PPT SSC

1. Spanish Colonization and
Its Effects in the
Philippines
SSC 102 Unit 4
Prepared By: Brian B. Lumiano

2. Introduction & Objectives
• Introduction:
• Brief overview of the unit's focus: transition from small communities to nation and state.
• The role of Spanish colonization in the formation of the Philippine nation and state.
• Objectives:
• Point out the use of the cross and sword in the Spanish conquest.
• Explain the events in Spain before Philippine colonization.
• Compare Magellan's expedition with others.
• Point out methods used by Spaniards in Christianizing Filipinos.
• Discuss events leading to the establishment of Spanish colonization.

3. Start of Spanish Colonization
• Time Period: 1521-1898 (Spanish Colonial Period)
• Key Event: Arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.
• Early Administration: Ruled as the Captaincy General of the Philippines
under New Spain (until Mexican independence in 1821, then direct control
from Madrid).
• End of Era: Outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in 1898.

4. Magellan's Expedition (1521)
• First Documented European Expedition: Led by Ferdinand Magellan for
the King of Spain.
• Arrival: Sighted Samar on March 17, 1521; made landfall on Homonhon.
• First Mass: Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521, at Mazaua (Limasawa Island).
• Claiming the Islands: Named "Archipelago of Saint Lazarus."

5. Magellan's Expedition (1521)
• Conversion to Catholicism: Began with Datu Zula of Sugbu (Cebu).
• Battle of Mactan (April 27, 1521):
• Magellan's involvement in local rivalries against Lapu-Lapu.
• Magellan's underestimation of Lapu-Lapu and his forces.
• Magellan and 14 soldiers killed.

6. After Magellan & Subsequent Expeditions
• Expedition's Fate: "Concepción" abandoned; "Trinidad" failed to return
across the Pacific; "Victoria" completed the circumnavigation under Juan
Sebastián Elcano (1522).
• Treaty of Zaragoza (1529): Spain relinquished claims to Spice Islands to
Portugal, but colonization of Philippines continued.
• Other Expeditions: Loaisa (1525), Cabot (1526), Saavedra (1527),
Villalobos (1542), Legazpi (1564).

7. After Magellan & Subsequent Expeditions
• Legazpi Expedition: Most successful, discovered the tornaviaje (return trip
to Mexico) by Andrés de Urdaneta.
• Manila Galleon Trade: Started due to tornaviaje discovery, lasted two and a
half centuries.
• Naming the Islands: Ruy López de Villalobos named Leyte and Samar
"Las Islas Filipinas" after Philip II of Spain (1543).

8. Conquest under Philip II
• Philip II's Reign: Became King of Spain in 1556.
• Objective: Ordered an expedition to "discover the islands of the west," but
real task was to conquer the Philippines.
• Legazpi's Arrival (1565): Miguel López de Legazpi arrived off Cebu,
conquering it despite opposition.

9. Conquest under Philip II
• Expansion:
• 1569: Legazpi moved to Panay.
• 1570: Juan de Salcedo punished Moro pirates in Mindoro.
• 1570: Martín de Goiti conquered Kingdom of Maynila (Manila).
• Manila as Capital: Legazpi made Manila the capital of the Philippines and
the Spanish East Indies.
• First Governor-General: Miguel López de Legazpi.

10. Spanish Colonial Bureaucracy (National
Level)
• King of Spain: Ultimate authority, through the Council of the Indies.
• Council of the Indies: Governed all Spanish colonies, legislative power, court of
appeals.
• Viceroyalty of New Spain (until 1821): Viceroy governed New Spain on King's
behalf.

11. Spanish Colonial Bureaucracy (National
Level)
• Governor-General (Gobernador y Capitán General):
• King's representative in the Philippines, seat in Intramuros, Manila.
• Duties: Head of Supreme Court (Royal Audiencia), Commander-in-chief, economic planner,
supervised mission work, oversaw ecclesiastical appointments.
• Commonly a peninsular Spaniard.
• Archbishop of Manila: Full spiritual authority, advised Captain General.
• Real Audiencia de Manila: Supreme Court, advised Captain General, took charge
upon Governor's death.

12. Spanish Colonial Bureaucracy (Local Level)
• Provincia/Alcadia Mayor:
• Headed by Alcalde Mayor (Provincial Governor).
• Exercised executive and judiciary powers, collected tribute.
• Had privilege of indulto de comercio (trade), leading to abuses.
• Corregidor: Administered corregimientos (provincial districts) if a province was large.
• Junta Provincial (1893-1898): Provincial council assisting the alcalde mayor.

13. Spanish Colonial Bureaucracy (Local Level)
• Pueblo/Municipio:
• Headed by Gobernadorcillo (little governor).
• Administrative duties: tribute list, recruitment for labor/military, postal clerk, judge in minor
civil suits.
• Position initially restricted to principalia (local elite), later elective.
• Capitan Municipal (1893-1898): Equivalent of gobernadorcillo.
• Tribunal Municipal (1893-1898): Municipal council.

14. Spanish Colonial Bureaucracy (Local Level)
• Barangay:
• Headed by Cabeza de Barangay.
• Administered 40-50 families, collected tribute.
• Position originally hereditary, made elective in 1786.

15. Political System & Control Mechanisms
• Reduction (Reducción): Relocation of native inhabitants into settlements
surrounding the plaza.
• Encomienda System: Early political system resembling feudalism.
• Conquistadores, friars, native nobles granted estates.
• Collected tribute in exchange for services to the King.
• Encomendero provided military protection, justice, governance.
• Abused and largely replaced by administrative provinces by 1700.

16. Political System & Control Mechanisms
• Checks on Abuse of Power:
• Residencia: Public judicial review at the end of an official's term.
• Visita: Clandestine investigation by a visitador-general at any time.
• Maura Law (1893):
• Reorganized town governments for greater effectiveness and autonomy.
• Legal foundation for municipal governments, later adopted by American and Filipino
governments.

17. Economy under Spanish Rule
• Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade (1565 - early 19th century):
• Main source of income for the colony.
• Silver from New Spain exchanged for Asian goods (silk, spices, lacquerware, textiles) in Manila.
• Goods then exported to New Spain and Europe.
• Primarily for Spain's benefit, but led to cultural/commercial exchanges (new crops/animals like
tamarind, avocado, horses, carabao).
• Ceased in 1815.

18. Economy under Spanish Rule
• Royal Society of Friends of the Country (1780):
• Established by José de Basco y Vargas to promote new ideas.
• Promoted agriculture, established design academy, credited with carabao ban, silversmiths guild,
first papermill.
• Royal Company of the Philippines (1785):
• Granted monopoly on importation of Chinese/Indian goods and direct shipping to Spain via
Cape of Good Hope.
• Opposed by Dutch, British, and Galleon traders.
• Ceased to exist in 1814.

19. Taxation and Forced Labor
• Tribute: Annual forced sale and requisitioning of goods (e.g., bandala for rice).
• Custom Duties & Income Tax: Also collected.
• Cedula Personal (by 1884):
• Replaced the tribute.
• Required for personal identification for everyone over 18.
• Taxpayers individually responsible; subject to arrest for failure to show receipt.
• Local gobernadorcillos responsible for collection.

20. Taxation and Forced Labor
• Polo (Forced Labor):
• Obligatory for all male Filipinos and Chinese immigrants aged 16-60.
• Initially 40 days/year, later reduced to 15 days.
• Forms: building roads/bridges, public buildings/churches, timber cutting, shipyards, military
expeditions.
• Polistas (those who rendered labor) could be exempted by paying falla.
• Often did not receive daily rice rations as mandated by law.

21. Challenges to Spanish Rule & Resistance
• Constant Threats: Indigenous rebellions, invasions from Dutch, Chinese, Japanese,
and British.
• Indigenous Resistance: Previously dominant groups resisted Spanish rule, taxes,
and excesses. All defeated by 1597.
• Moro Raids: From western Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago on Christian coastal
areas, capturing slaves.

22. Challenges to Spanish Rule & Resistance
• Japanese Interactions:
• Visited for trade (silver export, gold import) in 1570s.
• Peaceful trading relations by 1590.
• Toyotomi Hideyoshi unsuccessfully demanded Philippines submit to Japan's suzerainty.
• Royal Cedula (1597): King Philip II instructed Governor-General to fulfill tribute
laws and provide restitution for ill-gotten taxes.
• Philippine Referendum of 1599: Natives acknowledged Spanish rule, establishing
"legitimate sovereignty."

23. Social Impact & Cultural Exchange
• Population Growth: European population grew, but natives remained majority.
• Spanish Settlements: Manila (1200 families), Cebu (2100 soldier-settlers from
Mexico).
• Mexican Presence: Ermita, Cavite (sentries).
• Peruvian Conscripts: Settled Zamboanga to fight Muslim pirates.

24. Social Impact & Cultural Exchange
• Spanish-Mestizo Communities: Developed in Iloilo, Negros, Vigan.
• Emergence of Chavacano: Creole language formed from interaction between
native Filipinos, immigrant Spaniards, and Latin-Americans.
• Economic Reforms (late 18th century): Governor-General Basco opened
agriculture to Europeans (previously reserved for natives), leading to income from
tobacco and other exports.

25. Conclusion
• Summary of Spanish Impact:
• Establishment of a centralized government and bureaucracy.
• Introduction of Catholicism and Western culture.
• Economic changes (Galleon Trade, new crops, taxation, forced labor).
• Persistent resistance and challenges to Spanish authority.
• Legacy: How Spanish colonization shaped the Philippine nation and state, leading
to its present situation.
• Q&A / Discussion