Pre-Colonial Philippines Reference Post.

Now there are no written records written by us because we were an oral culture, any stories and important information was passed down orally through each generation. The only things we actually did use our writing was for poems, songs, and short messages with one another. If we did write down any information they were on perishable objects like bamboo or palm leaves, and if not they were on things like the famous Laguna Copperplate, however we haven’t found them yet. Perhaps someday we might find some more written records by us but for now we still haven’t found any besides the Laguna Copperplate, so we must make do with what the early Spaniards wrote about us and the islands, which thankfully they did in some detail or else none of that would be known today. That and also records from neighboring area’s like China and Borneo.

Posts written on the Pinoy-Culture blog

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Books, Essays, and Primary Written Accounts

• by William Henry Scott *** (Google Books Philippines)
• by William Henry Scott ***(Google Books U.S.)

(For Barangay, reading the book is limited so if you want to read certain pages look at the contents pages with all the chapters and go to where you want to read and learn most. Now if you have passed your limit of viewing, you can go to the other Google books site (Philippines or U.S.) and continue where you left off until you get pass your page viewing limit again.

• by Wang Zhenping **
• Looking for the Pre-Hispanic Filipino by William Henry Scott
• The Philippine Islands by Blair and Robertson
• The Philippine Islands by Blair and Robertson (Digital Ebook with pictures, etc.)***
• Relation of the Filipinas Islands and of the Character and Conditions of their Inhabitants by Miguel López de Legazpi 1569
• Letter to King Felipe II by Andrés de Mirandaola (in regards to the gold mines and describes relations with trade with China and described some settlements),  January 8, 1574
• Undated letter to the Viceroy of New Spain by Guido de Lavezaris (Manila, 1575?) that mentions the freeing of the natives that were taken to go back to their villages, the trading between the Spanish with the Tagalogs (Moro’s) was at a standstill during this time because of an incident in which Chinese merchandise and 4 Chinese were seized and taken by a few Spaniards in which they stole the goods and those Chinese and others were sent back to China, in which the Spaniard Official (the one writing the letter) was upset about because it was a wrong doing to those who didn’t offend the Spaniards or betray them in anyway. The Tagalogs (Moro’s) distrusted the Spaniards due to this, taking back their goods because of the ill-treatment of the Spaniards. It talks about the asking of married Spaniards to come to the islands as the natives didn’t trust and feel safe toward the unmarried Spaniards but to those that had wives.
• Letter from Captain Juan Pacheco Maldonado to Felipe II (Manila 1575?) He begins by narrating briefly the conquest of Luzón; then describes the island and its trade, which is carried on with both China and Japan. On account of its wealth and importance, Luzón should be thoroughly subjugated; and Maldonado enumerates the provisions that should be made for that end. Forty or fifty ecclesiastics should be sent; and to aid in their labors a prelate should be appointed, for which post the writer recommends Fray Diego de Herrera. Maldonado urges that five hundred soldiers be sent from Spain and that with these troops conquest should be made of the Liu-Kiu and Japan Islands. He asks also for artisans to build ships, suggesting for this purpose the negro slaves thus employed at Havana.
• Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas (Relation of the Filipinas Islands) by Miguel de Loarca; 1582 (scroll down a bit to see the English translation) **
• Antonio de Morga 1609 Sucesesos de las Islas Filipinas ***
• Father Pedro Chirino’s 1604 Relacion de las Islas Filipinas (Part 1)
• Father Pedro Chirino’s 1604 Relacion de las Islas Filipinas (Part 2)
• Bishop Diego de Aduarte’s 1640 Historia de la provincia del Santo Rosario (Pangasinan and Cagayan cultures)
• Conquest of the island of Luzon. Manila, April 20, 1572
• Relation of the Philipinas Islands. Domingo de Salazar, and others; Manila, 1586–88
• Customs of the Tagalogs (two relations). Juan de Plasencia, O.S.F.; Manila, October 21 1589
• Boxer Codex (Pictures of the pages of the whole manuscript with no English Translation)
• Antonio Pifagetta – Primo viaggrio intorno al mondo 1524 **
• Antonio Pifagetta – Primo viaggrio intorno al mondo 1524(continued)
• Relation of the Filipinas Islands. Francisco de Sande; June 7,1576.
• Relation and Description of the Filipinas Islands; June 7 1576
• Affairs in the Philipinas Islands. Domingo de Salazar; [Manila, 1583]
• (Not in English) **** (If anyone knows an English copy of this because this is one of the best primary resources, let me know and I’ll add it on here)

Video’s

• The Gold of the Ancestors Exhibit at Ayala Museum
• Forgotten Philippines: Gold of Ancestors (With English translations) (Parts: 1, 2, 3)
• Philippine Treasures Video by GMA-7 (No English Translations) (Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4)

Clothing References