PHILIPPINE

LITERATURE DURING
THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD
I. The Spanish Colonial Period
• On March 31, 1521, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan arrived in Philippine soil.

• Fr. Pedro Valderrama baptized more than 500 natives

along with Raja Humabon.

• Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las

Islas Filipinas
 I. The Spanish Colonial Period
• Gobernador Heneral Miguel López de Legazpi
established his capital in Manila, a location that offered
the harbor of Manila Bay.
• Spain had two motives in colonizing the Philippines:
• 1. Spice trade More valuable than gold. Spain, along with other
European countries, funded expeditions in search of cinnamon,
clove, ginger, turmeric, and other priced commodities.
• 2. Converting Filipinos to Christianity the Spaniards used a
policy called reduccion, which is a means of relocation of
scattered settlements to a large town. This way, Spanish friars were
able to convert natives into Christianity
I. The Spanish Colonial Period
• The 333-year Spanish colonization ended with
outbreaks of revolution and the rise of independence. The
Propaganda Movement, led by ilustrados.
• Members of the Reform Movement led by the ilustrados
namely Jose Rizal (Dimasalang, Laong Laan), Marcelo
H. del Pilar (Plaridel), and Mariano Ponce (Tikbalang,
Kalipulako) wrote for La Solidaridad, whereas
revolutionaries Andres Bonifacio (May Pag-asa) and
Emilio Jacinto (Dimasilaw) wrote for Kalayaan. These
newspapers contributed to secular writings in this period
and ignited the desire of the Filipinos to be free from
Spain.
I. The Spanish Colonial Period
• On June 12, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed
the independence of the Philippines from the Spanish
colonial rule in his home in Kawit, Cavite.
II. Poetry during the Spanish Colonial
Period
• Philippine under the Spanish colonial period focused on
religion and values, which became instruments in
spreading Christianity and Spanish-oriented culture.
II. Poetry during the Spanish Colonial
Period
Poetic forms that emerged during the Spanish colonial
period include:

1. Pasyon
This is a narrative poem about the passion, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. It consists of five-line
stanzas with eight syllables per line. The earliest known
pasyon is the Ang Mahal na Pasión ni Jesu Christong
Panginoon natin na Tola in 1704. The
II. Poetry during the Spanish Colonial
Period
2. Awit
This is a narrative poem that consists of 12 syllables per line
and four lines per stanza. The rhythm is slow and is usually
accompanied by the use of a guitar or bandurya.

Mga Uri ng Awit:

• Kundiman - awit ng pag-ibig.
• Kumintang - awit ng pakikidigma.
• Dalit o Imno - awit sa mga diyos- dyosan ng mga bisaya../
eight syllables per line and four lines per stanza
• Oyayi o Hele - awit sa pagpapatulog ng bata.
• Diona - awit sa kasal. • Suliranin - awit ng mga manggagawa
• Talindaw - awit ng pamamangka.
• Dungaw - awit sa patay
II. Poetry during the Spanish Colonial
Period
3. Kurido
A kurido is another narrative poem that consists of eight
syllables per line and four lines per stanza. The rhythm
is faster compared with that of an awit. An example of a
kurido is Ibong Adarna, which contains 1,722 stanzas
and has five parts.
II. Poetry during the Spanish Colonial
Period
II. Poetry during the Spanish Colonial
Period
II. Poetry during the Spanish Colonial
Period
Gubat na Mapanglaw
This excerpted poem is from Florante at Laura.

Sa isang madilim gubat na mapanglaw

dawag na matinik ay walang pagitan,
halos naghihirap ang kay Pebong silang
dumalaw sa loob na lubhang masukal.

Malalaking kahoy ang inihahandog

pawang dalamhati, kahapisa’t lungkot,
huni pa ng ibon ay nakalulunos
sa labong matipi’t nagsasayang loob.

Tanang mga baging, na namimilipit

sa sanga ng kahoy, ay balot ng tinik
may bulo ang bunga’t nagbibigay-sakit
sa kangino pa mang sumagi’t malapit.
II. Poetry during the Spanish Colonial
Period
Ang mga bulaklak ng nagtayong kahoy
pinakamaputing nag-ungos sa dahon,
pawang kulay luksa at nakiki-ayon
sa nakaliliyong masangsang na amoy.

Karamiha’y sipres at higerang kutad

na ang lihim niyon ay nakasisindak,
ito’y walang bunga’t daho’y malalapad
na nakadidilim sa loob ng gubat.

Ang mga hayop pang dito’y gumagala,

karamiha’y s’yerpe’t basilisko’y madla
hyena’t tigreng ganid na nagsisisila
ng buhay na tao’t daigdig kapuwa.
To analyze the poem, you may answer
the following questions:
• 1. What do the lines “Rays of Phoebus cannot pierce,
Almost, the solid wilderness” mean?
• 2. What imagery is set in the poem? Cite lines to support
your answer.
• 3. What is the tone of the poem? Mention lines to support
your answer.
• 4. The poem was not set in the Philippines in the Spanish
period. Do you think that the poem represents some
events that happened at the time of its publishing? What
could be these representations?
III. Prose during the Spanish Colonial
Period
• • Prose forms that emerged during the Spanish colonial rule include:

• 1. Anecdotes These are short and amusing stories that contain

lessons in life. Priests often use anecdotes as part of their sermons.
An example of an anecdote is the Tagalog translation and adaptation
of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe entitled Ang Bagong Robinson,
Historiang Nagtuturo nang Mabuting Caugalian, na Guinauang
Tanungan (The New Robinson, a Story That Teaches Good Conduct,
Done in Primer Form) by Joaquin Tuason.
• 2. Planticas (Sermons) These are lectures presented by Spanish
priests that dealt with religious, biblical, and moral topics. In 1864,
Padre Modesto de Castro compiled 25 of his sermons in Planticas
Doctrinales (Sermons on Doctrines).
• 3. Novenas These are a series of prayers repeated for nine
consecutive days and are usually prayers for petition and
thanksgiving.
III. Prose during the Spanish Colonial
Period
• 4. Novels Novels are long narrative stories, usually with
fictional characters and with a sequence of events divided
into chapters. Examples of novels during the Spanish
colonial period include Pedro Paterno’s Ninay (considered
the first Filipino novel), Padre Modesto de Castro’s
Urbana at Feliza, Padre Miguel Lucio y Bustamante’s Si
Tandang Basio Macunat, and Jose Rizal’s Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
• 5. Essays These are personal pieces of writing that use
the point of view of the writer. One of the most important
essays during this period is “Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga
Tagalog” by Andres Bonifacio. It was published in the
newspaper Kalayaan.
IV. Drama during the Spanish Colonial
Period
• 1. Karagatan It is a form of poetic contest usually played
as part of the rites held in connection with the death of a
person. It is based on a legend about a lady’s ring that fell
in the middle of the sea. The lady’s hand is offered in
marriage as a reward to any young man who could
retrieve the ring.
• 2. Duplo It is another poetic contest held when a person
dies or during the wake. Duplo consists of puns, jokes,
and riddles in the vernacular to relieve sadness.
• 3. Senakulo It is a play that portrays the life, passion, and
crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
IV. Drama during the Spanish Colonial
Period
• 4. Tibag It tells how Reyna Elena and her son Constantino
searched for Jesus’s cross in Mount Calvary.
• 5. Moriones It is a festival in celebration of the life of Saint
Longinus. Saint Longinus was a blind Roman soldier tasked to
drive a spear through Jesus to make sure he was dead. A
miracle happened when Jesus’s blood touched him. He
regained his eyesight and converted to Christianity. Because of
this change of faith, Saint Longinus was beheaded as ordered
by Pontius Pilate.
• 6. Moro-moro It is a play written about the capture of a
Christian Filipino army. In 1637, Gran Comedia de la Toma del
Pueblo de Corralat y Conquista del Cerro, written by Padre
Geronimo Perez, was the first moro-moro performed in Manila.
• 7. Sarswela It is a play with songs and dances with up to five
acts, portraying the whimsies of romantic love
Activity:
• Search for the Emilio Jacinto’s collection of
essays entitled Liwanag at Dilim (Light and
Darkness). Read the section on “Love” and
compare and contrast his views on love with
the view of love in the current time in an
essay with three to five paragraphs
• Research on how tibag is performed in the past
and write a blog on how you think the
performance has been changed from the past
until the current day.