⚫ The Philippines was

not formally
organized as a
Spanish colony until
1565 when Philip II
appointed Miguel
Lopez de Legazpi
the first Governor-
General.
Statue of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.
⚫ Legazpi tried every effort to win the trust of the
natives.
⚫ Polytheism was still practiced by Filipinos although
some had converted to Islam.
⚫ Legaspi sends an expedition under the
leadership of Martin de Goiti to Manila.
Manila is ruled by Rajah Suliman, whose
friendship is won by de Goiti.

⚫ Rajah Suliman wages war against the

Spaniards due to a move by de Goiti which he
mistakes for an assault. De Goiti's army defeats
Suliman's troops and occupies the town.
Panday Pira
Pande Pira acknowledged
as the first Filipino
metallurgist. He had
devised the cannons using
a mold of clay and wax
which Muslim leader Rajah
Suliman used to protect
Manila against the
invading Spanish troops.
Establishment of Manila as Capital
⚫ Legaspiestablishes his government in
Manila and proclaims it the capital of the
Philippines, calling it the Insigne y
Siempre Leal Ciudad which means
"distinguished and ever loyal city".
 Manila in 1700’s

Coat of Arms
⚫ From the beginning of Spanish rule in 1565
to 1821, the Philippines was a dependency
of Mexico.
⚫ The Mexican viceroy, in the name of King
of Spain administered the country.
⚫ After 1821, the Philippines was
directly governed from Madrid.
 Strategies
Implemented by
Spain
The Sword and the Cross
⚫ These two symbols are what
constituted the strategies or
tactics used by the Spaniards in
invading the Philippines. It made
the pacification of the natives
easier. The cross symbolizes
religion while the sword
symbolizes force.
The Blood Compact
The Blood Compact
⚫ Through the blood compact of Magallanes and
Kulambo, Magallanes and Humabon, and even
Legazpi, Sikatuna and Gala, the natives were
enticed. This ritual symbolizes unity and is
done by the slashing of the wrist of both
parties and drinking the blood of the other
fused with wine. The giving of gifts of
Spaniards to the datus and their families were
also strategies to occupy the Philippines.
Reduccion
⚫ Reduccion is the centralization of the Filipino
community where churches, convents, casa
real and plaza complexes can be found. Plazas
are where people gather when there are
events or celebrations like festivals. By using
this system, the Spaniards can easily monitor
the movements of Filipinos to prevent protests
and to collect the taxes easier. There are also
changes in the architectural designs of
infrastructures.
Plaza Complex
Divide et Impera (Divide and Rule)
⚫ In line with reduccion, the people were
categorized based on race and religion. For the
still rebellious places, entrada was enforced.
For those which are not, Spain turned the
citizens to soldiers and were made to fight
with their fellow Filipinos.
The Encomienda
⚫ The word “encomienda” comes from the
Spanish “encomendar” which means “to
entrust.” Ecomienda is a grant of
inhabitants living in particular conquered
territory which Spain gave to Spanish
colonizer as a reward for his services
(Zaide)
The encomienda was
not a land grant, it
was more of an
administrative unit
to extract tribute
The Tribute
⚫ In July 26, 1523, King Charles V decreed
that Indians who had been pacified should
contribute a “moderate amount” in
recognition of their vassalage (Cushner 1979).
In theory the tribute or tax was collected from
the natives in order to defray the costs of
colonization and to recognize their vassalage
to the king of Spain.
The Political Structure
⚫ Spainestablished a centralized colonial
government in the Philippines that was
composed of a national government and
the local governments that administered
provinces, cities, towns and
municipalities.
 Spain King

Governor
Philippines
General

Alcaldia-Mayor
Provinces Alcalde Mayor
Corregimientos

Towns Gobernadorcillo

Cabeza de
Barangays Barangay

Political Structure in the Philippines during Spanish Colonization

The Royal Audiencia
Apart from its judicial functions, the Royal
Audiencia served as an advisory body to
the Governor General and had the power
to check and a report on his abuses. The
Audiencia also audited the expenditures
of the colonial government and sent a
yearly report to Spain.
The Polo
The Polo or forced labor is another Spanish that
had created discontent among the Indios
during the Spanish times. All men between
sixteen and sixty years of age, except
chieftains and their elder sons, were required
to render labor of various forms for 40 days in
the colony. This was instituted in 1580 and
reduced to 15 days per year in 1884
(Constantino).
Polo y Servicio
The Bandala
In the first half of the 17th century,
Governor Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera
begins collecting the bandala from the
natives. Bandala is an annual quota of
products assigned to the natives for
compulsory sale to the government.