All the triennial during which our father Fray José Duque ruled was
a very prosperous time for this province, on account of the great
improvement which was accomplished by his assiduity in reforming it,
with both zeal and discretion; for he was as respected as beloved
by all. The religious greatly regretted that the end of his term of
office was approaching, and to see themselves deprived of so excellent
a prelate, who had so built up the edifice of strict observance of our
rules, and had much better regulated the administration of the mission
villages and ministries in our charge--his excellent management making
up for the great deficiency of laborers which existed, which made it
necessary, in many respects, to burden each minister with the work of
two. Not his least care was that he had found the common property of
not only the province but the convent of Manila greatly diminished,
and everything reduced to the utmost necessity of restoration; for
this is usually the greatest hindrance and impediment to the superiors
in promoting with energy the regular observance, which requires many
means for its preservation. But all was supplied by the diligence of
that discreet prelate, making easier the removal of the most serious
hindrances.
The time came for holding the provincial chapter, which assembled
on May 8 in the year 1677, and, according to custom, in the convent
of Manila. It was presided over--by commission of our very reverend
father general, Master Fray Nicolás de Oliva, of Sienna--by the father
reader Fray Miguel Rubio; and the election for provincial fell, by the
general consent of all the voting fathers, and with the approval of
all who were outside of the order, on our father Fray Juan de Jeréz, a
religious excelling in virtue. He was a native of Baños in Extremadura,
bishopric of Plasencia--a place belonging to the Duke de Béjar and the
Marqués de Montemayor--and was a son of the convent of Valladolid and
fifty years of age. He had been for many years master of novices in
the convents of Salamanca and Burgos, which is a sufficient proof of
his religious devotion and virtue. He left España for these islands
in the year 1669, and had been a minister in Pampanga; and in this
chapter he cast his first vote as visitor of the province. [68]
As definitors were elected the fathers Fray Pedro de Mesa, Fray
Juan Labao, Fray Francisco de Albear, and Fray Pedro Canales; and
as visitors the fathers Fray Domingo de San Miguel and Fray Juan
Guedeja. They enacted statutes very useful for the government of the
province, and for the stricter observance of our religious estate,
many of which were reproduced in various following chapters, having
been found by experience to be well-chosen and advantageous.
The acting governor despatched the galleon "San Telmo" for Nueva
España, in charge of General Don Tomás de Endaya, a regidor of the
city of Manila; and it encountered so many storms before doubling
the point of Santiago that fears were entertained that it would not
have time to make the voyage before the vendavals. But the bravery
of the commander and of his pilot, Leandro Cuello, over-came great
difficulties, and they succeeded in reaching their destination.
The galleon "Santa Rosa," which had sailed for Nueva España the year
before, had also experienced storms, from the time when it reached the
Embocadero of San Bernardino. For this reason Sargento-mayor Alfonso
Fernández Pacheco came to Manila, bringing the despatches from his
Majesty and information of the ship's arrival on the thirtieth of
August. This galleon brought the news that Don Carlos II had begun,
at the age of fifteen years, to rule the monarchy of España in person,
freed from the guardianship of the queen-mother, Doña Mariana of
Austria; and commands were issued that his royal name and seal be
used in the despatches, and that royal fiestas proper to so important
an event be celebrated--which took place afterward, in the month of
December, as we shall soon relate.
[At this time] came the despatches for the presentation made by
his Majesty for the archbishopric of Manila, of the person of
the very reverend father master Fray Felipe Pardo, of the Order of
Preachers; he accepted this dignity, and began to govern his church,
the ecclesiastical cabildo yielding up the government to him. This
appointment found him at the time engaged in the duties of commissary
of the Holy Office of the Inquisition; his place therein was taken by
father Fray Juan de los Angeles, a man who was worthy of such a name on
account of his virtue and mild disposition. Also came the presentation
of the reverend father Fray Andrés González for bishop of Nueva Cáceres
or Camarines; he also accepted, and was consecrated, and ruled that
church creditably, as he was a devoted religious, and very charitable;
and he left behind him, when he died, a great reputation for sanctity.
On September 27, the acting governor, Auditor Don Francisco Coloma y
Maceda, died at the age of sixty years, from an intestinal hemorrhage;
he was an official of much integrity and uprightness, and was
buried in the convent of Santo Domingo with his wife, Doña María
de Cuellar. The government was assumed by Auditor Don Francisco de
Mansilla, a native of Ceniceros in Rioja, who was no less upright than
his predecessor. His term of office was short, because a proprietary
governor came in the following year; but even in the short time while
his rule lasted he showed that he deserved that it should continue
during his life, on account of the very peaceable and equitable manner
in which he exercised his office. The first thing which he did was
to look for all those who had been opposed to him in the year 1668,
when he was exiled to Iloylo by Don Juan Manuel Bonifaz; and he
honored all of them, more than some deserved, displaying a generous
spirit, and that of a Christian ruler, which aroused the admiration
of those who saw his prudence and moderation. These islands were much
grieved that he must so soon have a successor, for the people loved
and reverenced him. He was of corpulent figure and venerable aspect;
and his hair (which was scanty) and his mustache (which was large)
were white as snow--all which conciliated respect. Two years afterward,
promotion came to him, the post of alcalde for criminal cases in [the
Audiencia of] Méjico; but he died at the height of the voyage. [69] He
had two sons: Don Felipe Mansilla, a knight of the Order of Santiago,
who lives in Méjico; and Father Antonio Mansilla, of the Society of
Jesus, in these islands.
The city and municipality of Manila having determined to celebrate
the festivities due to the great rejoicing which was caused in the
Spanish domains by the assumption of sovereignty over them by their
king Don Carlos II, decided that these should be actually held in
December, from the fourth to the seventh day of that month. This was
done with great pomp and brilliancy. In the morning three sermons
were preached: one by the dean of the cathedral, Master Don Miguel
Ortíz de Covarrubias; another by father Fray Álvaro de Benavente of
the order of our father St. Augustine (the secretary of our province,
and often named in this history; he died in China, as bishop of Ascalon
and vicar apostolic of Kiengsi); and the third by the reverend Father
Jerónimo de Ortega, of the Society of Jesus. For the afternoons there
were various bull-fights and comedies. On the last day, December 7,
after the bull-fights and comedies, there were demonstrations of
rejoicing; and for a climax to the festivities there was, at six
o'clock in the afternoon, a beautiful and splendid masquerade, with
magnificent costumes, and parades of servants in costly liveries. The
most distinguished citizens of Manila went therein, two by two,
representing the realms of the monarchy of España, with shields and
mottoes proper for each kingdom; those who came last were the two
alcaldes-in-ordinary of Manila, General Francisco Rayo Doria and
Sargento-mayor Don Francisco de Moya, representing the kingdoms of
Castilla and León. They rode in pairs on handsomely-caparisoned horses,
to the destination which was prepared for this purpose with palisades,
and with so much splendor from wax tapers that the night had no cause
to envy the brighter day. With this brilliant and elegant masquerade
these royal festivities came to an end, the city remaining in the
quiet and silence proper to that hour, which was about seven at night.
Quite ignorant were all those who had celebrated and enjoyed this gay
festival of the sad and melancholy catastrophe which was to follow
on this so joyous scene; all were forgetful of the uncertainty of the
pleasures of this world, which suddenly shifts its scenes, passing from
gayety to mourning. Hardly had the people time to shelter themselves
in their houses--some fatigued with the exercises of the masquerade,
and others sad that the royal festivities had come to an end--when
at half-past seven in the evening the earth began to tremble with
horrible vibrations, changing their recent gayety into fear, horror,
and lamentable perplexity. This first earthquake lasted a long time,
so that it was feared that the last and fatal day for the sad city
of Manila had arrived. The continuous and unequal vibrations of the
ground; the frightful cracking of timbers; the [falling of] tiles
from the roofs, and of stones which, loosened from the walls, came
to the ground, raising great clouds of dust: all these made a most
gloomy night, the image of death. Some hastened to seek confessors,
and not finding them soon, published aloud their own sins. This first
motion of the earth ceased, which people affirm to have been more
violent than that of August 20, 1658, but it did not last so long;
if it had been equal in duration to that one, it would have caused
a large amount of havoc in the city of Manila.
It was worth much to the city that the earthquake found it greatly
improved over former times in regard to the height of its buildings;
for now they were reduced to more humble stature, and without the
projections which would cause its greatest destruction, as has been
experienced in previous earthquakes. The use of the harigues or wooden
pillars on which the heavy timber-work of the roofs leans and rests was
recognized to be a sure protection and defense from such disasters;
and therefore, although the earthquake demolished many buildings,
breaking open the solid mass of masonry, they did not suffer entire
ruin by being thrown down to the ground. Some few were destroyed
through being old and in bad condition; but only one or two persons
perished, and they of little account in the world. The kind-hearted
governor went out with many followers to visit the [military] posts of
the city, and aid, if he could, those who were in need; and the same
was done by the alcaldes-in-ordinary and the regidors, accompanied
by many citizens. The religious orders were well occupied in the
ministries of their profession--some preaching from tables placed
in the streets, others hastening to hear the confessions of those
who asked for this sacrament, that is, of all. While all these were
occupied in exercises so holy and pious, the trembling of the earth
was again repeated many times; but, through the divine kindness,
these vibrations were much slighter, continually diminishing--so
that it seemed as if the divine anger were gradually being appeased,
just as men were continually showing themselves more penitent. All
that night until daybreak the earthquake shocks continued; for there
were so many of them that one man counted forty, although to me it
seemed as if there were many more. Many came out [from this calamity]
crippled and lame; but all recognized that it was a miracle that the
city had not been utterly destroyed with so repeated shocks. Later,
it was ascertained that some chasms and air-vents in the earth had
opened, and which is surely the cause of these disturbances. One
chasm opened in the bounds of the village of Bauang, in the province
of Balayán; and another in the mountains of Gapang, in Pampanga. Those
who arrived here after navigating the seas of these islands recounted
the horrible perils in which they had found themselves, tossed by
great billows and almost submerged in the swell which was caused in
the sea by the earthquake; the sea even rose until, in many places,
it swept over the land, occasioning great damage. With this slight
mention I will close the sad account of the melancholy termination
of these royal festivities.
The master-of-camp of these islands died, Don Agustín de Cepeda
y Carracedo; he was a native of Talavera de la Reina, a relative
of the glorious saint Teresa de Jesús, and more than eighty years
of age. He was one of the most valiant soldiers who has belonged to
these regions, and with that reputation he has been mentioned in this
history in the greatest military exploits of his time, and in the
government of Zamboanga and Ternate; and, what is his greatest glory,
he was an excellent Christian, devout and charitable, and died with
strong indications that he had been very earnestly such. For acting
master-of-camp the governor appointed General Alonso López, a soldier
of long standing, and also very aged; and therefore he did not long
serve in that office.
Governor Don Francisco de Mansilla despatched the galleon for Nueva
España, appointing as its commander his son, Don Felipe de Mansilla
y Prado, a young man of much courage and ability, who at the time was
serving in the post of sargento-mayor of the Manila army, which is the
second, in the esteem of military men, after that of master-of-camp. As
sargento-mayor of the galleon he appointed Juan Ventura Sarra (the
Catalan so famous for his successful surgical operations), on account
of his being a man of much valor, and experienced in military service
in Flandes and Cataluña. This galleon made a very prosperous voyage,
both going and returning, as we shall see in the following chapter.
About the end of July in this year of 1678 came news that the galleon
"San Telmo" had sighted these islands; it was under the command
of General Don Tomás de Endaya, and had sailed for the port of
Acapulco in the preceding year. It brought the proprietary governor,
Master-of-camp Don Juan de Vargas Hurtado, a knight of the Order of
Santiago; he was a native of Toledo, and nephew of the venerable mother
Jerónima de la Asunción, foundress of the convent of Santa Clara in
Manila--whose admirable life has been written by the father reader Fray
Antonio de Leytona, [70] of the Observantine Order of St. Francis;
and the investigations preliminary to her beatification have been
begun. This knight had served many years in Flandes, Cataluña, and
Extremadura, always with great commendation for his valor, which
was as great as his nobility. He came with his wife, Doña Isabel de
Ardila, a native of Badajoz; and brought in his company her uncle,
a captain of cuirassiers, Don Francisco Guerrero y Ardila--a man
of lofty stature, who, like another Saul, surpassed by the head and
shoulders the tallest man in the Manila garrison--who showed that he
possessed great valor. The new governor brought with him a numerous and
brilliant retinue, and those who afterward attained most note were:
his secretary, Miguel Sánchez Villanueva y Tejada, a man of great
virtue, who came with his wife and three children, and afterward,
having lost his wife, was ordained as a priest, and lived a long time
an example for ecclesiastics, as before he had been one for laymen;
Captains Don Juan Gallardo, Don Pedro Oriosolo, Don Jacinto Lobán,
Don Tomás Martínez de Trillanes, Don Diego Vivien, Don Felipe Ceballos,
Don José Armijo, Don Francisco Fabra, Don Antonio de Tabora, Don Juan
Castel, Don Juan de Tricaldir, Don Manuel Alvarado; and others, all
of whom served long in these islands. As fiscal for his Majesty came
Licentiate Don Diego de Viga, a native of Bejar; he was afterward
an auditor for many years, and was a very upright and disinterested
official. The governor also brought some reenforcements of troops. The
appointment of commandant of the castle of Santiago came to General
Fernando de Bobadilla, who afterward was master-of-camp.
On the day of our Lady's nativity Don Juan de Vargas entered Manila,
being received with great festivities; there were two ingenious
triumphal arches, which were erected by the religious orders of our
father St. Augustine and the Society, because both had their houses
on the principal street through which the procession would pass. Don
Juan began to govern with much prudence and desire to do well;
he was very punctual in fulfilling his duties, and never failed in
his daily attendance on the sessions of the Audiencia (in which some
governors had displayed much negligence); and therefore in his time the
court business was despatched more promptly, for he found many suits
unsettled and delayed. This is an insuperable difficulty in these
islands, where the lawsuits are eternal and constitute a perpetual
source of income for court reporters, secretaries, and commissioners
[71]--who, with the slow steps of judicial procedure, are continually
plundering the litigants, until, impoverished or exhausted, they give
up the suit, which is incorporated into a great mass of documents,
which they call "Proceedings in lawsuits" [autos] in the archives of
the court. Don Juan de Vargas was more fit for a soldier than for a
governor; and gradually he looked with distaste on the duties of so
arduous a post, and turned his attention to the means for securing his
own advantage. The uncle of his wife, Don Francisco Guerrero de Ardila,
became so much the master of Don Juan that, by his craftiness and great
ability, he came to be the arbiter of the government. Accordingly, it
was he who was governor, and he was the drayman who guided Don Juan
de Vargas, while the latter, like a wagon, was carrying the weight
of the government. Yet later Don Francisco Guerrero left him alone,
and went to Nueva España, at so important a juncture that he met in
the Embocadero the succeeding governor, Don Gabriel Crucelaegui,
and Don Juan de Vargas in the residencia was laden with his own
transgressions and those of others, as we shall see in due time. He
had a great advantage for thus making himself arbiter of everything,
in having more affability and more shrewdness than the governor, who
was naturally harsh and unamiable and easily fretted. Accordingly,
every one set on foot his claims with more confidence by the hand
of the uncle, who, as all knew, was the fly-wheel for the movements
of the government; and thus in a short time he secured following
and applause, [although] without the formal marks of respect which
belong to the dignity of a ruler; and he came to direct the entire
government, with authority and without opposition. The authority of
Don Francisco Guerrero was greatly increased because the governor
had made him master-of-camp, because of the death of Alonso López,
who died within a short time [after his appointment], at an advanced
age; this increased Don Francisco's authority, and strengthened his
influence over the governor. The servants [of the governor] made more
effort to secure their own advantage than that of their master, and
therefore Don Juan de Vargas found himself alone in everything that
was not to the profit of the uncle and his familiars. He appointed as
castellan and governor of Cavite Don Juan Gallardo; this is the most
influential and profitable position that the governors of Filipinas
have at their disposal--although at the present time his Majesty
fills this office from Madrid; and in this way it was held more
than twenty-eight years by Sargento-mayor Don Francisco de Atienza y
Bañes, who died while holding the post of master-of-camp, in the year
1718. Another servant, Don Francisco Fabra, he appointed chief guard of
the Parián, an office which affords great opportunities and facilities
for securing the best goods; and thus in this occupation he was, so
to speak, the governor's agent, for which employ he had much ability.
Don Juan de Vargas, during his entire term of office, maintained
trade and commerce with foreign nations, as those of the Coromandel
coast, Bengal, and Surrate--which is the greatest emporium of Eastern
India and of all the kingdoms subject to the emperor the Great Mogor
[i.e., Mogul], a monarch more powerful than the Great Turk, and
without doubt more wealthy. From this emporium of Surrate almost
every year come one or two ships of great burden, like those that
are called "ships of the line," laden with many and varied wares of
Eastern India. Within the last few years these traders are Mahometans,
although before they were heathens; this is because they were obliged
to accept the cursed doctrine of Mahoma by the former Great Mogor,
Payxa Ali Ramasticán--who, trained up in his early years (when he
was a fugitive from his family) by the house of Meca, was the cause
of the total perdition of so many souls; for it is easier to convert
to our holy faith a thousand heathens than one Mahometan. Trade and
commerce were also very freely carried on with the Portuguese of
Macán, and through their agency in Nueva Batavia in the island of
Jacatra, the capital of the rich factories which the Dutch possess
throughout India--where of the former Portuguese dominion only
their language is left, since with that they trade and traffic; for
they have been deprived of the fortified posts, which promised some
advantage and profit, leaving to them only Goa (for the interment of
Portuguese), and some posts to the north, such as Chaud, Dama, Diu,
and Bassain. Only one who has seen it, as I have, can describe the
great extent of every kind of trade which Manila enjoyed in the time
of Don Juan de Vargas de Hurtado; and in that time, therefore, great
fortunes were accumulated, and the city was adorned with magnificent
edifices--the old ones being rebuilt, and new ones being erected,
thus repairing the late havoc and destruction.