love of country and aims to build a better future.
• True nationalist history must focus on the experiences, actions, and struggles of the Filipino masses.
• Historical accounts should not depict Filipinos as passive victims, but rather as primary actors who have resisted and adapted to oppressive systems.

Datos and Barangays

• In pre-Hispanic society, "datos" were chiefs who governed the people and defended their territory.
• Datos ruled over a group of people called a "barangay", which consisted of families and did not stay far from each other.
• There were three castes in pre-Hispanic society: nobles, commoners, and slaves.

Laws of Barangays

• Laws were punishable by fines or enslavement, depending on the severity of the offense.
• Insulting the wife or daughter of a chief was punishable by death.
• Witches were killed, and their children were considered accomplices and enslaved.

Inheritance and Dowry

• Inheritance was split equally among children, unless stated otherwise by the parents.
• Dowry was given by a man to a woman's parents, and could be enjoyed by the parents or distributed among the children.
• Adopted children received double the amount they were paid during adoption.

Legitimation of the Nationalist Struggle

• According to Jose Rizal, history is essential to the nationalist struggle, as it provides an explanation for the current situation and a picture of the glorious past.
• History offers a key to national identity and corresponding orientations for future nation-building.

Rizal's Annotation of Morga's "Sucesos"

• Rizal annotated Morga's chronicle to form the foundation for a new Filipino society.
• He highlighted the advanced state of pre-Hispanic Filipino society and the destructive effects of colonization.
• Rizal's examples of pre-Hispanic accomplishments include exporting silk to Japan, forging cannon, and having a vibrant shipbuilding industry.

Moral Aspect of Filipino Society

• Rizal believed that the moral level of pre-colonial Filipino society was advanced and superior to Christian Europe.
• The concept of slavery in the Philippines was different from Roman or European slavery.
• Women in pre-colonial Filipino society were held in high dignity and maintained their chastity.

The Concept of Pacification

• Pacification meant to hand a province over to pillage, cruelty, and personal gain.

• True pacification was a way to make war on or sow enmities between groups of Filipinos.

• Rizal believed that pacification was partly a result of the disunion of Filipinos among themselves.### Rizal on Filipino Identity and Asian Solidarity

• Rizal highlights the ancient tradition of Sumatra as the common place of origin for Filipinos, which was lost due to the fault of the Filipinos themselves in abandoning their own cultural heritage.

• Rizal points out the existence of a common fable of the monkey and the tortoise, found in various Filipino ethnolinguistic groups and Japan, indicating an inheritance of an extinct civilization.

• Rizal shows concern for a Filipino point of view and an Asian perspective, refuting pretensions to Spanish superiority over Filipinos and asserting Asian rights against European morality.

Magellan's Voyage to the Philippines

• Magellan was an excellent seaman who navigated from Spain to the Philippines with inaccurate geographical data, believing the Moluccas fell within Spain's sphere of influence.
• Magellan's voyage was a significant feat given the limited geographical knowledge and navigational technology of the time.
• Magellan's purpose in the Philippines was to explore and potentially claim territory for Spain, possibly viewing it as a strategic location for trade and missionary activities.

The Battle of Mactan

• Pigafetta's account is regarded as the most accurate narrative of the Battle of Mactan, where Magellan and his force of fifty-nine men, including himself, attacked Lapulapu's warriors on Mactan Island.
• Magellan overestimated his capacity to conquer Lapulapu, underestimating the warrior's forces and deciding to attack without the assistance of Humabon and his warriors.
• The battle resulted in Magellan's death, with various accounts of his demise, including being hit by an arrow, wounded in the legs, and pierced by a lance.