Spanish colonialism
Introduction
The Bancroft Library materials related to the Spanish colonization of the Philippine Islands are primarily focused on the evangelizing efforts by Catholic missionaries, the legal controls set in place for the administration of the colony, and the commercial interests of the Spanish Crown, including the vital trade between Acapulco and Manila. As can be presumed, these documents are primarily in Spanish, given that it was the lingua franca of the empire, and speak to the Spanish government’s view of the Philippines as a trading hub between East and West.
Religious materials
The religious materials from the collection include printed sermons and edicts from religious authorities that sought to regulate matters of faith. The edicts were disseminated from Mexico City throughout the viceroyalty of New Spain and were often a means to propagate Catholic orthodoxy throughout the empire. Other items at Bancroft include personal or familial prayer books in local languages and Inquisitorial trials against those who were thought to have trespassed against the Christian faith. The latter include the transcripts of the 1646 Inquisitorial trials of Ysabeltia and Ysabel Ylag, accused of being babaylanas (spiritual mediums) in Iloilo, Philippines, as well as that of Manuel Suárez de Olivera, for practicing Judaism in Manila in 1661. These trials provide a wealth of documentation into the lives of everyday Filipinos.
Causa criminal contra Ysabeltia e Ysabel Ylag, indias babailanas, 1646
Criminal case against Ysabeltia and Ysabel Ylag, Indigenous spiritual mediums, 1646
In February 1646, Ana Pandan, identified by the authorities as an “india mulata” of the Timagua (Timawa) class from Villa de Arévalo, accused Ysabeltia and Ysabel Ylag of being spiritual mediums (babaylanas). Pandan accused the women of making talismans (maganitos) for Antonio Roxas and his family and performing ceremonies to summon the natural spirits. The testimony, recorded through an interpreter, includes a detailed description of the alleged practices of Ysabeltia, including the food and drink consumed during the seance. Both women denied the accusations against them.
La familia Regalado
This undated manuscript prayer book, written in Cebuano, was part of a series of prayer books. The Bancroft Library holds only the third volume (libro tercero).
Legal and administrative documents
In terms of legal documents, the collections range from local government records to royal treatises and other applicable laws promulgated by the colonial governments in Spain or Mexico City. The records of the ayuntamiento (municipal government) of Manila for the years 1770-1771 and 1775 detail the inner workings of the city and highlight the various religious and civic holidays that were to be observed. The 1775 record, made by order of regidor (council member) Andrés José Roxo, includes a decorative cover, his family crest, and a copy of ordenanzas (ordinances) that applied specifically to the running of the municipality. The royal laws and edicts were often tied to taxation, the regulation of commercial enterprises, and the conscription of recruits from the Americas to serve in the Philippines. One such record lists the infantrymen from the city of Querétaro who in 1705 volunteered to serve at the fortifications of Manila.
Reales cédulas, 1575-1677
Royal decrees, 1575-1677
The Spanish Crown sought to rule uniformly via royal decrees (reales cédulas) promulgated throughout the empire. The Bancroft Library has a four-volume set of decrees that applied directly to the Philippines.
Actas de cabildo, 1770-1771
City council minutes, 1770-1771
The Actas de cabildo recorded the minutes of the everyday activities of Manila’s governing body. The last page shown here (p. 35) includes the signatures of the council members for March 27, 1771. The signatories were:
Andrés José Roxo
Juan Francisco Solano
Vicente Laureano de Memije
Alberto Jacinto de Reyes
Antonio Diaz Conde
Felipe Velez Escalante
Juan Antonio Panelo
Juan Antonio de Yturralde
Juan Blanco de Sotomayor
José Caval Bermúdez y Albarado
José Joaquín Martínez
Francisco Balcarzel
Manuel Fernández y Toribio
Ceremonial de las asistencias y funciones de la noble ciudad de Manila, 1775
Ceremonial procedures and functions of the noble city of Manila, 1775
This bound volume includes two separate items. The first is an elegant copy of the book of ceremonial procedures for public occasions drawn up by regidor (council member) Andrés José Roxo (dated June 30, 1775). The second is a copy of the ordinances for governing the city of Manila, including rules for elections, procedures, and duties of officials. The tome also includes a beautiful rendition of Manila’s royal coat of arms.
Relaciones de los soldados que se alistaron para las Yslas Filipinas, 1700
Records of the soldiers who enlisted for the Philippine Islands, 1700
These documents, by order of viceroy José Sarmiento de Valladares, conde de Moctezuma, relate to the recruitment of a company of soldiers for service in Manila. Produced in the city of Querétaro, the manuscript includes a list of the soldiers, their officials, and their marching orders. The orders are signed by the viceroy.
Lista de la gente ... para el socorro que se ha de conducir al Real Campo de Manila, 1705
List of the people readied for the aid of the Royal Camp at Manila, 1705
This forty-seven-page document contains the orders by Viceroy Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, Duke of Albuquerque, for the recruitment of soldiers in the city of Querétaro for service in Manila. It includes the names, wages, and genealogical information of the enlisted men.
Circular del gobierno general ... a los habitantes de Mindanao, 1886
Notice from the general government to the inhabitants of Mindanao, 1886
Amid rumors of independence, the Spanish government offered to extend religious liberties to the residents of Mindanao if they remained “faithful subjects” of Spain. This flyer, printed in Jawi script ten years before the official start of the Philippine Revolution, shows a growing concern by the Spanish government over the possibility of losing its colonial outpost in Asia.
A commercial hub
The Manila Galleon—an annual shipment of goods between Manila and Acapulco—granted the Spanish Empire access to Asian markets. For 250 years, the trade between Mexico and the Philippines established a cultural exchange between Asia, the Americas, and Spain. The documents held at Bancroft, however, mainly reflect the highly regulated commercial exchange of goods for silver and the attempts by merchant monopolies (consulados) to control the trade.
Método ... para recivir y despachar todos los años el Galeón de Filipinas, 1763
Method for the annual arrival and departure of the Philippine Galleon, 1763
Between 1565 and 1815, the Spanish government regulated the trade between New Spain (Mexico) and the Philippines. This manuscript—either made to resemble or copied from an unknown book published in Cádiz, Spain, in 1763—compiles the regulations that were applicable to the trade and to the officials in Mexico City, Acapulco (the port on the Pacific coast of Mexico where the Galleons arrived), and Manila.
Order to open the Acapulco fair from Viceroy Félix Berenguer de Marquina, 1801
The arrival of the Manila Galleons at the port of Acapulco caused great excitement among the merchants of New Spain. At the arrival of the Galleon in November 1801, Viceroy Félix Berenguer de Marquina proclaimed the official opening of the trade fair for the duration of the month of January the following year. In this letter, Marquina urges the merchants to follow the prescribed instructions of trade to avoid purchasing contraband goods.
Market reports from Fred Baker & Co., 1857
Fred Baker & Co. compiled these reports on the produce markets in the Philippines for the months of February, March, and July 1857. They cover products like hemp, sugar, indigo, coffee, hides, wood, pearls, and tortoise shells, among others. The reports also mention imports and exports, cargo vessels cleared for departures and their cargoes, and the various duties applied. In the July report, the author discusses how the weather has affected particular crops, including indigo in the Province of Pangasinan.