Pre-Spanish Period in the Philippines

Early Philippines

• The Philippines has limited written information about its society, culture, and technology before the Spanish arrival, relying on archaeological findings to trace the beginning of Filipino life.
• Modern humans from the Asian mainland first arrived in the Philippines around 48,000 B.C. via land bridges and settled in areas such as Batangas and Palawan.

Tool Development

• Early Filipinos created simple tools and weapons from stone flakes and later developed skills like sawing and polishing stones.
• By 3,000 B.C., they learned to produce adzes, ornamented with seashells and pottery, which prospered for 2,000 years until the introduction of Chinese porcelains.

Metal Age

• Filipinos eventually learned to use metals as tools, marking the beginning of the Iron Age, which lasted from the 3rd century B.C. to the 11th century A.D.
• During this period, Filipinos engaged in ore mining, including copper, gold, bronze, and iron.

Technological Achievements

• Early Filipinos developed advanced skills in weaving, shipbuilding, mining, and farming.
• They created remarkable engineering products, including the Banaue Rice Terraces.
• They also built sophisticated plank-built warships called caracoa, suitable for inter-island trade, as noted in early Spanish chronicles.

Explore the limited written information about Philippine society, culture, and technology before the arrival of the Spanish. Discover how archaeology provides insights into the lifestyle and early settlements of Filipinos prior to the colonial era.