I, Francisco de Herasso, secretary of his Majesty, had this written by
his command. It is signed by Luis Quizada, Doctor Vazquez, Licentiate
Don Gomez Çapata, Doctor Luis de Molina, Licentiate Salas, Doctor
Aguilera, and Doctor Francisco de Villafañe.
[The above document is followed by one entitled, “The said Legazpi,
[granting him] the title of governor and captain-general of the island
of Cubu.” It is the same document, and bears the same date as that
published in VOL. III, pp. 62–66.]
INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO MIGUEL LOPEZ DE LEGAZPI, IN REGARD TO WHAT HE IS
TO DO IN THE LADRONES ISLANDS
The King. That which you, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, our governor and
captain-general in the islands of the West, are to do and observe in
the government, exploration, and colonization of the Ladrones Islands
which we charge to you, is as follows.
1. First, after the said islands are explored, you shall select sites
and locations for colonization, taking care that the land be healthful
and fertile, and abounding in wood, water and good pasturage for
cattle. You shall see that the land be apportioned to the colonists,
but you shall not occupy or take possession of any private property of
the Indians. In order that this may be better performed, you shall for
the present, make the said settlement somewhat distant from the
districts and locations where the Indians may have their settlements,
pastures, and fields, so that all the abovesaid may be done without
harming them at all. On the contrary thorough good treatment must be
shown them.
2. The site of the place where the settlement is to be made having been
chosen, you shall order the colonists to build their houses, making in
them a sort of stronghold, where they may defend themselves and their
flocks if necessary, in case that the Indians try to attack them.
3. You shall see that the colonists who settle in this way, endeavor to
obtain peace and friendship with the Indians who dwell in that land.
They shall treat the latter well, and shall endeavor (for such is my
will) to have the Indians live near them in villages, and shall defend
them and help them to defend themselves against those who try to harm
them. They shall reduce the Indians to a civilized life, and shall
endeavor to separate them from their vices, sins, and evil customs.
They shall endeavor to reduce them and convert them willingly to our
holy Catholic faith and the Christian religion by means of religious
and other good men.
4. If there shall be any persons among the said Indians who oppose and
refuse to listen to our instruction, and convert or illtreat those who
do listen to it, you shall endeavor by all good means possible to you
to prevent it, so that the preaching of the gospel may not cease for
that reason. You shall proceed in this with all manner of discretion,
kindness, and moderation.
5. Further, you shall endeavor to have the Indians persuaded to adopt
our holy Catholic faith willingly, and to render submission to us. If
they do so you shall order that they be exempt from tribute for ten
years.
6. Item: You shall order that the Spaniards, who shall settle later in
the villages thus established, rule and govern in peace and quiet, and
that they shall not molest or injure anyone. They shall appoint their
ministers of justice, regidors, and necessary officials, for the
meanwhile and until we provide otherwise.
7. Some repartimientos of Indians shall be made to those persons who
shall go to make the said settlement, in accordance with their services
and the quality of the persons to whom they are made. The chief
capitals and the seaports shall be assigned to us, although first and
foremost the appraisal of the said tributes of such repartimientos
shall have been made. This is understood to be allowed after the
expiration of the ten years in which they are to be exempt and free
from tribute as abovesaid.
8. You shall also assign salaries to regidors and ministers of justice,
and to the seculars and religious. You shall instruct each one in his
privileges and duties so that he may know what he has to do, and that
those who have charge of the offices shall be obliged to give account
for the disorders and excesses that our men commit both against the
Indians and the latter among themselves.
9. You shall order that after the abovesaid has been done, the people
endeavor to open trade in their districts. You shall provide the
Indians with the articles that they need, and shall endeavor also to
get from the Indians the things that are needed from them.
10. You shall send religious and other good persons to instruct and
persuade the Indians to receive our faith. You shall see to it that if
they be sufficient, they endeavor to collect the Indians in villages so
that they may be instructed better.
11. You shall always instruct those persons whom you send to spy out
the land always to consider where they might find fitting and
commodious sites for the new settlements, without any resulting harm to
the Indians in accordance with the provision of the first section.
12. You shall provide that after the houses have been built and the
fields sown, the people try to discover minerals and other things in
which they will be benefited. They shall cultivate the land and enrich
it with new plants of vines and fruit trees for its support and gain.
13. Item: If the natives endeavor to prevent the said settlement, they
must be told that the men are not trying to settle there in order to do
them any harm or wrong, or to seize their possessions, but only to have
friendship with them and teach them to live in a civilized manner and
recognize God, and to expound to them the law of Jesus Christ by which
they will be saved. After that message and warning has been given
(which must be made three times as shall seem best to the person
appointed by you after consulting with the religious who shall go to
such settlement and by the tongue of the religious who shall tell and
declare it), then if notwithstanding the abovesaid, the natives refuse
to consent to the colony, the colonists shall endeavor to settle and
shall defend themselves from the said natives without doing them other
injury than that necessary for their defense and for making the said
settlement. All the mildness and moderation possible shall be observed
in the said defense.
14. Further, after having made such hamlet and settlement you shall see
to it that the citizens and religious who shall be there, try to trade
and communicate with the natives and to make friends with them, and to
make them understand the abovesaid.
15. If the said natives and inhabitants located near the said colony
should become friends because of such good efforts and persuasions, so
that they give the religious permission to enter to teach them and to
preach to them the law of Christ, you shall see that they do it. The
religious shall endeavor to convert them and allure them to the faith,
and to have them recognize us as sovereign king and lord.
16. Further, if the said natives and the rulers of the Indians refuse
to admit the religious preachers, after the announcement of their
purpose as above said, and after the natives shall have been petitioned
many times to allow the religious to enter to preach and to expound the
word of God, you shall make a report of it and send it to our Council
with the most justifiable testimony that you have of what has been
done, in order that we may have you ordered as to what course you are
to pursue. Meanwhile you shall endeavor to retain their friendship and
trade, and shall treat them well. You shall endeavor by all possible
means to bring them to a knowledge of our Lord.
17. If any of the officials appointed by us die, you shall appoint in
each island those that may be lacking, so that in accordance with the
instruction and order given them, they may administer our finances and
attend to the other things that are entrusted to the other officials of
the other provinces of the Indias. You shall make such appointments
until we provide for it, and you shall immediately advise us of it so
that we may have the proper measures taken.
18. The persons and our officials who shall be entrusted with duties,
shall be paid their salaries from the fruits of the land by our
treasurer, in accordance with a list made out and signed by the said
officials and signed by the governor of the province.
19. Item: You shall endeavor to take the most virtuous and Christian
people possible, and those who shall be best fitted for the said
colonization.
20. Item: You shall take four of the religious at present in the said
islands, and if you do not have them, you shall take two seculars who
must be persons of good life and morals, fit to give the instruction,
and to administer the holy sacraments.
21. Item: You shall endeavor with great care to see that the Spaniards
do no harm and show no force to the Indians, and that they do not wound
them or do them any other evil or harm, or deprive them of their
possessions, but they shall show them the utmost good treatment. If any
of the men offend the Indians, then you and your captains shall punish
him rigorously and shall warn him not to continue such actions. If he
be careless and negligent in this, then you shall have him punished
with great rigor; for this is a matter whose fulfilment we desire
greatly, and if this be not obeyed we shall consider ourselves greatly
disserved.
22. Item: Upon your arrival at the land you shall report to us the
events of your expedition and the manner in which you shall be
received, also what you ascertain and discover of the said land, and
everything else of which you think we should be advised. You shall
accompany it with your opinion of what you think ought to be done, so
that we may better order what is necessary for the service of God and
our own service; and you shall do the same whenever you deem it
necessary.
We charge and order you to observe and perform the above inviolably,
for if the contrary be done we shall consider ourselves disserved.
Given in Madrid, August xxviii, one thousand five hundred and
sixty-nine.