Pre-Hispanic Philippines: Culture & Politics

Pre-Hispanic Philippines

• Filipino anthropologist Felipe Landa Jocano challenged the prevailing belief that Filipinos descended from migrating Negritos and Malays.
• Jocano argued that the origin of the first Filipinos is complex and not easily traceable solely to Negrito or Malay migration.
• The first inhabitants of Southeast Asia likely evolved and migrated over time, developing shared cultures, beliefs, and practices.
• Similarities in tools and implements suggest a common ancestry among early Southeast Asian populations.

Political System

Luzon

• Tagalog Datu/Maginoo: Chieftains who ruled their people, led them in combats, and acted as judges.
• Datu's Lineage: Becoming a Datu could be hereditary (by birth) or earned through valor and deeds in war.
• Timawa/Maharlika: Nobles, or fighters, had certain rights like harvesting crops without tribute.

Visayas

• Datu: Similar to Tagalog datus, responsible for ruling and collecting tributes in their area, and sometimes commanding warriors.
• Oripun: Other social classes, consisting of those who were captured in battle, or were purchased. These people were considered slaves or servants.

Mindanao

• Aristocrat (Panglima): Leaders, often those of maritime forces
• Rajah Laut: Leaders of the maritime forces
• Qadi (Magistrate): Officials who presided over legal matters.
• Sultanate of Sulu and Maguindanao: The sultanate of Sulu and Maguindanao were the independent Islamic sultanates.

Alipin

• Alipin: Not slaves, but one of the lower classes in society.
• Alipin Namamahay: A specialized group of Alipin who had the right to cultivate their own crops and were granted some degree of autonomy.

Spanish Colonization

• Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): Spain and Portugal divided their spheres of influence in the Americas.
• Age of Discovery and Colonialism: Europeans embarked on voyages of exploration and conquest, establishing colonies motivated by economic and political interests.
• Ferdinand Magellan (1521): Landed in the Philippines, marking the beginning of Spanish colonization.
• Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1565): Successfully conquered and consolidated control over Luzon and Visayas.
• Goals of Colonization: The "Three Gs" – gold, glory, and gospel – were the main drivers.
• Reduccion: Relocation of native inhabitants into towns.
• Parian: Area where Chinese settlers lived.
• Sangley: Term for Chinese merchant travelers.
• Pueblo: Towns modeled after European settlements.

Social Classes Under Spanish Rule

• Peninsulares: Spaniards born in Spain; held highest positions.
• Insulares: Spanhiards born in the Philippines but in the Spanish colonial society.
• Ilustrados: Educated Filipino elite advocating for reforms.
• Chinese Spanish Mestizos: Mixed Chinese and Spanish descent.
• Principalia: Ruling class of the pueblos; typically educated.

Polo y Servicio

• Forced Labor: Mandated service to the Spanish government.
• Duties: Included work on infrastructure projects (roads, bridges, etc.), forest work, shipyards, and Spanish military service.
• Length: Initially 40 days, reduced to 15 days in 1884.

Spanish Administration

• Encomienda System: Conquered territories divided and granted to Spanish colonizers.
• Encomenderos: Colonizers; responsible for people within their assigned territories.
• Royal Audiencia: Supreme court of Spanish colonial Philippines.
• Alcaldia (Later Provincial): Local government unit, responsible for running executive, judicial and legislative aspects within a province.
• Alcade Mayor: equivalent to a province's governor/local chief.
• Barangay: Smallest political unit; headed by the Cabeza de Barangay.
• Cabeza de Barangay: Leader of a barangay; responsible for collecting tributes from the people of a barangay.
• Friars/Prayle: Priests of various religious orders; played a significant role in Spanish administration.
• Teniente Mayor/Juez de Policia: Responsible for maintaining order.
• Visita: Unannounced inspections by the Spanish government and authorities.