(Captain Artieda, who went to those islands for the king, wrote this
relation.) [55]
Nueva España has two ports in the South Sea. That which is called
Acapulco is [very] good and can give shelter to many ships, no matter
how large they may be; it is in seventeen and one-half degrees of north
latitude. The other is called Puerto de la Navidad; its entrance is
shallow, and it can therefore give shelter to small ships only. It is
in nineteen and one-third degrees of north latitude. From whichever
of these ports one goes to [any of] the Western Islands, the best
route is to sail strictly in the latitude in which lies the island
that one wishes to reach; for in the season of the _brisas_, which is
the right time to make the voyage, favorable stern winds are never
wanting. The season for the _brisas_ lasts from the end of October
to the end of April. From the end of April to the end of October
the _vendaváls_ blow, [56] which will be of help on the way back;
but let it be remembered that he who wishes to return ought to take
a higher degree of latitude, because there the winds will not fail him.
In view of your Majesty's command and orders from Don Luis de Velasco,
viceroy of Nueva España, the expedition commanded by Miguel Lopes
de Legaspi has discovered since November twenty-first, 1564, the
following islands to the west, in the South Sea:
North-southwest from Puerto de la Navidad, in about ten degrees of
north latitude, and at a distance of eleven hundred and twenty leagues,
were found some islands running east and west. The inhabitants
were dressed in a sort of cloth made of thin palm-bark. The men
wore long beards, and for that reason the islands received the name
of Barbudos. [57] No weapons were found among them, from which we
can infer that they are a peaceful people, and that they had never
come into conflict with other men. They live on cocoanuts, roots,
and fish. It was learned that they kept some Castilian fowls. These
islands may be about one hundred and seventy-five leagues from Nueba
España [S: Nueva Guinea].
[Further west by a distance of four hundred leagues lie the
islands called Chamurres or Ladrones, which, according to report,
number thirteen islands. The largest of all is not forty leagues
in circumference. They are all alike in appearance, trade, and
food products. I have seen but the island of Guahan. Their weapons
consist of slings and clubs hardened in fire, which they use instead of
lances. They hurl stones to so great a distance with their slings, that
they are beyond range of the arquebuses. They live on rice, bananas,
cocoanuts, roots, and fish. They have great quantities of ginger.]
Further west is the island of Mindanao, with a circuit of three
hundred and fifty leagues. It is in its greatest measurements one
hundred and forty leagues long, and sixty leagues wide. The northern
promontory juts out between the two rivers of Butuan and Zurigan,
famous for their gold, although the Spaniards who went there were
able to find but little--or, to be more accurate, none. According to
what I have learned, all the gold mines of this island are so poor
that the natives offer their labor for a gold _maes_ [58] or three
reals per month. In this island cinnamon grows. I believe that,
if good order be established there, we shall be able to barter for
eight hundred _quintals_, and even [one thousand] [59] for a year
of this article; for I was present at the barter of that which was
lost with the flagship. In one month we bartered for more than six
hundred _quintals_ of cinnamon at three reals per _quintal_, this
money being reckoned in iron of that land. This island contains
pitch. [I do not declare here the trade, rites, clothing, weapons,
and food of this island, because many others are just like it; and I
will place this information at the end of these islands, in order to
avoid prolixity.] The middle of the island lies in fully seven and
one-third degrees of north latitude.
Northeast of Mindanao is another island called Tandaya. There are
certain rocky islands with an island called San Lorenzo in their
midst. The fact of their being small and uninhabited does not debar
anyone who wishes from finding them on the chart. Tantaya has a
circuit of one hundred and forty leagues, and is almost triangular
in shape. [The clothing, weapons, rites, and food of this people
are the same as that above.] Its center lies in fully twelve degrees
north latitude.
Nearer the island of Mindanao than the above-named, and extending in a
north and south direction ten leagues from the point of Mindanao, is
another island called Baybay. It has a circumference of ninety-eight
leagues, and forms a strait on the east with the island of Tandaya,
less than a league wide; and another on the south with a very small
island, called "Panae the little," [60] through which strait one cannot
pass, except in a small and light vessel. West of this strait is the
island of Mazoga. It is reported here that this island is very small,
and that it has a population of six or eight Indians. [It forms another
strait, which can be passed by any ship.] The center of the said island
of Baybay is in eleven degrees of latitude. [It has the same people,
weapons, trade, and customs as the islands above.]
There is another island, called Zubu, where the camp was established,
and remained until broken up by the Portuguese, on account of the
excellent harbor formed by it with another island called Mattan--which
is almost uninhabited, unwholesome, and a large part of it covered
with swamps. It is here that Magallanes was slain. The port has two
entrances, opening northeast and southwest. Through my influence
and with [S: against] the consent of most of the men, the camp was
removed to the island of Panae. I went there by order of the governor,
and drew the plan of a fort, which now is being built. [It has the
same people, and trade, and customs as the islands named above.] The
center of it is in about ten and two-thirds degrees of latitude.
Farther west is another island, called Buglas, or Negros, because the
inhabitants are black. It is one hundred and twenty-five leagues in
circumference with a distance north and south of forty-five leagues,
and east and west of twenty leagues. Its center lies in ten and
one-third degrees. [It has the same people and weapons as the islands
above.]
Northwest of Buglas lies Panae, an island abounding in rice and all
kinds of provisions. The camp was moved thither, and, as abovesaid,
I drew the plan of the said fort between the two arms of a river,
because it is impossible to effect an entrance by one arm. In the
other arm and below the fort, fourteen gabions were made and twelve
large pieces of artillery mounted for the defense of the entrance
and passage. The fort is situated two and one-half leagues inland,
and the ground all the way to the fort is a swamp, covered with
tangles of bushes; so that enemies can approach the said fort only
through the river, where are planted the above-mentioned gabions and
artillery. The position is excellent, and such that it needs only a
few men to defend it against many. The bar of the river is not more
than one braza deep; and its coast thereabout, for more than twenty
leagues, is very forbidding. Its center lies in about eleven and
one-third degrees of latitude.
Northeast of Panie is the island of Masbat, with a scanty and poor
population. There were found gold mines from two to four _estados_
[61] in depth, somewhat more or less, although I have not measured
them. I understand that the mines yield very little on account of the
scanty population, and its trade is of slight value. [The people are
the same as those of the above islands.] The center of this island
lies in thirteen degrees of latitude.
Farther to the northeast of Masbat lies the island of Ybalon or
Luzon. It is a large island, with many rivers, in which gold is
found--although, as I have ascertained, in but little quantity, because
its most influential inhabitants are Moros. While I was in Panae, [S:
the leading man among its people] sent a Moro, his steward or treasurer
to trade there; but he could hardly get for me one _marco_ of gold
in exchange for four of silver, which he bought for me. Buffaloes
are to be found here. We have [M: not] explored much of its coast,
and I have seen no one who could inform me fully concerning its
south-eastern, southern, and eastern parts, because no one has sailed
around it. Between this island of Ybalon and that of Panae, lies
Masbat. Farther on, and lying north and south, are some other small
islands, in one of which is to be found much brazil-wood. Although all
the others have it, I mention this because the Anglis [S: Sangleyes]
from the mainland of China come for it, in order to dye their
silk. [62] In this island of Luzon are three settlements of Moros,
who do not know the law of Mahoma in its entirety. They eat no pork,
and pay reverence to the said Mahoma. [The rest of the inhabitants
are the same and have the same customs as those above.] The southern
portion of this is in about thirteen and one-third degrees of latitude.
South of [that island of] Zubu, between it and Mindanao, is another
small one, called Bohol; between Bohol and Matan lie [as already
mentioned] many small islands--uninhabited, except for game; for which
reason they contain many deer and wild boars, as is generally true
in most of the islands. However, this is so warm a region that the
game spoils on the very day when it is killed. This island contains
many palms and roots, on which the natives live. Rice is lacking.
Southwest by south from the port of Cavite, which is in six and
one-half degrees of latitude in the island of Mindanao where
cinnamon grows, lies a small island, called Taguima. [63] There
the natives captured from the Portuguese a small vessel, killing or
making prisoners many of its crew. The latter were ransomed by the
people of Jolo, with whom the Portuguese are on friendly terms. We
have not seen this island of Jolo. Its inhabitants are pirates. [64]
It lies to the southwest. Goats are found in Taguima, but no rice is
harvested. Civet cats are found there. While we were bartering for
cinnamon, men from two towns of that island came to us, and asked
to be received as subjects and tributaries of your Majesty. One of
these towns lies in seven degrees of latitude.
There are no lords in these islands. Each man is master of his
own house and slaves; and the more slaves one owns, the greater
and more influential is he reckoned. The people are divided into
three classes. The _Datos_, who correspond to knights, are the most
important; the _Tigamas_ [S: _Timaguas_] are the freemen; and the
_Orispes_ are the slaves. The _Datos_ boast of their old lineage. These
people rob and enslave one another, although of the same island and
even kindred. They are cruel among themselves. They do not often dare
to kill one another, except by treachery or at great odds; and him
who is slain his opponents continue to strike even after he is dead.
The word for mourning is _marabae_ [S: _marahaze;_ margin:
_magarihe_]. Among their customs is this: that when some relative
is killed, they do not cease mourning until they have avenged him
[(on the Spaniards)]. If the dead person is a near relative, they
quit mourning, when they have either killed a man or taken captive a
woman. They cut their hair. In time of mourning, they withdraw into the
house of the principal and nearest relative; and there, covered with
old and filthy blankets, they crouch on the floor and remain in this
position without talking or eating, for three days. During this time
they only drink. After the three days, they eat nothing which has come
in contact with fire until they have taken vengeance or observed their
custom [S: ceremony]. They place on their feet and wrists some rings
of a certain wood, called _bejuco._ [65] When the reasons for mourning
are not so serious, they are released from it by striking with a lance
or a dagger a deer or a wild boar, even if the animal be already dead.
In every port [S: village] we find that the people have their god. All
of them call him _divate_ [S: Diuata], and for surname they give
him the name of their village. They have a god of the sea and a god
of the rivers. To these gods they sacrifice swine, reserving for
this especially those of a reddish color. For this sacrifice they
rear such as are very large and fat They have priests, whom they
call _bailanes;_ and they believe that the priests talk with their
gods. When they are about to perform the sacrifice, they prepare the
place with many green branches from the trees, and pieces of cloth
painted as handsomely as possible. The _bailan_ plays on a heavy
reed pipe about one braza in length, such as are common to that land,
in the manner of a trumpet; and, while thus engaged, the people say
that he talks to their gods. Then he gives a lance-thrust to the
hog. Meanwhile, and even for a long time before commencing the rite,
the women ring a certain kind of bell, play on small drums, and beat
on porcelain vases with small sticks--thus producing a sort of music
which makes it very difficult for them to hear one another. After the
hog is killed, they dress it, and all eat of the flesh. They throw a
portion of the dressed animal, placed in nets, into the river or into
the sea, according to the location of the village; and they say that
they do this in order that the god of the river or that of the sea may
eat it. No one eats of the part touched by the lance-thrust, except
the _bailan_. These people believe that their souls go down below;
and they say that world is better, and that [since] it is cooler
than the world above, where the heat is so great. They are buried
with their riches--blankets, gold, and porcelain. When chiefs die,
slaves are killed and buried with them, so that they may serve their
masters in the other world. If the dead man is renowned as a seaman,
they bury with him the vessel in which he sailed, with many slaves
to row him, so thathe may go in it to the other world. [66]
Considering their size, those islands are very thinly populated. The
people are generally very dark, more so than the natives of Nueba
España. There are but few islands where blacks are not found among
the mountains. The inhabitants of the lowlands are of the former
kind, and are accustomed to tattoo their bodies, arms, legs, and even
their faces, where a beard should grow, with very carefully-drawn and
handsome figures. The greater the chief, or the more valiant he is,
the more he tattoos himself, leaving untattooed only the parts covered
by the breech clout--the [clothing or] dress worn by them, and which
covers only the privy parts. Both men and women suffer no hair to grow
on their bodies except on the head. They wear the hair long and take
good care of it so that it will grow. The men bind their hair on the
crown of the head with a small piece of gauze, and the women bind it
with bands made of the hair itself. All of them, both men and women,
are fond of [wearing] beads, earrings and perfumes. The garment worn
by them [the women] is made of linen drawn together like a bag or
sleeve with two very wide openings. The amount by which this garment
is too wide they gather up into many folds upon the left side, which,
knotted with the same linen, rest there. A small, tight-fitting shirt
is worn, which does not reach to the knees [S: waist], and covers no
more than the breasts. They wear garlands of flowers on their heads. It
is a very immodest dress, for it leaves uncovered the greater part of
the legs and body. The women are generally depraved. They are given
to abominable lustful habits.
The weapons they use are the following: shields, breast-high, and
little more than half a _vara_ [67] wide; lances, two and a half
_varas_ long, with iron and steel points a third as long as the lance,
and as wide as the hand. In some districts the lance-points are long
and ground to a very fine edge. Cutlasses or daggers, from a half
to three-fourths of a _vara_ long, are made of the same shape as
the lance-points. Those people have armor consisting of cotton-lined
blankets, and others of rattan. Some wear corselets, made of a very
hard black wood resembling ebony. They use bows which are very strong
and large, and much more powerful than those used by the English. The
arrows are made of reeds, the third part consisting of a point made of
the hardest wood that can be found. They are not feathered. They poison
the arrows with a kind of herb, which in some regions is so deadly
that a man dies on the same day when he is wounded; and, no matter how
small the wound is, there is no remedy, and the flesh will surely decay
unless the antidotal herb, which is found in Luzon, be first applied
to the wound. Arrows are also discharged through blow-guns with the
same effect, although not with the same range. The Moros, who trade
with the Japanese and Sangleyes [S: Indians or Japanese], possess
in their houses, and bring in their vessels, bronze culverins, so
excellent and well cast, that I have never seen their equal anywhere.
Rice is the main article of food in these islands. In a few of them
people gather enough of it to last them the whole year. In most of the
islands, during the greater part of the year, they live on millet,
_borona_, roasted bananas, certain roots resembling sweet potatoes
and called _oropisa_, as well as on yams [_yuñames_] and _camotes_
[68] whose leaves they also eat, boiled. They eat Castilian fowls and
pork. In the islands inhabited by Moros, some goats are raised; but
there are so few of them that wherever fifteen or twenty Spaniards
arrive, no goats will be seen for the next two or three years. The
cocoa-palm offers the greatest means of sustenance to the natives,
for they obtain from it wine, fruit, oil, and vinegar. These people
eat many kinds of herbs which grow both on land and in the sea. Some
of these herbs have been used by our people as articles of food. The
scarcity of all kinds of food here is such that--with all that is
brought continually from all these islands, in three frigates, one
_patache_, and all the other native boats that could be obtained--each
soldier or captain could only receive [as his rations] each week two
_almudes_ of unwinnowed rice--which, when winnowed, yielded no more
than three _cuartillos_. This ration was accompanied by nothing else,
neither meat nor fish.
The natives sustain life by eating little and drinking much--so
heavily, that it is a marvel if they are not drunken all the time,
or at least from noon on. And the more important their position,
the more intoxicated do they become, for they have more to spend for
this purpose. The inhabitants of the coast are fishermen who barter
their fish and buy from those living inland, who till the soil, the
above-named foods. They eat all kinds of shell-fish and slimy plants
which grow at the bottom of the sea.
They are but ill supplied with cloth. They use a kind of cloth made of
wild banana leaves [69] which is as stiff as parchment, and not very
durable. The natives of Panae and Luzon manufacture a cotton cloth
with colored stripes, which is of better quality. This cloth is used
by the Spaniards when they can find it; otherwise they use the cloth
above-mentioned. Both kinds are so scarce, that we are suffering great
privations for lack of clothing. The people are very poor. There are
few islands where, as it is reported, gold does not exist--but in so
small quantities that quite commonly [as I think I have said] a native
can be hired to dig, or to work as he is commanded, for three reals
a month. A slave can be bought for fifty reals, or sometimes for a
little more. It is therefore evident that it is not possible to save
from the mines much gold, as can be seen by any man who zealously
wishes to serve your Majesty who laments the great expenses of both
men and money incurred here.
In that land people buy and sell slaves to one another in great
numbers, and even bring them to the islands of the Moros. Most slaves
are children and grandchildren of slaves from time immemorial. In
this connection, it seems to me that it would be less troublesome, and
that God would be better served, if the Spaniards bought these slaves
and took them to Nueva España, where they would become Christians;
they would thus supply the great need for slaves there, and would
prove a resource for the Spaniards who live there.
Farther north than the aforesaid islands are others, the nearest to
Luzon being called Xipon [S: Japan]. We have not seen this island,
and what I shall say about it has been related to us by the Moros who
carry on trade with that land. It is said that the island possesses
silver mines, and that silks and other necessary articles from China
are purchased with the silver; for all the people, both men and women,
are well clad and shod. And because of being so near China, they have
acquired the civilization of that country. These people manufacture
very good cutlasses, which they call _legues_. These have single or
double hilts, are very sharp, and are curved like Turkish cutlasses. On
the side without any edge, they are about half as thick as the finger,
but the edge is very sharp. It is said that Theatin religious have
gone thither from Portugal; but I do not know the result of their
mission. The Portuguese tell me that the natives of that land are
considered very warlike. The women are virtuous, modest, and very
jealous of the men [a very rare thing for these regions]. They [S:
the men] shave or pluck out the hair from their heads.
A little to the east between these islands and China are the islands
of Lequios. They are said to be rich; but we have been unable to learn
much about them, for I have not seen any one who has been there. For
this reason I conclude that they must be small, and that the people
are not much given to commerce.
Likewise immediately north is the mainland called China. This is a
vast country--so much so that, as we are assured, it extends as far as
Tartary; for merchants who have traded there say that the two nations
are at war with each other. The Chinese are highly civilized. They
work iron with tools. I have seen iron inlaid with gold and silver,
as cunningly and skilfully wrought as they could be in any part of the
world. In like manner they work in wood and all other materials. The
Portuguese say that the Chinese are good people--that they possess
somewhat of the light of the world, but they see it with only one
eye. They make gold into threads as is done in Milan, and weave raised
designs of it on damasks and other silken fabrics. They possess
all kinds of weapons that we have. Their artillery, judging it by
some culverins I have seen that came from China, is of excellent [S:
better] quality and better cast than ours. They have also a form of
government; but they do not elect a governor (or captain, as they
call him) unless he is a great astrologer and has first foretold
the weather, future events, and the true outcome of things; so that
he may be able to provide for future necessities. In each city and
province there is an armed garrison. The people dress well; they wear
beards and are as white as ourselves. The women are very beautiful,
except that they all have small eyes. They wear long shirts and robes,
reaching to the ground. They dye and dress their hair carefully, and
it is even said that they rouge and color their faces. It is said that
the king of that land is so great a lord, that his camp is composed of
three hundred thousand men, two hundred thousand of whom are mounted on
horses. On painted articles I have seen pictures of horsemen armed with
coats of mail, Burgundy helmets, and lances. The country is so fertile
and well provisioned, that it is believed to be the best country in
the world. The Moros with whom I have talked have told me that the
Chinese are not as warlike as we are, and are heathens. They possess
matrices [70] with which they have printed books from time immemorial.
If your Majesty desires to have this land explored, I am at your
service provided I be given two ships of about two hundred and
fifty tons each, with forty soldiers to each vessel, and all the
artillery, ammunition, and provisions that will be necessary. Then,
with our Lord's help, and bearing some power of ambassador to the
lord of the land, I will enter the country myself, returning by way
of Nueva España after having explored the coast. I will ascertain
how both trade and conquest must be carried on there. I will carry
out all other orders that your Majesty may be pleased to give me,
as well as whatever your service shall demand.
Southeast [S: west] by east from the island of Zubu are the islands
of Maluco, where cloves are found; and it is not known whether they
exist in any other regions. They lie below the equatorial line The
names of the islands in which cloves are found are: Maluco, Gigolo [S:
Jilolo], Maquian, Motel, and Momoy. Near those islands [it is said is
one called Sunda, which contains pepper. To the east of those islands],
at a distance of one hundred and twenty-five leagues, is Nueba Guinea,
and three hundred and thirty-two leagues west of them is the island
of Burney. This island is well-provisioned; and according to what
some Moros, natives of Burney, told me, it belongs to one lord. It
is said that there are a great many pearls of enormous size, even
as large as pigeon's eggs; but my opinion is that all the natives of
that land are great liars, and exaggerate things.
All these islands with more than two hundred and fifty leagues
hereabout, are included in the compact which the sacred Majesty now
in glory made with the most serene king, Don Juan of Portugal. Even
if it were outside of the compact, if your Majesty does not wish to
continue the spice trade, on account of the great expense and the
little profit that it now yields, or will yield in the future, I think
that it would be advisable to withdraw the people from the islands,
as your Majesty can hope to draw no other profit from this land. I
say this as a loyal subject of your Majesty, for it grieves me to
see so much money wasted on a land which can be of no profit whatever.
If your Majesty prefers the spices, I think that it would be better
to break the agreement, since it is for so small an amount, that
three hundred and fifty thousand ducats [71] would be gained in two
ships going from Nueba España to those regions. When this is done,
your Majesty's domains will extend as far as Maluco, according to
what was told me by the Augustinian friar, by name Fray Martin de
Herrada, a native of Navarra, who was prior at the time when I left
the Western Islands. He is a great arithmetician, geometrician, and
astrologer [--one of the very greatest in the world]. He has measured
this, and told me so. He has also written a book on navigation and
the measurement of the earth and the sea, east and west. I believe
that he will send the book by Fray Diego de Herrera, prior of the
aforesaid islands of your Majesty. Then we shall be able to trade in
spices with the whole world; for as I have said before, cloves cannot
be found save in the five islands of Maluco.
I have written all that can be said on this subject; and I say this
because I have seen other accounts both in print and in manuscript,
which depart very much from the truth. In order that your Majesty
may not be deceived, I sign this account with my name.
If your Majesty should desire to know especial details about that land,
I will, at your command, give oral information.
[_Endorsed on Sevilla MS_: "Superb! Excellent! Relation of the route
to the Western Islands." _And in a more modern hand_: "By Captain
Juan de la Ysla. Islands of the West."]