THE SPANISH

COLONIAL SYSTEM
 SPAIN WAS THE first European country
to rise as a great colonizing power in
modern times
 Leyes de Indias – the first code of colonial
laws
 AIMS OF SPANISH
COLONIZATION

3G’s
God- the propagation of Catholic
Christianity.
Gold- desire for gold or economic wealth.
Glory- arouse out of Spain’s ambition to be
the greatest empire in the world.
 SPAIN RETAINS THE PHILIPPINES
DESPITE ECONOMIC LOSS

The Philippines was a financial burden to

the Spanish treasury.

The advisors of King Philip II recommended

the abandonment of the Philippines.
King Philip II
Fr. Fernando Moraga – threw himself at the
feet of Philip III, imploring him not to
abandon the Philippines for the sake of
Christianity.

 “Depart with God, Father Moraga, and be

assured that I will not give up what my
father had conquered and left me.”
Philip III
 The Philippines has
crown colony

The Philippines was a crown of colony in the

sense that she belonged to the Spanish King.

After Mexico’s separation from Spain

(1821), the Philippines came to be directly
ruled from Madrid, and this arrangement
lasted until 1898.
 The Council of the Indies
 To help the King rule the colonies.

 This council was a powerful body, for it handled all matters

pertaining to the colonies Spanish empire.

 Fray Garcia Jofre de Loaisa was the first president of the Council
of the Indies.
 Queen Isabel II – dismantled the
Council of the Indies.

 Ministry of Colonies (Ministerio de Ultramar) – headed by the

Minister of Colonies, assisted by the Council of the Philippines
(Consejo de Filipinas).
 The Laws of the Indies

The numerous Laws governing the

colonies of Spain were complied and
published into a convenient colonial
code entitled Recopilacion de Leyes de
Las Indias, popularly known as simple
Laws of Indies (Leyes de Indias).
 The Governor General
 The Chief executive of the Philippines during Spanish times.
 The commander-in-chief of the colonial armed forces.
 Appointed and removed colonial officials, except those who were
appointed by the King.

1861 – he served as president (chief justice) of the Royal Audiencia

(Supreme Court).

 He served as vice-royal patron.

 He could declare war or peace.
 He could veto any royal decree or Law from Spain.
 Checks to Gubernatorial
Powers

 The Royal Audiencia which was the Supreme Court during the
Spanish period.
 The Archbishop and the clergy who were influential in the King’s
court.
 The complains which subordinate public officials and private
citizens sent directly to the King.
 The Residencia, the trial of an outgoing governor general and other
Spanish officials.
 The Visitador sent to the colony to investigate conditions in the
Philippines.
 The Royal Audiencia
 This was the Supreme Court in Spanish times.
 The first president of Royal Audiencia was Gov. Santiago De Vera.
 Tried all criminal and civil cases appealed to it by the lower courts.

1719 – Royal Audiencia acted has governor general whenever the

governorship was vacant due to the death or incapacity of the
incumbent governor general.

 Also promulgated certain laws for the colony. These laws were
called autos acordados (acts agreed upon).
 Served as auditor general of the colonial government.
 The Residencia
 A peculiar judicial institution introduced by Spain in the Philippines.
Governor Guido de Lavezaris was the first Spanish Governor
General who was subjected to a Residencia.
 He was found guilty by his successor, Governor Francisco de Sande.
 At this Residencia he was found guilty by his successor Governor
Ronquillo de Peñalosa.
 The Visitador

Investigating officer.
1629 – during the administration Gov-General
Niño de Tabora, King Philip IV sent a visitador
Francisco Rojas.

1738 – the viceroy of Mexico sent a visitador.

Jose Ignacio Arzadun.
 The Encomienda System
 A grant of inhabitants living.
Encomendero - (owner of the encomienda)
- obliged by the law to promote the welfare of the
inhabitants.
Duties of Encomendero :
 To protect the inhabitants from enemies.
 To assist the missionaries in Christianizing them.
 To promote the education of the people.
Two Kinds of Encomiendas :
 Royal – exclusively owned by the King.
 Private – owned by private persons or charitable insitutions.
 The first Encomiendas in the Philippines were given to the early
Spanish colonizers in Cebu on Jan. 01, 1571 by Adelantado Legaspi
upon order of King Philip II.
 The Tribute
 Filipinos must pay tribute as a symbol of vassalage to Spain.
 The tribute was finally abolished in 1884 and was replaced by the
cedula tax.

Why Filipinos hate tribute?

 It reminded them of their bondage to Spain.
 It spawned Spanish abuses.
 The tribute was payable in money or in kind.

 The encomendero cheated the people by using a tampered

weight so that the people actually paid more than the true value
of the tribute.
 In 1859, the people of the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley rose in
revolt against the tribute.
 The Polo y Servicio

All male Filipinos from 16-60 years of age

were obliged to render forced labor.

A person who rendered the force labor was

called polista.

He could be exempted by paying the falla

(the sum of money).
 Abolition of Slavery
One of the good things which Spain had
done for the people.

On Oct.17, 1581, Bishop Domingo Salazar in

the heads of different religious orders met
at the Augustinian convent in Tondo, Manila.

Pope Gregory XIV reinforced the King’s

decree by promulgating the Papal Bull of
April 18, 1591.
Pope Gregory XIV
 Provincial Government

 The provinces were known as alcaldias. It is governed by an alcalde

mayor.

Corregimientos – unpacified regions. It is under a corregidor (usually an

army officer).

 An alcade mayor of the province exercised both executive and

judicial functions.

 In 1886, the alcalde mayor was made simply a judge and a civil
governor.
 Municipal Government
Pueblos – towns

Each pueblo was administered by a Gobernadorcillo

(petty governor).

He was popularly called capitan and his wife capitana.

Teniente mayor (chief lieutenant), juez de sementeras

(justice of the fields), juez de ganados (justice of cattle),
juez de policia (justice of police), and the directorcillo
(municipal secretary).
 The Cities
Several large towns in the Philippines were organized
into cities.

The City Government was called ayuntamiento.

The City Council known as cabildo was composed at

the alcalde (mayor), regidores (councilors), alguacil
mayor (chief constable), and the escribano (secretary).
 Missionaries and Spanish
Colonization
 They came with the conquistadores.
 They bravely penetrated the uncharted mountains and unexplored
jungles.
Father Urdaneta - the first missionaries
to reach the Philippines.
 Ecclesiastical Organization
 Parallel to and intimately associated with the civil government.
 The first Bishop of Manila was Most Rev. Domingo Salazar.

 In 1595, Pope Clement VIII elevated Manila into an Archbishopric.

 Rev. Ignacio de Santibañez was named by the Vatican as the first
Archbishop of Manila.
 Union of Church and State
Catholic Christianity – the state religion.
 In the town the Parish Priest was the real power.
He represented the majesty of Spain.
He supervised local elections, education, charities, morals, and
taxation.
 In 1762, Bishops and Archbishops acted as governors general in
cases of vacancy in the gubernatorial office.
 Archbishop Francisco de La Cuesta
 Bishop Juan de Arrechederra
 Bishop Lino de Espeleta
 Archbishop Manuel Antonio Rojo