PHILIPPINE

LITERATURE
DURING
SPANISH
COLONIAL
PERIOD
 LESSON 6.1
THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD

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 ● March 16, 1521 - when the
HISTORICAL Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
BACKGROUND Magellan arrived in the Philippine
soil.

● Homonhon - an island in Eastern

Samar where Magellan landed.

● Limasawa - where the first Catholic

mass in the country was celebrated.

● April 14, 1521 - when Fr. Pedro

Valderrama baptized more than 500
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natives along with Rajah Humabon.
P R E S E N T AT I O N T I T L E
● Ruy López de Villalobos - named the archipelago Las Islas
Filipinas in honor of Prince Philip of Asturias, who reigned as
the King of Spain from 1556 to 1598
● 1565 - the year King Philip II of Spain offi cially colonized the
country and assigned the new expedition to the first
Governor-General Miguel López de Legazpi
● Six years later, he established his capital in Manila.

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Spain had two motives in colonizing the Philippines:
1. Spice trade
More valuable than gold, spices were the leading
component of ancient commerce even before the
15th century.
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.
* Spanish priests believed that stories about mythical
creatures, spirits, deities, and rituals contained works
of the devil. Because of this, they instructed the
natives to destroy them. They also told them to
undergo baptism and embrace Christianity.

* The parish priest was practically the only Spaniard

who had direct contact with Filipinos. As such, he
became the embodiment of Spanish power and culture
among the colonized populace.
* The Spanish culture became highly noticeable in
literature because of the use of characters similar to
kings and queens, and princes and princesses.

* The 333-year Spanish colonization ended with

outbreaks of revolution and the rise of independence.
The Propaganda Movement, led by the ilustrados,
who are elite Filipinos who went to Europe to study,
along with Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo,
demanded independence from Spain.
Members of the Reform Movement and wrote
for La Solidaridad:

1. Jose Rizal (Dimasalang/Laong Laan)

2. Marcelo H. del Pilar (Plaridel)
3. Mariano Ponce (Tikbalang/Kalipulako)
Revolutionaries and Kalayaan writers
- Andres Bonifacio (May Pag-asa)
- Emilio Jacinto (Dimasilaw)

Both La Solidaridad and Kalayaan contributed to

secular writings during the period and ignited the
desire of the Filipinos to be free from Spain.
- June 12, 1898 - General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed
the independence of the Philippines from the Spanish
colonial rule in his home in Kawit, Cavite. This freedom,
however, was short-lived because of the arrival of the
Americans in the land.
 Spanish Influences on Philippine Literature

* The first Filipino alphabet called baybayin was replaced by the

Roman alphabet.

* Religious practices became based on the teachings of Christian

doctrine.

* The Spanish language, which became the literary language

during this time, lent many of its words to our language.
* European legends and traditions brought here
became assimilated in our songs, corridos, and
moro-moros.

* Ancient literature was collected and translated

to Tagalog and other dialects.

* Our periodicals during the Spanish colonization

gained a religious tone.
 POETRY DURING
THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF POETRY

Philippine poems during the precolonial period

● It highlighted epics, riddles, folk songs, and proverbs that
depicted the spiritual beliefs and everyday lives of
natives.

Philippine poetry during the Spanish colonial period

● It focused on religion and values, which became
instruments in spreading Christianity and Spanish-oriented
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culture. P R E S E N T AT I O N T I T L E 20XX
THE DEVELOPMENT OF POETRY

ladino
● It is a bilingual poem with religious themes.
● It is characterized by alternating lines or
verses in Tagalog and Spanish.
● The term ladino also refers to Filipinos who
were fluent in both Spanish and Filipino.
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• In Spain, complimentary verses, usually a poem in
sonnet form, appeared in books to encourage
people to read them. In the Philippines, a book
entitled Memorial de la vida Cristiana en lengua
Tagala (Guidelines for the Christian Life in the
Tagalog Language) by Fr. Francisco Blancas de San
Jose included a ladino or bilingual complimentary
poem written by Francisco Bagongbanta known by
its first line “Salamat nang walang hangga”
(“Unending Thanks”).
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TYPES OF POETRY DURING THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD

Pasyon
● It is a narrative poem about the passion, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
● It replaced the precolonial oral tradition that the Filipino
had since pasyon is recited in churches.
● It is 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.
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 TYPES OF POETRY DURING THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD

Korido
● It is another narrative poem that consists of eight
syllables per line and four lines per stanza.
● It has a faster rhythm compared to an awit.
● An example of a korido is Ibong Adarna, which
contains 1,722 stanzas and has five parts.

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TYPES OF POETRY DURING THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD

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TYPES OF POETRY DURING THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD

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TYPES OF POETRY DURING THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD

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 TYPES OF POETRY DURING THE SPANISH
COLONIAL PERIOD

Dalit
● It is a religious poem in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

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Francisco Baltazar

● He is one of the famous poets of the Spanish

colonial period.
● He wrote the awit Florante at Laura, a
metaphor for the tyranny of the Spanish
colonizers.
● He is considered the master of traditional
Tagalog poetry.
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 COLONIAL PERIOD.
ANALYZE IT IN TERMS
OF THEME AND
MESSAGE. CITE
PASSAGES FROM THE
CHOSEN PIECE THAT
PROVE SPANISH
INFLUENCE.
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