FIRST VOYAGE

AROUND THE
WORLD
by: Antonio Pigafetta
 Antonio Pigafetta
● A Venetian scholar and explorer traveled with
A Venetian
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand scholar
Magellan andcrew
and his explorer
under the order of King Charles I of Spain on their
voyage around the world

● He served as Magellan’s assistant and kept an accurate

journal, which became the source of information on
Magellan’s voyage.

● He was one of the 18 men who returned to Spain in

1522, out of the approximately 240 who set out three
years earlier.
CONTEXT
ANALYSI
S
● 16th century European economy was Mercantilist. Wealth is measured
A bullion
based on accumulation of Venetianorscholar and
precious explorer
metals.

● 16th century Europe was dominated by Holy Roman Empire.

● Asian goods reached Europe either via the Silk Road or the Arabian-
Italian trade route. Both are expensive and oftentimes disrupted by
wars and natural calamities.

● Since land routes were expensive and required consent of many

powerful armed groups, Portugal explored the ocean as alternative way
to the Spice Islands.
 A Venetian scholar and explorer

● The competition between Spain and Portugal

became heated enough that the two countries
had to get the pope to divide up the New
World into parts that would be Spanish and
parts that would be Portuguese- Treaty of
Tordesillas
CONTENT
ANALYSI
S
 Description of Early
Ancestors
Seignior (King/Chief)
● Matured (old man in some encounters)

● Some are bit larger than his men and the finest
looking man

● Some are painted (tattooed)

● Wore gold earrings

● Some have black hair and hung to shoulders

● Head covered with silk (kerchiefs)

 Description of Early
Ancestors
Seignior (King/Chief)
A Venetian with
● Wore cotton cloth all embroidered scholar
silkand explorer
which covered him from the
waist to the knees

● Some have spots of gold on every tooth

● Some are perfumed with storax and benzoin

● Wore armlets and other rings for the feet

● Wore necklace of great value

 Description of Early
Ancestors
Other Men
● Naked, with cloth wovenAfromVenetian scholar
a bark and explorer
of a tree
about (cover) their privies

● Dark, fat and painted (tattooed)

● Anointed with their bodies with coconut oil as a

protection against sun and wind

● Some have dark hair that hung to the waist

● Have their penises pierced from one side to the

other near the head with a gold or tin bolt as large
as a goose quill.
 Description of Early
Ancestors
Women
● Clad in tree cloth from waist down scholar and explorer
A Venetian
● Hair is black and reaches the ground

● They are as white and as large as the Spaniards

● Holes on their ears which are filled with gold (earrings)

● Constantly chewing a fruit which they call areca which resembles a pear,
cut into four and wrapped with betre (betel) leaves

● Women age six upward have their vaginas gradually opened because of
the men’s
 Cultural Milieu of Pre-colonial Filipinos

● Thanksgiving/Gratitude-
A VenetianRaised clasped
scholar hands and face
and explorer
towards the sky and then turned to others

● Friendship (casi-casi)- A ritual of friendship wherein one has

to shed a drop of his blood from his right arm and the other will do the
same and partake each others’ blood

● Marriage- One can have many wives as they wish but one of
them is the principal wife
 Cultural Milieu of Pre-colonial Filipinos

● Trade- Our ancestor have a custom

A Venetian that all
scholar andships that will enter their
explorer
port should pay tribute

● Festivities- Our ancestor are heavy drinkers. Before the king

drinks, he raised his clasped hands towards the sky and then towards
the person he is drinking with and the former extends his fist of the left
hand towards the latter. Sometimes they have a meal that would last for
six hours
 Cultural Milieu of Pre-colonial Filipinos

● Food- Our ancestors eat umay (rice),

A Venetian coconut,
scholar meat and fish, and
and explorer
drink uraca (arrack) – a wine taken from palm (coconut)

● Animals and Other Produce- Dogs, cats, swine, fowls, goats,

rice, ginger, coconuts, figs (banana), oranges, lemons, millet, panicum,
sorgo, wax and gold

● Dwellings- Built up from the ground on huge posts of wood and

thatched with fig and palm leaves
 Conversion of Our Ancestors
● Raia Humabon – Don Carlos
A Venetian
● Son of Raia Humabon scholar–and
(prince) explorer
Fernando

● Raia Culambo – Johanni

● A Muslim – Christoforo
● Queen (Amihan) – Johanna
● her daughter (wife of the Prince) – Catherina
● Queen of Mazaua - Lisabeta
 HISTORICAL RELEVANCE

● The Pigafetta document gave a detailed chronicle of the significant events

of the exploration of Ferdinand Magellan.
A Venetian scholar and explorer
● It provided a description, location and distances of the places visited
thereby enhancing the knowledge of cartography at that time.

● There was an evidence of agricultural activities of the pre-colonial

Philippines based on their produce. Pre-colonial Filipinos engaged in
trade with neighboring countries like China.

● The document also narrated the status (inferiority) of the Filipinos in

warfare, manner of dressing and system of writing.

● The documents narrated the conversion of early Filipinos into

Christianity
CUSTOMS OF THE
TAGALOGS
by: Juan de Plasencia, O.S.F.
 Juan de Plasencia
O.S.F.

● A Spanish priest of the Franciscan Order, he spent most

of his missionary life in theAPhilippines
Venetian scholar and explorer

● He & Fray Diego de Oropresa were assigned to do

mission works in Southern Tagalog area and founded
and organized numerous towns in Quezon, Laguna,
Rizal and Bulacan.

● His continuous interaction with the people he

converted to Christianity enabled him to write a book
entitled Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalos
(Customs of the Tagalogs, 1589).
 Juan de Plasencia
O.S.F.
Customs of the Tagalogs, 1589
A Venetian
● It vividly describes the political, scholar
social, and explorer
economic and
cultural practices of the Filipinos before they were
Christianized.

Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Espanola Y

Tagala, 1593
● the first printed book in the Philippines

● He used it as reading material for those Filipinos who

wanted to deepen their faith in the newly accepted
religion.
CONTEXT
ANALYSI
S
● During the first century of Spanish rule, colonial officials had the hard
A Venetian
time running local politics becausescholar and explorer
of the limited number of
Spaniards who wanted to live outside Intramuros.

● This situation forced them to allow Filipinos to hold the position of

gobernadorcillo.

● To ensure that they would remain loyal to the Crown, they instructed
the friars assigned in the parishes to supervise and monitor the
activities of the gobernadorcillo.

● Hence, the friars ended up performing the administrative duties that

colonial officials should have been doing in the local level.
● Some duties of friars assigned in mission
territories:

1. inform periodically their superiors of what was

going on in their respective assignments.

2. report the number of natives they converted, the

people’s way of life, their socio-economic
situation and the problems they encountered.

3. submit short letters while others who were keen

observers and gifted writers wrote long
dispatches.
CONTENT
ANALYSI
S
 COMMUNITY
Barangay
● tribal gathering ruled by chiefs

● It is called a “barangay” because they

associate themselves with the “Malay”
who are one of the first people to arrive in
the Philippines through a boat in which
they call “barangay”.

● Some consisted of around 30-100 houses

 GOVERNMENT
Datu
● the chief of the village

● he governed the people as captain even in wars,

was obeyed, and revered

● any subject who committed any offense against

him, or spoke to his wives and children, were
severely punished.
SOCIAL HIERARCHY

Maharlica - nobles

Aliping Namamahay - commoners

Aliping Saguiguilir - slaves

 SOCIAL HIERARCHY
Aliping Aliping
Maharlica Namamahay Saguiguilir
● People who are born ● They have their own ● They serve their master
free properties but has to in their houses and
serve their own masters lands
● Do not need to pay taxes ● Children belonging to ● Can be sold off
this caste inherit the ● The master can reward
● Must accompany the
datos in war status of their parents his/her slaves by giving
● Cannot be treated as a them a portion of the
slave nor can be sold harvest so that the
off. slaves would be faithful
to him/her
 SOCIAL HIERARCHY

Maharlica
● He would keep their status for a lifetime however,
this can be taken if he/she marries a slave.

● In this case, the kids would be divided and they

would inherit the status of their mother or father.
 WORSHIP AND
BELIEF
● There were no temples or sacred places in which Filipinos would
worship

● The word simbahan means a place to worship which is constructed at a

large house of the chief where people of the tribe go to celebrate
festivals (aka pandot or worship)

Nag-aanitos
● worship; (anito - soul or spirit of ancestors)

Sibi
● a temporary shed, made on each side of the chief’s house, for the
assembled people.
 WORSHIP AND
BELIEF
Bathala (a.k.a Abba)
● one of their many idols, whom they
specially worshipped.

Sun - almost universally respected and

honored because of its beauty;
Moon - they would rejoice, especially
when new
Stars - they did not name them except for
the morning star, which they called Tala
WORSHIP AND
BELIEF

Dian Masalanta - an idol; patron of

lovers and generation
 WORSHIP AND
BELIEF

Lacapati and Idianale - idols; patrons of the cultivated lands

and husbandry;
 WORSHIP AND BELIEF
(Religion)

Buaya
● Crocodiles were respected by the
Tagalogs due to their fear of being
harmed by them

● They offered a portion of what

they carried in their boats to them
 ‘12 Priests of the Devil’
1. MANGAGAUAY- They pretend to heal the
sick in order to deceive others

2. MANYISALAT- They can cast remedies to

couples for them to abandon one another

3. MANCOCOLAM- Can emit fire from

himself which cannot be extinguished

4. HOCLOBAN- Much more powerful than a

mangagauay in which they can kill anyone
without the use of any medicine. They can also
heal those who are ill.
 ‘12 Priests of the Devil’

5. CATOLONAN- Priest from a people

of rank; Officiates the offering sacrifice
for a feast and the food to be eaten being
offered to the devil

6. SILAGAN- They would tear out and

eat the liver of those they saw were
wearing white
 ‘12 Priests of the Devil’

7. MAGTATANGAL- They would go out at

night without their heads and put it back into
their bodies before the sun rise

8. OSUANG- Tribesmen reported that they

saw the “osuang” who can fly and murdered a
man and ate his flesh.

9. MANGAGAYOMA- They would seduce

their partners with charms and other
accessories so they can deceive them.
 ‘12 Priests of the Devil’

10. SONAT- This devil helped people to die.

They can also know if the soul they helped to
die can either be saved or not.

11. PANGATAHOJAN- They can predict the

future.

12. BAYOGUIN- These are men who are in the

nature of a woman.
 ‘12 Priests of the Devil’

● Placencia’s referred to certain ‘devil-ish belief’s e.g. the mangagauay

and mangagayoma.

● He regarded them both as “witches” who performed deceitful healing

procedures, a judgment made by an outsider who knew nothing about
the complexity of indigenous psyche. 

● What he failed to realize is that in traditional cultures, these so-called

“evil” practices were an integral part of Filipino folk beliefs
 HISTORICAL RELEVANCE

● a very popular primary source because it vividly described the situation of the
Philippines before it was tainted with Spanish and Christian influences.

● preserved and popularized the unwritten customs, traditions, religious and

superstitious beliefs of the Filipinos.

● Priests and missionaries read Plasencia’s books to get a lot of insights that help and
inspire them to become effective evangelizers.

● One insight they got from Plasencia is the realization that one needs to master the
local language and study the culture of the people if you want to be a successful
missionary.

● It disproves the claim of some Spaniards that when they arrived in the Philippines,
Filipinos were still uncivilized and lacking in culture.