_Of the Island of Luçon_
_Island of Luçon_. The island of Luçon is the most important island of
the whole group which has been discovered. It is thickly populated and
well-provided with rice and gold-mines. These mines have yielded much
gold, especially in the province of Ylocos. This island is divided
into three provinces, the chief of which is that wherein was founded
the city of Manilla, the capital of this kingdom and the seat of the
governor. Hither flock more Spaniards than are found in all the other
islands. One league and a half from this city is the port of Cavite,
where the ships from Nueva España anchor. The ships from Çhina enter
also through the river of this city, for they usually come in great
numbers to carry on their trading. His Majesty has a fortress here,
with its governor, three royal officers, one major, and one royal
standard-bearer--all appointed by his Majesty. There are also two
alguaçils-mayor--one of court and one of the city, one government
secretary, one notary for the cabildo, and four notaries-public. Manila
is also the seat of the bishop of all the islands; in this city he
resides and has his cathedral church. There are also seven regidors in
this city; three of them are proprietary magistrates, and are appointed
by his Majesty--namely, Captain Juan de Moron, Don Luis Enrriquez, and
Pedro de Herrera. The other four are appointed by the governor--namely,
Captain Graviel de Ribera, Captain Joan Maldonado, Captain Bergara, and
Captain Rodrigo Alvarez. There is also a convent of Augustinian monks,
one of descalced friars, and one house of the Company [of Jesus].
The city is situated midway on the shore of a large bay, about twenty
leagues in circumference. The region all about this bay is fertile,
and well-provisioned. The inhabitants are Moros, instructed in that
faith by those of Burney. The river has a fresh-water lake, about
five leagues above this city; it is more than twenty leagues in
circumference. The district abounds in rice and cotton. The people
possess much gold in the way of trinkets, but there are no mines in
this region. This same race of Moros have made settlements as far as
the villages of the Batangas; their number will be told later. They
have also peopled the island of Mindoro and that of Luban, but they
are to be found in no other region of these islands. The inhabitants
of the province of Camarines at the eastern end of this island,
through whose strait arrive the ships from Nueva España, resemble
the Pintados; and even those at the other and southeastern [_sc._
northern] end of this island, toward the Japanese, also closely
resemble the Pintados--although they do not tattoo _[pintan]_
themselves as the latter do, and bore their ears differently; for in
these two provinces there is but little tattooing. The Pintados tattoo
the whole body very gorgeously; but the Moros do not tattoo themselves
at all, nor do they bore their ears. Unlike the men of Visaya, the
Moros wear their hair short, although their women bore their ears,
but in a very ugly manner. The Moros inhabit only this district of
the bay of Manilla. with a fifteen-league coast, the most fertile
land of this island. The following encomiendas are to be found in
the neighborhood of this city:
The encomienda of Vatan, eight hundred men.
The encomienda of Vitis, with about seven thousand men.
The encomienda of Macabebe, with two thousand six hundred men.
The encomienda of Calonpite, with about three thousand men.
The encomienda of Candava, with two thousand men.
Near this encomienda is a village which, on account of its antiquity,
is called Little Castilla. It belongs to his Majesty, and has a
population of seventy.
The encomienda of Pale, with three hundred men.
The encomienda of Binto, with four hundred men.
The encomienda of Malolos, eight hundred men.
The encomienda of Guiguinto, four hundred men.
The encomienda of Catangalan, with eight hundred men.
The encomienda of Caluya belongs to his Majesty, and has six hundred
men.
Formerly all the above-mentioned encomiendas had one alcalde-mayor,
but since Don Gonzalo came he has appointed the following officials:
_Corregidor of Batan_. In Batan, a corregidor, with a salary of one
hundred and fifty pesos.
_Alcalde-mayor of Lubao_. In Lubao, another, with a salary of three
hundred pesos.
_Alcalde-mayor of Calompite_. In Calompite and Macaveve, another,
with a salary of three hundred pesos.
_Alcalde-mayor of Candava_. In Candava and two other encomiendas,
another, with a salary of two hundred pesos.
_Alcalde-mayor of Bulacan._ In Bulacan and its vicinity, another,
with a salary of two hundred pesos.
One language is spoken in all these encomiendas. Quite near the city,
and along the coast from Tondo, which is situated on the other side
of the river of this city, another language is spoken. This village
of Tondo belongs to his Majesty, and possesses a population of one
thousand three hundred and fifty Indians.
The village of Quiapo also belongs to his Majesty.
The village of Pandacan, which is held by an encomendero, has one
hundred and fifty men.
The village of Santa Maria is under an encomendero, and has a
population of [_blank space in MS_.].
The village of Capaques has two hundred men, and belongs to his
Majesty.
The encomienda of Pasic has one encomendero, and contains two
thousand men.
The encomienda of Tagui is under one encomendero, and has six hundred
and sixty men.
The encomienda of Taytay is inhabited by five hundred Indians. All
these encomiendas are situated along the river of Manilla, from Tondo
to the lake, and are under the jurisdiction of one alcalde-mayor,
who appoints a deputy for Tondo. The alcalde-mayor has a salary of
two hundred pesos; and his deputy, one hundred.
Around the lake the following settlements are under the jurisdiction
of another alcalde-mayor:
The encomienda of Maribago, three hundred men.
The encomienda of Tabuc, with [_blank space in MS._].
The encomienda of Vahi, with two thousand five hundred men.
The encomienda of Pila, with one thousand six hundred men.
The encomienda of Mayay, with four hundred men.
The encomienda of Lumban, with one thousand five hundred men.
The encomienda of Maracta belongs to his Majesty, and has six
hundred men.
The encomienda of Balian, with six hundred men.
The encomienda of Sinoloan, with seven hundred men.
The encomienda of Moron, with one thousand one hundred men.
The last two encomiendas have a much larger population; but they
are hostile, and live in the mountains. All the above-mentioned
encomiendas are found around the lake. Turning toward the coast of
Manilla, on the other side of Tondo, we find the following villages:
On the coast near Manila are Laguo, Malahat, Longalo, Palañac, Vacol,
Minacaya, and Cavite. All these villages are in the neighborhood
of Cavite, and belong to his Majesty, to whom they pay tribute. On
entering the bay opposite the other point, which is called Batan, is:
_Alcalde-mayor for the coast_. The encomienda of Maragondon, with four
hundred and fifty men. This encomienda of Maragondon, together with
all the above-mentioned coast villages which belong to his Majesty,
is under the jurisdiction of one alcalde-mayor, who receives a salary
of three hundred pesos.
Outside of the bay of Manilla, on the east, are the villages of the
lowlands of Tuley, which belong to his Majesty and pay him tribute.
_Corregidor of Balayan_. The encomienda of Balayan has six hundred men,
with one encomendero; one corregidor is appointed here, who receives
a salary of one hundred and fifty pesos.
_Alcalde-mayor of Vonvon_. The district around the lake of Bombon
has a population of about three thousand four hundred. Then come
the villages of the Batangas district, with one thousand men and
one encomendero. These two encomiendas are under the jurisdiction
of another alcalde-mayor. All the land between Tuley and Batangas
is inhabited by Moros, who, as we have said above, have abundance of
cotton, and possess much gold handed down to them by their ancestors.
Proceeding about three leagues from the settlement of Batangas,
which we mentioned above, along the coast toward Camarines, we come
to the river of Lobo, on which are about a hundred Indians. Two
leagues from Lobo is Maribago, where there are gold mines; here dwell
about one hundred Indians. Farther on is the village of Biga, with a
population of about one hundred and fifty Indians. Next is Galvan,
with about another hundred and fifty Indians. All these villages
have one encomendero. Farther along the coast is the river Dayun,
with about six hundred Indians; and next, the river Tubi, on which,
in the tingues [hills], are about five hundred Indians.
Next are the river Carilaya and other small settlements, with a total
population of about five hundred Indians.
Still farther is the river Caguayan, with about two hundred
Indians. All this territory has three encomenderos, and is all under
the jurisdiction of the alcalde-mayor of Mindoro. Here begins the
province of Camarines, although a few settlements of little importance
may be found between the two regions.