An account of the discovery and conquest of the islands of Luzón and
Mindoro, together with the most important events which took place
therein, being a brief and summarized relation of the conquest and
reduction of all that has been conquered and subdued in these islands
up to the present time. Likewise is contained herein a description
of the civilization of the people and their mode of living; the
weapons which they possess and use; and the forts which they build
to defend themselves against their enemies. I have ventured to
write this relation because I have been informed that many things
concerning events in this land have been written, and sent to Nueva
España, which are the merest fable and conjecture. For instance,
they say that there are in this country Moors like those of Barberia
[Barbary], and that their strength in arms is quite equal to that
of those people; and that they fight and defend themselves like the
Turks. Those who have so written are in error. Much to the contrary,
it is quite certain that the natives of this island of Luzón, whom
we Spaniards commonly call Moros, are not so; for the truth is that
they do not know or understand the law of Mahoma--only in some of
the villages on the seacoast they do not eat pork, and this for
the reason that they have had dealings with the Moros of Burney,
who have preached to them a little of the teaching of Mahoma. As I
shall farther on treat more in detail of the rites and ceremonies of
these natives, I shall in the first place describe the wars between
them and the Spaniards, without useless amplification or omission;
for thus have I been instructed to do by a certain person who has
ordered me to write, and thus whatever I may say in defense of these
natives will be read without any mistrust whatever, for whosoever
reads this will know the truth with regard to what occurs here.
The first thing which I shall attempt to relate herein will be an
expedition which was made by Captain Juan de Salzedo when he was
governor in the island of Panai. As has been already related in other
accounts, written in the year sixty-nine, the Portuguese raised the
blockade established by them on the island of Çubú against the camp
of his Majesty, because of certain difficulties which arose; and the
governor determined to cross to the island of Panay with his captains
in order to levy tribute upon the people of certain provinces. His
nephew, recently made captain of the company which his brother Felipe
de Sauzedo had brought to these islands, was sent with forty soldiers
to certain islands. This captain embarked in fourteen or fifteen small
native boats, and set out for an islet which is called Elem, [41]
and when we had reached this island we did not find any resistance
whatever, for all the natives came to us in peace. From there, led
by a guide, he crossed to the island of Mindoro, and made an attack
one night just about dawn upon a very rich native village called
Mamburau, and plundered it. Many of the natives were captured, some
of whom afterward bought their liberty, and others were allowed to
go free. Thence he took a guide for a little islet, Loban by name,
which is fifteen leagues farther. When the captain was departed,
the natives, who had fled from the village, returned and saw the
havoc and destruction caused by the Spaniards, and were unwilling
to return to rebuild it; accordingly they themselves set fire to
it, and totally destroyed it. The captain, having arrived at his
destination at midnight, with all possible secrecy leaped ashore, and
arranged his men and the Pintados [42] Indians whom he had with him in
ambuscade near the villages, in order to make the attack upon them at
daybreak. However, the natives of this island having been informed of
the hostile incursion of the Spaniards, withdrew with their children
and wives and all their belongings that they could take with them,
to three forts which they had constructed. Now since these were the
first natives whom we found with forts and means of defense, I shall
describe here the forts and weapons which they possessed. The two
principal forts were square in form, with ten or twelve culverins on
each side, some of them moderately large and others very small. Each
fort had a wall two _estados_ high, and was surrounded by a ditch two
and one-half _brazas_ in depth, filled with water. The small weapons
used by these natives are badly tempered iron lances, which become
blunt upon striking a fairly good coat of mail, a kind of broad dagger,
and arrows--which are weapons of little value. Other lances are also
used which are made of fire-hardened palm-wood and are harder than the
iron ones. There is an abundance of a certain very poisonous herb which
they apply to their arrows. Such are the weapons which the natives
of these islands possess and employ. Now as the captain approached
the villages at daybreak, and found them empty, he proceeded through
a grove to the place where the first fort was situated; and, having
come in sight, negotiated with them, asking whether they desired to be
friends of the Spaniards. The natives, confident of their strength,
refused to listen, and began to discharge their culverins and a few
arrows. The captain, seeing that they would not listen to reason,
ordered them to be fired upon. The skirmish lasted in one place or
the other about three hours, since the Spaniards could not assault
or enter the fort because of the moat of water surrounding it. But,
as fortune would have it, the natives had left on the other side,
tied to the fort, a small boat capable of holding twenty men; and
two of our soldiers threw themselves into the water and swam across,
protected by our arquebusiers from the enemy, who tried to prevent
them. This boat having been brought to the side where the Spaniards
were, fifteen soldiers entered it and approached the rampart of the
fort. As soon as these men began to mount the rampart, the Indians
began to flee on the other side, by a passage-way which they had made
for that very purpose. It is true that thirty or forty Moros fought
and resisted the entrance of the Spaniards; but when they saw that
half of our people were already on the wall, and the rest in the act
of mounting, they all turned their backs and fled. A hundred or more
of them were killed, while of our men five were wounded. In this way
was the fort taken, together with fifty or sixty prisoners, ten or
twelve culverins, and everything else in it. On the morning of the
next day, which was the second of May, in the year one thousand five
hundred and seventy, the captain set free one of the Moro prisoners,
and sent him to the second fort, which was in the middle of the island
very near the first one, and charged him to tell them that he summoned
them to surrender peacefully. The Moro having performed his mission,
and delivered the message of the captain to those in the fort, they
sent back the reply that they did not desire to be friends with the
Spaniards but were eager to fight with them; and with this reply
the Indian aforesaid returned to the captain. On the following day
we went with some four hundred friendly Indians to the fort; and the
captain, advancing within sight of it, addressed them, asking that they
should be friends with the Spaniards and not try to fight with them,
as that would result badly for them. They again declared that they
did not desire this friendship, and began to fire their culverins and
discharge arrows; and in return the soldiers discharged, on all sides,
their arquebuses. But during the whole day we were not able to enter
the fort, for we Spaniards were very few in number; and the heat was
intense, and we had not eaten, although it was near night. The captain,
seeing that he had not accomplished anything, decided to return to
the boats which he had left behind, and on the next morning again to
besiege the fort, and hem them in as closely as possible; and thus he
did. Having come in this manner and having grounded his boats upon a
beach close to the enemy, when these latter saw the determination of
the Spaniards, and that they would not depart under any circumstances
until they had conquered them, they therefore determined to make peace
and become friends. To this end the leaders came out of the fort and
made peace and friendship with the captain, becoming good friends,
which they are up to the present time. They gave him a hundred _tall
[taels]_ of gold, which he divided among his soldiers. From there the
captain went to a rock belonging to another small islet very near to
that of Loban, and lying in the sea at a very short distance from the
said islet. The natives who lived in that island had retired to this
rock to the number of about three hundred warriors. The captain,
having arrived on the same day at about ten o'clock, went around
the rock, and we captured a small boat containing thirty men. Many
volleys from the arquebuses were fired at them during this day;
and on the following morning the soldiers began to make ladders to
scale the rock--whose occupants, when they saw the determination of
the Spaniards, came to terms of peace and friendship, giving another
hundred _tall_ of gold, following the example of those of the other
fort, who had been left good friends. The captain returned with all
of us who were with him to the island of Panay, where the governor
was with the master-of-camp, who had returned from another expedition
made with his men to an island called Acuyo. Thereupon the question
was discussed of sending men jto explore the island of Luzón; and it
was agreed that the master-of-camp and captain Juan de Sauzedo should
set out upon this expedition with a hundred soldiers.
The necessary preparations having been made for this expedition,
the master-of-camp and the said captain embarked in two of our
small ships, with three large pieces of artillery, and accompanied
by fourteen or, fifteen ships of the Pintados Indians, our friends,
who in their own language are called Viseys. They sailed out of
the river of Panay in the year of seventy, above mentioned, on the
third of May, the day of Sancta Cruz. I did not take part in this
expedition but shall describe literally everything which occurred in
it. I have drawn my information from the others who participated in it,
and more especially from two of my associates, both of whom went on
this expedition, and who are men of great reliability--an advantage,
as I have before mentioned. The master-of-camp arrived at the island
of Mindoro, the village and port of which had the reputation of being
very great and very strong, but which proved to be an exaggeration,
for the village is small, containing only about three or four hundred
inhabitants. The master-of-camp having arrived, as I have said,
at that port, the Indians were drawn up on a declivity before the
village, and made signs that they intended to prevent the entrance
of the Spaniards. The master-of-camp, with all his soldiers, leaped
ashore in front of the village on a little plain, and, approaching the
village in a zigzag course, thus attacked it. The gunners who were in
the ship were ordered to discharge a cannon in the air when the attack
was made, and this was done. The Indians seeing that they intended
to enter the village by force, made peace with the master-of-camp,
and paid him tribute; and they have remained friends and vassals of
the royal Spanish administration up to the present day. This is the
port where enter all the passengers who come from the islands of the
Pintados and from España to this island of Luzón, where the governor
resides. From here the master-of-camp set sail for the island of
Luzón, or rather the port and village of Manilla, which was said
to be large and very strong. It is but just to say that it is not
more than one-tenth as large and as strong as in Nueva España and
in other places it is reported to be; and yet, in comparison with
the natives of this land, the inhabitants of Manilla were powerful,
for they had twelve pieces of small and inferior artillery and a few
culverins, with such other weapons as I have already mentioned. This
village of Manilla is situated on a tongue of land extending from
east to west between the river and the sea, and a fort had been
built on the extreme western end of this peninsula at the entrance
to the port. The sea makes a very large harbor about thirty leagues
in circumference; and bordering upon this harbor are many villages,
among which is that of Manilla. [43] Manilla is now a Spanish city,
founded in the name of his Majesty by the governor Miguel López
de Legazpi. The captain-general and Captain Juan de Sauzedo having
arrived in view of this port of Manilla, entered in peace, and under
the safe-conduct of two native chiefs of the said village. One of
these was called Laya, lately deceased, who died a Christian; the
other was called Raxa Solimán. With these two chiefs were drawn up
articles of peace, although Raxa Soliman was suspected of lack of
good-faith, while Laya was always to be trusted, even until the day of
his death. While these peaceful negotiations were in progress between
the master-of-camp and the two chiefs above-mentioned, there collected
a large number of natives of various classes; and yet there were not
so many a» was reported in Nueva España, where it was claimed that
there were in all eighty thousand Moros in this village of Manilla,
when this event took place. Indeed one should subtract seventy-eight
thousand from the eighty thousand mentioned, in order to arrive at
the two thousand which there might have been from the said village of
Manilla and those in its environs, including the women and children,
who were present in great numbers. Now, as I say, these negotiations
being in progress, some of the natives desired peace and others war;
for indeed the Indians had some pride, and it seemed to them that
the Spaniards were very few and could be easily slain, even if only
with clubs. Thus it was that, at the end of three days during which
these friendly negotiations continued (because it was impossible to
come to an agreement, or conclude them), one day at ten o'clock, on
the twenty-fourth day of the month of May of the year above mentioned,
the Indians, who were in the fort, began to discharge their artillery
at two of our ships, which were moored very near by. The master-of-camp
was ashore with eighty soldiers, close to this same fort, on a small
piece of level ground. The fort was made of palm-tree logs surmounting
a very narrow mound, and the pieces of artillery protruded from
immense gaps by which the soldiers could enter at will, as I have
said above. Now when the Moros began to violate the articles of
peace and friendship which the master-of-camp had made with them,
the latter was deeply concerned; for he had great fear, because the
enemy were in force. Yet, when he saw that the battle had broken out,
he put on his helmet, and commenced to encourage his soldiers, telling
them that they should acquit themselves as Spaniards, and as they had
always done in critical times. Thereupon he ordered them to attack
the fort through the openings made for the artillery, and it pleased
God that not one of the gunners had the courage to fire his piece;
and so great was the confusion, that they trembled upon seeing the
Spaniards enter with so great spirit, and, turning their backs,
abandoned themselves to flight, and slew one another in their mad
rush for freedom. The master-of-camp, realizing that the village was
large and rich, and that the victory was his by the grace of God,
for the soldiers were few, feared lest our soldiers should, through
greed, set to plundering the houses and become widely scattered; and
that, if the enemy should see them thus scattered, they would return
and attack them when unable to reunite. That he might avoid this
danger he ordered the village to be set on fire, and the soldiers to
collect upon the promontory, which order was obeyed. In this manner,
as related, it befell the master-of-camp, and the victory was obtained
over those of Manilla. The artillery which they possessed, and which I
have mentioned above--namely, ten or twelve medium-sized pieces and
a few culverins--was taken. On the other bank there was a village,
whose chief was named Alcandora, with whom the master-of-camp did
not wish to deal as yet, for he knew that the governor desired to
establish a settlement in this island. Therefore, as he desired that
this chief should stay where he was and do him no injury, he left him
and returned to the island of Panay, making peace and friendship,
on the way, with many villages on this same island of Luzón. Upon
reaching the island of Mindoro, and being in a river which is called
Vaco, news came to him that Juan de la Ysla had arrived from Nueva
España with three ships sent by the viceroy, Don Martín Enrríquez,
and with the letters which the said Juan de la Ysla was bringing
from España from his Majesty. News was received likewise of the
payments of money which were being made to the soldiers in the
service of his Majesty in these regions. There also came on these
ships the most reverend Father Diego de Herrera, a member of the
order of St. Augustine, who had gone hence a year before to Nueva
España, on business which pertained to the public welfare and to the
service of God and his Majesty. The master-of-camp, having received
the news as to these ships, made haste and arrived in the middle of
the month of June at the river of Panay, where the governor was. He
was well received by the governor and by all, although it grieved
the governor much that they had burned Manilla, for he had planned
to take up his residence in this village of Manilla, as he afterward
did. According to the story told by those who were present, it does
not seem that the master-of-camp was at fault in the burning of this
village; for he did it in order to make sure of the victory, and so
that the enemy might not return to attack him. This is my opinion,
for I regard him as a good Christian. Laying aside this question,
I shall relate the doings of the governor.
The ships having arrived at the said island of Panay, orders were given
for all the other captains who were scattered with their companies
through the other islands to assemble. The papers and letters of
his Majesty were opened, and it was seen that it was his will for
the lands to be settled and divided among those who conquered and
subdued them. Other and greater favors were conferred by his Majesty,
who has always striven and will always strive that our Lord should
be served. The will of his Majesty having thus been revealed to the
governor, he determined to go to found a colony on the island of
Cubu, which he did, naming it El Nombre de Jesús. He left this colony
populated by forty or fifty colonists, giving them some villages and
islands in the immediate environs. From that island he returned to the
above-named island of Panay, whence he decided to sail, with the rest
of his men and all his munitions of war, to the island of Luzón. He
was detained here, however, for five or six months, during which time
the people suffered great distress from the lack of rice in the island,
because of the swarms of locusts which had prevailed for two or three
years. Therefore the father provincial preached to us each day, and
strongly urged the governor, in all his public sermons and private
conversations, that he should depart from this island and not permit
the people to suffer so great distress. Therefore, influenced by
the prayers and warnings of the said father, and because he saw that
there was reason therefor, he decided to sail out of the said river
of Panay with all his fleet and army, to settle the island of Luzón.
Accompanied by the ships necessary for such an expedition, the governor
set sail in the year one thousand five hundred and seventy-one, on
the day after Easter, taking with him the father provincial, Fray
Diego de Herrera, the master-of-camp and all the other captains, and
two hundred and thirty arquebusiers. It was on the twentieth of the
month that he set sail, and with fair weather he arrived at the island
of Mindoro with his whole fleet of twenty-six or twenty-seven ships,
large and small, including both our own and those of the natives who
came with us. He remained on that island fifteen or sixteen days,
and from thence set out for the island of Luzón, where we arrived a
week later, at the bay which I have before mentioned and on which
Manilla is situated. When the natives knew that the governor had
come with his entire force to settle upon their lands, and when they
saw him entering the bay, they set fire to their village of Manilla
(which they had rebuilt after its burning, a year before, by the
master-of-camp); and this time many of the houses were consumed and
many remained standing, while the natives crossed to the opposite
shore, to the village of Alcandora. The governor having arrived at
the port of Manylla one day in the middle of the month of May, at
two o'clock in the afternoon, Alcandora came out in a little boat to
welcome him in peace and friendship, and speak to him on behalf of Raxa
Solimán and Laya, begging that he would treat them with friendship,
and pardon them for having taken up arms the past year against the
master-of-camp. He said that on the following day they would come,
under safe conduct from him, to talk with him and make peace. The
governor received him very well, and told him through an interpreter
to retire for the night to his house and to come on the next day with
the two Raxas, saying that he would make peace with the latter, and
would treat them as sons; for he had no ill-feeling toward them, but
rather regretted that they had resisted the master-of-camp. Thus with
these assurances, Alcandora took his leave, going to his house greatly
pleased. The next day the governor disembarked in Manilla and the three
chiefs came to talk with him and declare themselves his friends. It
should not be understood in Nueva España or in España that the chiefs
in this land are absolute rulers, or that they have great authority
or power. Rather the very opposite is true, for there exist among
them the most primitive conditions to be found in any race. It often
befalls that in one village, however small it may be, there are five,
six, or ten chiefs, each of whom possesses twenty or thirty slaves,
whom he has the power to sell, or treat as he pleases. Others there
are who are called _timaguas_ (that is to say, freemen), over whom the
chiefs have no power--except that the timaguas are under obligation to
follow their own chief when war arises between the different factions;
and even this service is not compulsory and cannot be obtained by
force. As I have said, there prevails among them the utmost rudeness
and lack of harmony; so that if one says "basket," the other responds
"crossbow." He who has the most gold and riches is the greatest chief
and of the highest nobility, and is the most respected, in accordance
with the vanity and vainglory of this world. It occurs to me now that
this is borne out by the proverb current among the Spaniards, namely,
"Dost thou wish to know thy value? see what thou hast."
These three chiefs, having become our friends, offered to bring all the
surrounding country to terms of peace with us, a thing which they did
not succeed in accomplishing, for they were not sufficiently powerful,
as I have said, each village having its own chiefs. Indeed there are
but very few chiefs who have authority over as many as two or three
villages, for the reason which I have given above. The character and
customs of these people, and their clothing, ornaments, and mode of
government I shall describe further on--that is to say, of the people
of this island of Luzon and of the other islands round about. As for
those farther away in China, we are informed by those who come from
there to trade with these islands that they are a cleanly, well-clothed
race, and of higher morals. This is worthy of some belief, on account
of the Chinese who come to these islands to trade, and whom we see
walking about, well and decently clothed. Leaving this subject for
its proper time and place, I shall continue to relate the governor's
actions after disembarking in Manilla, on the sixteenth of May of
the year one thousand five hundred and seventy-one. At the end of a
week he published an edict that, in accordance with the command of his
Majesty, he would give lands and _repartimientos_ to those who desired
to settle in the city of Manilla, which he was founding in the name
of his Majesty. Accordingly, all those who came with him, captains,
soldiers, and gentlemen, settled as citizens in this city; but up to
the present, and it is now about a year since the city was founded,
there are very few who have _repartimientos_ or even homesteads. This
is, as I have said, a very unsatisfactory manner in which this city
was founded and settled. I shall now return to relate briefly the
war with the natives, which the Spaniards have carried on even to
the present day.
All that I have above related having taken place, it was decided to
make peace with the nearest villages, some of whom had come to beg
it from the governor, and others would not. Among those who would
not come was a village called Butas, situated on an inlet on the
other side of the river flowing past Manilla, and about a league
and a half away. This village, uniting with the others near by, sent
word that they did not wish peace or friendship with the governor;
and had the boldness to come as far as the village of Alcandora,
quite close to Manilla, whence they sent defiance to the governor and
the captains. Having endured this a number of times and having made
offers of peace, it finally became impossible to endure such insolence;
and the governor had to send the master-of-camp, with seventy soldiers
and several native leaders, by sea to fight with those Indians at their
village, where they were waiting with twenty or thirty of their boats,
with one or two culverins in each boat. He set out (after having heard
mass) on the day of the Feast of the Holy Ghost, which was the third
of the month of June in the year above mentioned. The master-of-camp,
having embarked with the soldiers, arrived at the place where the
enemy were assembled at twelve o'clock on that day. When they saw that
he was entering the port, they sailed out to attack him with their
boats (which were, as I said, twenty or thirty in number), and with
a great outcry began to fire their culverins and many arrows. It was
God's will that they caused no injury to our forces. Taking note of
the order used by the enemy, the command was given for the Spaniards
to fasten their boats by twos, and to row slowly toward the opposing
forces. When they were in close proximity, all the arquebusiers began
to shoot and to cause injuries among the enemy--who, not being able to
endure the firing, which killed many of them, began to turn their backs
and retreat to the land. When the Pintados Indians who accompanied
the master-of-camp saw the enemy in retreat, they threw themselves
into the water in pursuit, and caused great slaughter among them; for
they are bitter enemies of the natives of this island of Luzón. And
thus they attacked them on land, capturing all their boats and taking
two hundred of the natives prisoners; and later they captured two or
three hundred more. On the land there were five or six culverins in
a little fort, which was captured. In this manner were routed those
Indians, who had shown so much pride and had so little courage. On
the morning of the next day the master-of-camp came to the city with
all the booty, and divided the prisoners as slaves among the soldiers,
reserving a fifth for his Majesty.
A few days having passed in peace and rest, there came certain Indians
who told the governor that in the province of Capanpanga there were
many densely-populated rivers; and that most of the people thereon
did not desire to have friendly relations with the Spaniards. The
master-of-camp had to go therefore upon this conquest with one hundred
soldiers. When he had entered the said province, some of the natives
retired to forts which they had built, and tried to resist him. He
routed them, and took from them some culverins in their possession
and they were left pacified. While he was subjugating this province,
there came news that two ships had arrived from Nueva España, sent by
the viceroy Don Martín Enrriquez, with a reënforcement of one hundred
soldiers, under the captaincy of Juan López de Aguirre. The governor
thereupon ordered the master-of-camp to go to Panay, to send the said
ships to this port of Manilla, and to bring back his wife, who was
in Çubú. In consideration of this service the first _repartimiento_
in this island and a river called Bonbón was allotted to him.
At this same time of which we have spoken, there came down from up
the river which flows by Manilla, several chiefs of a village named
Caynta, to proclaim themselves friends of the governor. This said
village had about a thousand inhabitants, and was surrounded by very
tall and very dense bamboo thickets, and fortified with a wall and a
few small culverins. The same river as that of Manilla circles around
the village and a branch of it passes through the middle dividing it in
two sections. Now when they had made their declarations of friendship
to the Spaniards, and saw our situation and condition in Manilla,
they came to think lightly of us; and, after their departure to their
village, sent word that they did not care to be friends, but would
rather fight with the governor and his men. They said that, if the
Spaniards would come up the river for this purpose, they would see how
the people of Caynta would hurl them from their lands. The governor
gave them a month or two to return to their allegiance, and sent
certain friendly Indians to treat with them; but no conclusion could
be reached until the governor sent his nephew Juan de Sauzedo with one
hundred soldiers to conquer them, or rather to destroy them. During
this interim there arrived the two ships coming from Nueva España,
which had been lying in port in the island of Panay. I have already
told above how the master-of-camp had gone to order them to come to
this port of Manilla. On the fifteenth of August, the day of the
Assumption of our Lady, they arrived; and on the same day Captain
Juan de Sauzedo embarked in a galley, with his hundred soldiers and
three pieces of heavy artillery, to go to the fort of Caynta. He
ascended the river for three days before he reached the fort. After
his arrival, the captain, following out the orders of the governor,
waited three days longer, summoning them to return to the terms of
peace and friendship with the Spaniards which had been arranged with
the governor at Manilla. The ill-fated creatures were intractable,
on account of the confidence which they had in their miserable fort;
and for response told the captain that they desired to fight. They
called upon their hearers as witnesses of the fact, saying that on the
day of the battle it would be seen that their God was better than the
one worshiped by the Castilians. This latter statement was shown to
be a falsehood; for God our Lord was vindicated, and they and their
demons, whom they call gods, and worship, were proved liars. Thus
on the third day, when the period set for summoning them had passed,
the captain prepared his men; and, leaving the galley and the three
pieces of artillery in a bend in the river with sufficient men, made
a detour with the rest, and, on the side where the fort appeared the
weakest, they entered. As they were entering, the enemy killed two
men with a very small culverin which they had; and another man they
pierced through his coat of mail and all with a lance of fire-hardened
palm-wood, so that there were three dead. I have already said at the
beginning of this relation that the lances of palm-wood are harder
than iron. The fort having been entered, as I have told, the enemy
made no resistance after the Spaniards were within. Whoever was able
to flee to save his life fled, and of the Indians there were slain,
men and women, four hundred persons. The rest who had escaped came
thereupon, and made terms of peace and friendship. The fort and all
the bamboo thickets surrounding it were destroyed, and the people
are today very humble and submissive. There were found in this fort
but four culverins. Their having artillery, and the source of their
knowledge of casting it, I shall state in a few words, for I forgot
to do so at the beginning. According to the natives of the province
of Capanpanga and Manilla, there were two Spaniards, from the first
fleets which came to this land, who had been captives among them. One
of these was a Fleming, the other a Vizcayan; and from them they
learned to cast artillery. I do not affirm this, although, as I say,
the natives make this assertion. I am inclined rather to the belief
that they have learned it from the Moros of Burney, with whom they had
dealings. The fort of Caynta was destroyed, as I have related. This
fort or village was very near a great lake of fresh water located
about four leagues from the city of Manylla. It was reputed to be
very large and thickly populated along the shores; but it is not
one tenth so thickly populated as they say. With regard to the lake,
I shall state what it is like, for I have gone all around it afoot,
and seeing gives authority. It is more than twelve leagues long and
two wide, and is fresh. Its freshness is caused by the fact that
a great number of streams enter it, and only two flow from it; and
for this reason also it is very deep, because much water enters and
there is but little outflow. The villages about this lake, containing
about twenty-four or twenty-six thousand men, were pacified by the
captain Juan de Sauzedo. From here the latter crossed with sixty men
to the opposite coast of this island, in quest of some mines which
the natives had told him were very rich and abounding in gold. The
galley was left in the lake above mentioned. These mines are on the
opposite coast of this island, which is the northeastern, and the
natives call them the mines of Paracali. [44] When the captain had
arrived at the mines with his soldiers, who had suffered much on the
march because it was in the wet season, they found them excellent
and very rich, and more than thirty or forty estados in depth. The
natives were afraid and did not await the coming of the Spaniards. Some
of the soldiers complained also that the captain conducted himself
badly. And thus they returned having lost by death four soldiers,
among whom was the sergeant Juan Ramos, newly come to this land. I
believe, according to reports, that possession of these mines will
be taken, and the whole coast thereabout conquered--for it is a very
rich land--if our Lord will it and give his divine sanction thereto,
for here we are gaining little profit.
I have told above how the master-of-camp had gone to Cubú for his
wife; arriving there, he returned with her to this city. There was
a river in the province of Capanpanga, named Vites, the inhabitants
of which refused to be friends of the Spaniards; they were reputed
to be very powerful. The master-of-camp had to take upon this
expedition one hundred and fifty soldiers, and was accompanied by
a native guide from the same river who was an Indian chief hostile
to the natives of Vites. This man had come to the Spaniards with
the offer to conduct them into Vites in perfect safety, without any
danger whatever; and this he did, getting the master-of-camp and the
hundred and fifty soldiers with him into the place. When the natives
saw the Spaniards so safely within their gates and at their fort,
they surrendered themselves in peace and friendship and destroyed
their fort. All the other villages round about came to offer their
friendship; and thus we gained possession of this stronghold, which,
by reason of the reports of the natives, was regarded as somewhat
dangerous--but there was no more resistance experienced from it than
what I have related. With this expedition was ended the last of the
wars which have been waged in this island and in that of Mindoro,
the most important being written in this relation.
I shall now give my attention to the treatment of certain facts with
regard to the natives of this land, simply telling their manner of
living, dressing, and dealing with one another. I shall describe
a few things which I have seen as to the idols worshiped by them,
and shall not enlarge upon other details.
In the first place, the men are of medium size, and dark. They wear
their hair clipped short, like the Spaniards. They wear a little
cloth headdress and a small piece of cloth to conceal their private
parts. From the belt upward, some wear a short doublet of coarse
material, with half-sleeves and open in front. There is no manner of
footwear. Among them the manner of dress and ornamentation is very
indecent. The women are exceedingly ugly and most indecent. They clothe
themselves with a piece of cloth hanging down from the belt, and a
very small doublet, so that their bellies are left exposed. They can
only be compared to mares glutted with hay. They have no personality or
rank whatever, and eat and drink most vulgarly. There is no difference
between the chief and his slave, or between the slave and his master,
in the matter of eating and drinking.
As for their sacrifices, each one of the natives, so far as I have
seen, has in his house many idols, to whom they pray. They call
God, _Batala_, and the chief idol which they have is thus named;
but others call him _Diobata_ [45]--at least among the Pintados
they give him this name. The natives of this island usually call
him Batala, and even consider him God of all creation. Accordingly,
after the religious came to this land and commenced to preach the
faith of Jesus Christ, and to baptize, the natives have not known
how to give any other name in their language to God our Lord, except
that of Batala. They are people easily converted to the faith, and
in the short time while those religious have been in this island,
they have gathered much fruit and have baptized many people--men,
women and children, who have all been baptized without any chief or
native Indian of this land denying our faith. Quite to the contrary,
if they are questioned in regard to it, and preached to about it, they
say that it is very sacred and very good. Returning to the discussion
of the way in which they conduct their feasts, it is as follows.
When any chief is ill, he invites his kindred and orders a great
meal to be prepared, consisting of fish, meat, and wine. When the
guests are all assembled and the feast set forth in a few plates on
the ground inside the house, they seat themselves also on the ground
to eat. In the midst of the feast (called _manganito_ or _baylán_ in
their tongue), they put the idol called Batala and certain aged women
who are considered as priestesses, and some aged Indians--neither more
nor less. They offer the idol some of the food which they are eating,
and call upon him in their tongue, praying to him for the health of
the sick man for whom the feast is held. The natives of these islands
have no altars nor temples whatever. This _manganito_, or drunken
revel, to give it a better name, usually lasts seven or eight days;
and when it is finished they take the idols and put them in the
corners of the house, and keep them there without showing them any
reverence. As I have said, they all, from the least to the greatest,
eat and drink to the point of losing their senses. In the villages
nearest the sea some do not eat pork, the reason for their not eating
it, which I have already given, being that, in trading with the Moros
of Burney, the latter have preached to them some part of the nefarious
doctrine of Mahoma, charging them not to eat pork. In this they act
most childishly, and when, by chance any of them are asked why they
do not eat it, they say that they do not know why; and if one asks
them who Mahoma was and what his law commands, they say that they do
not know the commandment or anything about Mahoma, not even his name;
nor do they know what his law is, nor whence it came. It is true that
some of them who have been in Burney understand some of it, and are
able to read a few words of the Alcorán; but these are very few, and
believe that he who has not been in Burney may eat pork, as I have
heard many of them say. They swear by the sun and by the moon, and
all the islands have this oath in common--a fact that I have noticed
since our coming to this land. It does not seem to me that they are
accustomed to worship animals, stars, clouds, or other things which
many idolatrous pagans are wont to adore. I believe, nevertheless,
that they have many other customs with regard to sacrifices and
witchcraft, for they actually practice these; but there is little
advantage in wasting the time or burdening the mind therewith, for any
rational person will be able to understand sufficiently the rest after
reading what is herein written. Among them, up to the present day,
I have not observed any sin against nature, which is saying a great
deal of so uncivilized a race; yet with regard to their treatment
of women, they are so vicious and licentious that any race whatever
might excel them, and this is no insignificant evil and sin. Their
custom in taking wives is the following.
Whoever is the richest and has the most gold also has the most wives,
and offends most God. There is a law among these natives which is
not bad--namely, that however many wives a man has, among them all he
regards one as his legitimate wife; and if, when he dies, he has no
children by this woman, the children of the others do not inherit. In
illustration of the truth of this, one may cite the death of Laya,
whom I have already mentioned. When this man died, a Christian, he had
no children by his legitimate wife, and although he had many by his
other wives, they did not inherit; therefore his property descended
to a legitimate nephew of his. It is true, however, that the bastard
children may deprive them of their property. I have above shown the
characteristics and mode of government among these natives. They do
not care to know more than that they are Indians, like all the other
Indians. The chiefs are but slightly distinguished in dress from
the slaves and freemen. Both women and men wear anklets of gold, and
bracelets upon their arms. In regard to the wars waged between them
and the Spaniards hitherto, I have already told the principal exploits
of captains and soldiers among them. I have already designated the
captains who have achieved the most noted deeds in this conquest; and
nothing further will be found. If it were necessary to give proof by
calling upon all who are in this land, I would be ready to do that. As
to what has taken place among the Pintados and among the Portuguese,
my relation does not concern itself therewith; but I claim that the
most important events which have occurred on these islands, touching
the relations between the natives and the Spaniards, are those related
and declared by me. As for the Portuguese, I shall say only that
the Spaniards have shown great fidelity and bravery in the service
of his Majesty, although they never came to a hand-to-hand struggle
with the Portuguese--except in a few ambuscades, where they took some
captives, as has been written at great length by many chroniclers who
live here. May God grant that they write the truth; for, as far as I
can learn, very little credit can be given them except in the case of
father Fray Diego de Herrera and Fray Martín de Herrada, who, being
religious and strongly attached to the service of God and the public
good, will write the whole truth; and yet I do not believe that they
will interest themselves in secular affairs. Now that I have written
the customs and practices of the natives of these islands, I shall
make a few remarks on the Indians of China, for I had begun to state
them before. I said that they come to trade with the natives and the
Spaniards of this island of Luzón as well as to all the islands in
this region, to import and sell silk stuffs, very good cotton robes,
and other small articles, very neat and similar in make and style
to those worn by them. As I began to say above, both men and women
are vigorous and light complexioned. I say women, for some are to be
found living in this island of Luzón. These Chinese live among these
natives because they have fled from their own country, on account
of certain events which took place there. They brought their wives
with them; all of them, both men and women, number about one hundred
and fifty. They became Christians after coming here. They are a very
unassuming and modest people; they clothe themselves with long robes
of cotton cloth and with silk. They wear wide breeches, and sleeves
and stockings, like the Spaniards. They are a very ingenious and
cleanly people. This, is in brief what we have seen. They wear their
hair very long, men as well as women, tied up and well arranged upon
their heads. I have treated thus far of various matters; I come now
to speak of the fertility of these islands, of what is gathered and
sown in them, mainly with regard to those in which I have been.
The island of Mindanao is very large and poorly populated, at least
in the part in which I have been, which is from the river of Butuan
to the cape of Calamita, about eighty leagues along the coast. It is
an extremely rough country. The natives there obtain very pure gold,
for the mines are numerous and very rich. The cape of Caahuite,
located in this island, and where cinnamon is gathered, lies in
five degrees of latitude, and is toward the southeast. It is a very
unhealthy country. As I remarked above, I have been at that cape. From
the cape to the river Grande de Mindanao, the distance is about sixty
leagues. We were very near this river of Mindanao with the small boat
of the flagship which was lost in the Ladrones. Up to the present day
none of the Spaniards of our number who were in that ship, have been
in that river. Near this cape there is an island called Taguima,
[46] and between the island and the said cape the vessels of the
Portuguese pass on their way to Maluco for cloves. Therefore if
the king our lord take Maluco for his own (for people say that his
Majesty has a right to it), the ships sent out will be able to carry
out two commissions in one voyage, taking on a cargo of cloves and
of cinnamon, for Maluco lies in the course, and is a very good port,
where they must of necessity touch. I have called attention to what I
have seen in this island. Finally, I shall now speak of all the others
which are on terms of peace, at least as far as concerns those where
the Spaniards have been. The second is the island of Negros, which is
absolutely peaceful. It contains about twenty thousand inhabitants,
and is divided among the Spaniards who remained in Çubú. There are
said to be gold mines there. Next is the said island of Çubú, which
is poorly populated. Between these three islands there are many
insignificant islets, some of them inhabited and some not. These I
shall not mention, in order to avoid prolixity, but in all of them
there are mines. Farther to the northwest from Çubú are Baybay, Bayugo,
Abuyo, Cavalian, Tandaya, Barciogama, and other islets, among these
which I have mentioned. They are divided among the same citizens of
Çubú. Very few of them have peaceable inhabitants. With them as with
the others, it is best to bring about peace in these islands. Rice,
cotton, great numbers of swine and fowls, wax, and honey are produced
there in great abundance. There are many mines, as has been shown, and
the natives say that they are well populated. There is gold in all of
these islands; but the most important thing is wanting, Spanish people
to colonize them. There remains to the west the island of Panay, which
was very populous and fertile, and yielded great abundance of rice,
swine, fowls, wax, and honey. The natives say that there are gold
mines in this island; and, since they say it, it must be true. The
gold found there is very pure. When the governor was in that island
there fell upon it--because of our sins and those of the natives,
or God knows what--an extremely great plague of locusts, which has
lasted three years and still continues. No field is sown which they
do not destroy. A great famine and pestilence have sprung up among
the natives of that island, so that more than half of them have died;
and they will continue to die until God our Lord is pleased to remove
his anger from over it. From that island to the island of Luzón it is
about sixty leagues, and in the course is that of Mindoro. This is an
island where much wax and honey is produced. It contains many gold
mines, and rivers where gold is gathered. I have been all about it;
on the farther coast, which is to the south, it is well populated,
while on the northern coast is the village called Mindoro, as well as
other thickly-populated rivers. Those who have not seen it or set foot
upon it say that it contains about eight thousand men. I shall dare
to affirm from what I have seen of it that it has more than fifteen
thousand. It is very near the island of Luzón. Between this island
and the others above named, lie many small islets, which are friendly,
although they have but small populations. As I say, next is the island
of Luzón, where the governor resides now, and which was settled in the
manner above related. This island is thickly populated and large. The
greater and better part of it is still to be conquered, I would say
from what I have seen of the villages and land. It does not seem to
me that there will be any more resistance from any of them when they
learn of the advantages of friendship with the Spaniards; for they
have already been informed of the way in which those are treated
who resist. To the present time, all that has been explored in this
island is about fifty or sixty leagues along the coast from Manilla
to Yvalón, [47] which is the landing-place for the ships sailing to
Nueva Spaña. On the farther coast, to the north, nothing is explored
except the mines of Paracali, which were discovered by Captain Juan
de Sauzedo when crossing from Manilla to the other sea with sixty
men, as I have told above. Near these mines there is a large and
thickly-populated river called Bico. [48] According to the reports of
the natives, all of it is thickly populated. This island extends a long
distance from Manilla toward the west. Toward the south is a province
called Yloquio, which is said to be very rich in gold mines; but the
Spaniards have not seen it as yet. The natives have not been able to
say how far this island extends in longitude. I have already said that
all of it is thickly populated, and that it has a great abundance of
rice, fowls, and swine, as well as great numbers of buffaloes, deer,
wild boars, and goats; it also produces great quantities of cotton and
colored cloths, wax, and honey; and date palms abound. In conclusion,
it is very well supplied with all the things above mentioned, and
many others which I shall not enumerate. It is the largest island
which has thus far been discovered in these regions. As I say, it is
well populated and very rich in gold mines. There is much trade with
China. That part of it which has thus far been conquered and pacified,
the governor has begun to allot to the conquerors.
I could write many other things about this land, and the conditions
existing in it; but I omit them, in order to avoid prolixity. Therefore
I bring the present relation to a close, to the honor and glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the one and everlasting God, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, and of the glorious Virgin Mary, our Lady, in the year
one thousand five hundred and seventy-two, in this city of Manilla,
on the twentieth day of the month of April.