_Of the arrival and landing of the fleet at the island of Sugbú_
Having resolved to follow the advice given, our men set sail, and
directed their course toward the island of Sugbú [i.e., Cebú]. They
anchored there on the twenty-seventh day of the month of April,
day of the glorious martyr St. Vidal, in the year 1565. This day
happened to be also the feast of the resurrection. They honored the
saint as their patron and advocate. His feast is kept every year,
and his day observed. The flag is unfurled with the greatest pomp
possible, but that is little now, because the city of Santísimo Nombre
de Dios, founded there, has greatly declined. A regidor unfurls the
flag. He is assigned therefor by the city, that is, the cabildo, to
whom the city grants his gratuity. On this day, the [image of the]
most sacred child Jesus, which rests in our convent of San Agustín,
is taken out, and carried in procession to the cathedral, after a paper
has been signed, by decree of the justice, that it will be given back
to the same religious. The ecclesiastical and secular cabildos come
to our house to take part in the procession, the prebendaries say
mass, and a religious of our house preaches. After the fulfilment
of these duties, those who carried the most sacred child carry it
back, and the spiritual feast is ended. [23] In the afternoon there
is a bull-fight, as extensive as their means allow--but that, as
I have said, is slight. The island is long and narrow, and extends
north and south. It has but little rice, as the dry seasons there
are generally long. Once it was excellent for cattle, and the herds
multiplied to such an extent that there was no room for them on the
land. The milk was of fine quality, and the cheeses which were made,
and are still made, are the best in the islands, and are esteemed as
such. But the cattle have decreased so much, that the ranches that had
a thousand cows now have but the name of having been there. The best
ranch always was the one that belonged to us, located something like
three-quarters of a legua from the city, for it had about two thousand
cows; but scarcely does it preserve five hundred today. The cause of
this might have been from the Indians not eating beef in the beginning,
and their dogs not disturbing the calves. But now the Indians eat beef,
and the fields are full of unruly dogs, so that between them both,
the cattle are a thing of the past. Only the fathers of the Society,
as in all districts, have the good fortune to preserve their estates,
and maintain their cows in the said city; so that it may be said
that they sustain the city, which nets them not a little gain. The
fields are full also of a weed called _amores secos_, [24] which is
not good for the cattle. Furthermore, the island is barren, for which
reason the Spaniards abandoned it, and established the seat of their
government in the island of Luzón, where at present is located the
city of Manila. The city [of Nombre de Dios] lies in that part where
the vendaval blows, so that the waves and surf are blown against
their houses. Lying in front of and very near to Sugbú is an island
called Magtang, where Captain Magallanes was killed years ago. It
is a low-lying land, and now with so few inhabitants that they do
not reach fifty; but when the Spaniards arrived there was a greater
number. [25] There are two channel-entrances, with one strait between
the two islands. It is not of even width but is narrow in some places,
and wide at others, in accordance with the points and bays between the
islands. One mouth lies toward the brisa, and is deeper and narrower;
the other to the vendaval, shallower, but wider. Hence by this latter
mouth no ship with high freeboard can enter, but they enter by the
other mouth. The port has so deep water right next the shore, that the
ships anchor on the sand. The fort is now located quite near, and is
mounted with excellent artillery. The ships of our Spaniards passed by,
and anchored here. They found many people; for truly the island was
thickly populated, and with the most warlike people of the country,
as has been seen when they have joined with the Spaniards. They have
performed excellent exploits in the service of the Spaniards, and have
aided them in conquering the country. The old inhabitants assert that
when the Spaniards arrived, the town of Sugbú was so populous that its
houses extended from Mandave to San Nicolás, which is, I think, more
than one and one-half leguas by land. Now there are so few inhabitants,
that there are not three hundred tributes in the town of San Nicolás,
which is the town proper of Sugbú. They are separated about one-quarter
legua from the city of the Spaniards. [26] It is the best port of
the island today, and might have been very good, if affairs there had
continued to improve. But as cities are maintained and grow through
trade, and the trade there is in wax, which is of little value,
its citizens are abandoning the city and going to Manila. While the
climate of the latter place is not so good, nor the country so healthy,
they are drawn by the wealth there, and the trade with China, Japón,
Macan, and India--and above all, with Nueva España.
I believe, if a small ship were to leave this city of Santísimo
Nombre de Jesús--which is the second in these islands, because that of
Cáceres in Camarines, and that of Segovia in Cagayán [27] have already
declined--for Nueva España, that, beyond any doubt, the city would
return to its former prosperity. But it does not appear possible,
for the city has no citizens with capital who care to engage in the
building of any vessel. The city has a garrison of one company of seven
hundred soldiers, more or less at times, and other extravagances. It
has an alcalde-mayor, who acts as governor. He is also captain of
the company of the presidio, and usually is supreme chief of all the
Pintados. The latter are so called because all the male Pintados
tattooed their entire bodies with so excellent and well-designed
symmetry, that the best artist in España could learn from them. The
women tattooed the hands. But the proper name of these islands is the
Bisayas. Many tongues are spoken in them, for there are many islands
and many villages, and there is hardly a village that has not its own
dialect. But the chief tongues are the _Boholan_, which is spoken in
Sugbú, and the _Hiligain_, and they are very similar. These islands
have a bishop, whose see is located in the city of Santísimo Nombre de
Jesus. That city has a cabildo with its dignitaries, but in name only,
for it has no income. The bishops have been to blame, because they
have not been very active; for our sovereigns, through their piety,
would have assigned stipends, had these been proposed to them. This
bishopric has a large territory, and, in my opinion, is larger and
more extensive than the archbishopric of Manila. For it includes
the islands of Leyte, Samar, and Ibabao, [28] where the fathers of
the Society are carrying on their missions. This island was formerly
densely inhabited with Indians, but now the population is much less,
as is that of all the other islands. This bishopric includes the
island of Bohol, which is in charge of the same fathers. It can
be seen from the plaza of Sugbú, from which it is slightly more
than three leguas distant. I shall have to speak of it later. This
bishopric includes also the island of Panay, more than fifty leguas
distant, which is in our charge. We have thirteen convents there,
besides two more in the island of Sugbú, and besides the other three
belonging to seculars in the same island of Panay. [29] This island
is the granary of all the islands of this archipelago, and I shall
need to speak of it many times. This bishopric includes the island
of Negros, so called from its many Negrillos. It is bounded on one
side by Sugbú. In short, the islands subject to this bishopric are
almost innumerable. It extends to the great island of Mindanao, which
is said to be larger than that of Manila, [30] and to be inhabited by
an infinite number of people. By our neglect the worship of Mahoma has
gained an entrance there. One would believe that those demons attended
to, and still attend to, those fables of theirs, more than we to our
truths. Many of the islands about Mindanao have the same worship. On
one side are the islands of Cuyo and great Paragua, where abundance of
wax is gathered. War generally prevails in the Pintados. This offers
great danger to those who go there, and more to the religious who go
there most often. And although our fleets have made sallies, I have
never seen them have any luck--either because they did not wish it,
or because the Indians' boats are so light that our caracoas can never
overtake them, the worst people of these islands thus succeeding with
their great depredations. This matter will be referred to later;
for some time past we have lost sight of our men, whom we left
disembarking at Sugbú, armed and ready for whatever might happen.
An Indian named Tupas was the chief of that island. Although all manner
of efforts were made with him, he refused to come to good terms with
the commander. He continued to occasion innumerable delays, while,
on the other hand, he negotiated with his men to arm and oppose the
Spaniards, according to their custom--so that not only would they
defend their country from them, but even finish them all, doing to them
the same thing that their ancestors had done to Magallanes's men. For,
he said, those foreign nations could bring them no advantage, but
would deprive them of their liberty, which they enjoyed as rulers of
the land. Furthermore their _babaylans_, who were their priestesses,
made every effort so that the Spaniards might not set foot on land;
for the devil, with whom they were in accord, seeing that his reign was
about to end, acted with more than usual vigor through his infernal
ministers. But when the Lord is pleased with anything, there is no
effort that can disturb Him. Hence when our commander beheld the
Indians preparing for the defense, and filling the shore with their
lances, darts, campilans, and long shields (which they call _carasag_),
and the sea with their boats--to which they give many names, which
we pass over--although the commander saw all this, still he did not
neglect to announce peace, by means of the father prior, Fray Andrés
de Urdaneta, and by public act of the notary. But it had no better
effect than the preceding efforts. Hence he ordered his artillery to be
discharged, somewhat high, so that he might frighten and startle them,
without doing them any harm. This succeeded as he expected, for those
people, little accustomed to similar reports, immediately abandoned
the shore and sea, fleeing more quickly than they had gathered. Thus
our men landed without any opposition. The Indians are much more nimble
than the Spaniards, and it is very easy for them to run through their
land, while it is difficult for us. Our men were unable to enter and
obviate the danger, for, when the firearms were discharged, they set
fire to some houses. These were burnt, inasmuch as their material is
very inflammable, and with them much food, which, in short, was the
greatest loss, for there was great need of it. Without doubt all the
village would have been burned had not the wind been contrary, and for
the time being favored the other houses, so that they were not burned.
[The eighth chapter of Medina's narrative relates the finding of
the image of the child Jesus, which had been left in the island by a
member of the Magallanes expedition. Our author exults over this find,
which he extols as miraculous, and asserts to be the "greatest relic
... of the islands."]