Pre-Colonial Philippines- The Kingdom of Tondo ( Manila)

This is the 7th article on my blog series about the Philippines in connection with the celebration of Filipino American History Month this October

Lakandula- the Rajah/Lakan of the Kingdom of Tondo, Manila, 10th Century AD

The Kingdom of Tondo, also known as the "Bayan ng Tondo," was a significant political entity in the pre-colonial Philippines, located in what is now Manila. It emerged around the 10th century AD and was one of several city-states that comprised the ancient Tagalog settlement known as the "Bayan ng Maynila."

A Thriving Trade Hub

Tondo's strategic location along the Pasig River made it a hub of maritime trade in pre-colonial times. It had extensive networks with neighboring polities and distant empires, facilitating the exchange of goods such as gold, spices, and ceramics. This trade connected the Philippines to the Srivijaya Empire of Southeast Asia and the Ming Dynasty of China.

Cultural Influences

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription, the Philippines' oldest extant locally produced written document, dating back to 900 AD, suggests that Tondo was culturally influenced by the Hindu and Buddhist cultures of maritime Southeast Asia. The writing system used on the copperplate is the Old Kawi, while the language used is a variety of Old Malay, with numerous loanwords from Sanskrit and a few non-Malay vocabulary elements.

Social Structure and Governance

The Kingdom of Tondo was ruled by a Lakan or Rajah, a paramount chief revered for his wisdom and leadership. Alongside him were noble Datus, brave warriors, and hardworking commoners. The people of Tondo were primarily Tagalog, but they also had significant cultural and linguistic influences from other groups, including the Kapampangan and Chinese.

Decline and Legacy

The Kingdom of Tondo's influence began to wane with the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. The Spanish conquest of the Pasig River Delta, culminating in the Battle of Bangkusay in 1571, marked a turning point. The Spanish established control over the region, and Tondo was eventually absorbed into the Spanish Empire.

Despite its eventual demise, the Kingdom of Tondo left a lasting legacy on the Philippines. It was a major center of trade and cultural exchange, and its history provides valuable insights into the pre-colonial period of the country. The area of Tondo continues to be a significant part of Manila, and its rich history is still celebrated today.

Lastly: Did you know that Spain almost sold Basilan to France during the reign of Napoleon III? In the mid-19th century, France was looking to expand its influence in Southeast Asia, and Basilan, an island in the southern Philippines, caught their eye.

Negotiations were held, and Spain, facing financial difficulties, considered selling the strategic island to the French.

However, the deal never pushed through, as local resistance and political complications made it too risky. Imagine how different the history of Basilan—and the Philippines—could have been if it had fallen under French control!

Note: I have received numerous positive comments from several non-Filipino readers of my blog. They informed me they learned a lot about the Philippines and encourage me to continue writings about Philippine history, culture and traditions and current news about the Philippines. I promised I will do it to the best of my ability. Thank you all for your encouraging comments.

Intramuros-The Walled City in Manila

This is the 7th article in my blog series about the Philippines in connection with Filipino-American History Month Celebration here in the US

MANILA, Philippines — The public is urged to cast votes for Intramuros to win the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction award for the second time in the World Travel Awards 2024.

The historic Walled City is competing with 21 destinations around the world, including Ha Long Bay in neighboring Vietnam.  In Asia, Intramuros’ opponents are the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World and IMG Worlds of Adventure in the United Arab Emirates, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India and the teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM in Japan.

Other competitors for the award include the Dark Sky Alqueva in Portugal, Grand Canyon National Park in the US, Guinness Storehouse in Ireland, Las Vegas Strip in the US, Machu Picchu in Peru, Magic Kingdom Park in the Walt Disney World Resort in the US, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania, Niagara Falls in Canada, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt in the US, Table Mountain in South Africa, the Acropolis of Athens in Greece and Ayers Rock Resort in Uluru, Australia.

The Manila Cathedral at Night in Intramural, the Walled City. Manila, Philippines 

Intramuros, also known as the Walled City, has stood for centuries. The city was built in the late 16th century as the city that held the seat of power in Manila. The walls were constructed to fend of any possible foreign attacks since the governor assigned to the Philippines also resided and held office there. For Life Inside the Walls visit the following site:

https://www.shopcambio.co/blogs/news/life-inside-the-walls-a-new-look-at-intramuros-the-walled-city-of-manila

Lastly, here are the most popular architectural style for your information! 

The Archaeological Site in Bolinao, Pangasinan

This is the 6th article on my blog series about the Philippines in Connection with Filipino-American History Month Celebration 

In the picturesque coastal town of Balingasay Archaeological Site in Bolinao, Pangasinan, Archaeologists unearthed a treasure that would rewrite our understanding of ancient Filipino culture. The Bolinao Skull, discovered alongside 67 other skulls and Ming Dynasty ceramics, dates back to the 14th or 15th century AD. But what makes this particular skull stand out is its dazzling secret.As researchers carefully examined the skull, they were stunned to find intricate gold dental ornamentation adorning its teeth. Delicate gold flecks, arranged in a fish-scale pattern, decorated both the upper and lower teeth. This wasn’t just any dental work – it was a masterpiece of ancient craftsmanship, with gold disks, plugs, pegs, and wire meticulously inserted into drilled holes in the teeth.

Other well known sites in the Philippines are the Rizal Archaeological Site in Kalinga, Tabon Caves, Lapuz Lapuz Cave, and Singhapala. Additionally, some famous artifacts found in the Philippines are the Callao Man, Tabon Man, Kabayan Mummies of Benguet.

https://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com/2022/11/22/tantingco-big-archaeological-site-in-porac/

Meanwhile here are the top 10 scariest archaeological discoveries ever :

https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/top-10-scariest-archaeological-discoveries-ever/the-knife-armed-man

Meanwhile here are Fifteen Interesting Facts About the Philippines you Probably Did Not Know

1) Jeepney as the usual public transportation! It is distinctive and colorful public transportation vehicles, is ubiquitous in the Philippines, providing a unique way to explore its cities.

2) Philippines is the only country where the flag is flown upside down to indicate the state of war.

3) Filipino is the official language in the Philippines. It became the main language of the Philippines in 1987 under the constitution replacing ‘Pilipino’.

4) Most of the people in the Philippines are superstitious. A significant portion of Filipinos holds strong superstitious beliefs, influencing various aspects of daily life and traditions, from avoiding unlucky numbers to seeking the guidance of faith healers.

5) Boxing is one of the popular sports in the Philippines. Manny Pacquiao, one of the world’s greatest professional boxers, hails from the Philippines. Interestingly, crime rates in Manila reportedly drop to zero during his matches.

6) Philippines is one of the largest island countries in the world! It offers an incredible diversity of landscapes and experiences.

7) The Philippines is the second largest producer of coconut products in the world. Locally known as buko, coconut is a top export product of the Philippines. Each year, the country ships around 19.50 million tons or more of coconut fruit.

8) Filipinos are known for being polite, addressing each other with “ma’am” or “sir.” Respect for elders is deeply ingrained, reflected in terms like “ate” and “kuya” and use of “po” and “opo.”

9) “Filipino time” refers to the cultural phenomenon of Filipinos often arriving late for appointments or events, reflecting their laid-back, relaxed attitude towards time.

10) Two of the world’s largest shopping malls are located in the Philippines, offering an incredible shopping and leisure experience. One is SM Megamall, located in Mandaluyong city, with a total floor area of over 5.5 million square feet. Another is SM Shopping center of Asia (MOA) is a rambling shopping center in Pasay City, with more than 4.4 million square feet of retail space.

11) The Philippines founded Asia’s first basketball league, the Philippines Basketball Association, in 1975, making basketball a beloved sport in the country.

12) Jollibee is the top fast food chain the Philippines taking over McDonald’s! Jollibee was the leading limited-service restaurant in the Philippines in terms of sales in 2021. In that year, the restaurant chain generated sales of approximately 2.53 billion U.S. dollars. Its closest competitor, McDonald’s, had total sales of about 786 million U.S. dollars in that year.

13) The Philippines has the largest underground river. Many people visit the Philippines because of its cultural history of famous water bodies. In fact, this nation is home to the largest underground river. It is located in Puerta Princesa Subterranean River National Park. There are many famous landmarks in the Philippines that will amaze you.

14) Filipinos can’t eat without rice! For almost 99% of the Philippine population, no meal is complete without rice, highlighting its central role in Filipino cuisine.

15) Filipinos usually have 3 to 4 meals daily!

Lastly, enjoy this photo of my rose of the Day: 

The Manila Galleon Trade

This is the fifth article on my blog series about the Philippines in connection with the celebration of Filipino-American History Month.  

The Manila galleon (Spanish: Galeón de Manila; Filipino: Galyon ng Maynila) refers to the Spanish trading ships that linked the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies to Mexico (New Spain), across the Pacific Ocean. The ships made one or two round-trip voyages per year between the ports of Manila and Acapulco from the late 16th to early 19th century.

The term "Manila galleon" can also refer to the trade route itself between Manila and Acapulco that was operational from 1565 to 1815.

The Manila galleon trade route was inaugurated in 1565 after the Augustinian friar and navigator Andrés de Urdaneta pioneered the tornaviaje or return route from the Philippines to Mexico. Urdaneta and Alonso de Arellano made the first successful round trips that year, by taking advantage of the Kuroshio Current. 

The galleons set sail from Cavite, in Manila Bay, at the end of June or the first week of July, sailing through the northern Pacific and reaching Acapulco in March to April of the next calendar year. The return route from Acapulco passes through lower latitudes closer to the equator, stopping over in the Marianas, then sailing onwards through the San Bernardino Strait off Cape Espiritu Santo in Samar and then to Manila Bay and anchoring again off Cavite by June or July. 

The trade using "Urdaneta's route" lasted until 1815, when the Mexican War of Independence broke out. The majority of these galleons were built and loaded in shipyards in Cavite, utilizing native hardwoods like the Philippine teak, with sails produced in Ilocos, and with the rigging and cordage made from salt-resistant Manila hemp. 

The vast majority of the galleon's crew consisted of Filipino natives; many of whom were farmers, street children, or vagrants press-ganged into service as sailors. The officers and other skilled crew were usually Spaniards (a high percentage of whom were of Basque descent). The galleons were state vessels and thus the cost of their construction and upkeep was borne by the Spanish Crown.^[3][4]

The galleons mostly carried cargoes of Chinese and other Asian luxury goods in exchange for New World silver. Silver prices in Asia were substantially higher than in America, leading to an arbitrage opportunity for the Manila galleon. Every space of the galleons were packed tightly with cargo, even spaces outside the holds like the decks, cabins, and magazines. In extreme cases, they towed barges filled with more goods. While this resulted in slow passage (that sometimes resulted in shipwrecks or turning back), the profit margins were so high that it was commonly practiced.

 These goods included Indian ivory and precious stones, Chinese silk and porcelain, clovesfrom the Moluccas islands, cinnamon, ginger, lacquers, tapestries and perfumes from all over Asia. In addition, slaves (collectively known as "chinos") from various parts of Asia (mainly slaves bought from the Portuguese slave markets and Muslim captives from the Spanish–Moro conflict) were also transported from the Manila slave marketsto Mexico.

 Free indigenous Filipinos also migrated to Mexico via the galleons (including galleon crew that jumped ship), comprising the majority of free Asian settlers ("chinos libres") in Mexico, particularly in regions near the terminal ports of the Manila galleons. The route also fostered cultural exchanges that shaped the identities and the culture of the countries involved.

The Manila galleons were also known colloquially in New Spain as La Nao de China ("The China Ship"), because they carried mostly Chinese goods shipped from Manila. The Manila Galleon route was an early instance of globalization, representing a trade route from Asia that crossed to the Americas, thereby connecting all the world's continents in global silver trade.

In 2015, the Philippines and Mexico began preparations for the nomination of the Manila–Acapulco Galleon Trade Route in the UNESCO World Heritage List with backing from Spain, which has also suggested the tri-national nomination of the archives on the Manila–Acapulco Galleons in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Meanwhile: Did you know that Surigao is famous for its rich gold deposits, earning it the title of one of the Philippines' top gold-producing regions?

Surigao del Norte, specifically, has been a significant site for gold mining for centuries, with pre-colonial Filipinos already mining gold long before the arrival of the Spanish.

The region gained global attention with the discovery of the Surigao Treasure—a collection of intricate pre-Hispanic gold artifacts, including jewelry and ceremonial items, unearthed in 1981.

Today, Surigao continues to be a hotspot for gold mining, contributing to the Philippines' role as a global player in the precious metals market.

Finally: 

The galleon “San Diego” was built as the trading ship San Antonio, before being hastily converted into a warship of the Spanish Navy as the Dutch Navy neared Philippine waters. On 14 December 1600, the fully-laden San Diego captained by Antonio de Morga — competent writer but inept admiral — was sunk, without firing a single shot, by the much smaller Dutch warship “Mauritius” off the coast of Nasugbu in Batangas province. Nearly 400 years later, in 1992, the wreck was discovered by the team of French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio, leading to the recovery of over 34,000 artifacts, including Chinese porcelain, Japanese katanas, Portuguese cannons and Mexican coins. The best pieces toured the globe, including Paris and Madrid, before being housed permanently at the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila.

Pre-Colonial Filipino Literacy and Writing Systems

This is the fourth article on my blog series about the Philippines in connection with the celebration of Filipino American History Month

Did you know that early Spanish chroniclers were amazed by the literacy and linguistic proficiency of pre-colonial Filipinos?

Many local chieftains and kings were fluent in languages like Sanskrit, Old Javanese, and Old Malay.

By the early 1600s, a Jesuit priest even remarked that it was rare to find anyone, man or woman, who couldn’t read or write in their native script.

In 1609, a Spanish magistrate similarly praised the Filipinos’ impressive writing skills, noting that both men and women wrote exceptionally well in their own script.

Long before colonization, Filipinos were already highly literate, showcasing a rich tradition of written language. The Philippines was under Spanish rule from 1565 to 1898. The Americans took over from 1989 t0 1946.

The Baybayin: Ancient and Traditional Scripts of the Philippines gallery is a permanent exhibition dedicated to the traditional Filipino writing system, baybayin. This script, used by early Filipinos, is showcased through archaeological artifacts, colonial records, and ethnographic collections that highlight its historical and cultural significance.

Key artifacts like the Laguna Copperplate and the Calatagan Pot are on display, alongside items from indigenous groups in Mindoro and Palawan—such as the Hanunoo-Mangyan, Buhid-Mangyan, Tagbanua, and Pala’wan peoples—who have preserved their syllabic writing traditions to this day.

Once widely used by coastal communities in the 16th century, baybayin was inscribed on leaves and bamboo. Though gradually replaced by the Roman alphabet, it has survived in certain regions, continuing as a living tradition.

In recent years, baybayin has experienced a resurgence, embraced by Filipino youth both locally and abroad. Through websites, tattoos, blogs, and apparel, the ancient script has become a symbol of Filipino identity, blending tradition with modern, global expressions.

Aside from the famous Baybayin script, another distinct script was used in precolonial Philippines: Jawi. This Arabic-based script was primarily used by Muslims in Mindanao and is believed to have been adopted through close contact with the Malays and Bruneians.

Jawi was instrumental in spreading Islamic teachings and recording important documents.

A notable variation of this script is Kirim, a localized version used in specific communities.

The presence of Jawi highlights the rich diversity of writing systems in the archipelago and the Philippines' long-standing connection to the greater Southeast Asian and Islamic world.

Meanwhile enjoy this Aurora Borealis ( Northern Lights ) on October 10, 2024

with the San Francisco Golden Gate in the background.

Finally, my Quote of the Day: "The most terrible loneliness is not the kind that comes from being alone, but the kind that comes from being misunderstood. It is the loneliness of standing in a crowded room, surrounded by people who do not see you, who do not hear you, who do not know the true essence of who you are. And in that loneliness, you feel as though you are fading, disappearing into the background, until you are nothing more than a ghost, a shadow of your former self."

— George Orwell, 1984

Welcome, Autumn is Here at THD

The cool and lazy morning of Autumn is here at THD.  This week autumn weather has reached the East Bay.  I am delighted for the change from three digits to perfect temperatures ranging from the low 60's in the morning and later to the low 80's in the afternoon. Here are some photos, I took this morning. 

The photo with the bougainvillea blooms I took early in the morning when it was a little bit foggy, but later cleared when I took the photo of my cacti collection.  

The photos above are my bougainvillea and cacti blooming and happy of the cool temperatures in the morning. 

Even Batman and Robin are getting lazy and started napping after their breakfast as shown in the following photos. 

Yesterday Batman was watching me doing my daily blogs setting at the top of my printer.  However, was Robin was outside hiding by the side of my garbage pail. 

Lastly,  enjoy this Poem -The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe. 

Meanwhile. enjoy this song the Autumn Leaves

https://fb.watch/vaEjYhcsL0/

Spanish Influence and Heritage tp Philippines Architecture

This is the third article on my blog series about the Philippines in connection with the Filipino-American History Celebration for the Month of October.

Heritage buildings are special because they tell us about our history and culture. In both Spain and the Philippines, many beautiful structures showcase a blend of architectural styles influenced by their shared history.

From the 16th to the 19th century, Spain brought its unique architectural styles to the Philippines. A great example is the San Agustin Church in Manila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its stunning Baroque architecture.

You can also find the Bahay Na Bato, a traditional Filipino house that combines Spanish and local designs, featuring stone and wooden elements. This fusion of styles is known as Arquitectura mestiza, reflecting the blending of cultures.

In Spain, iconic buildings like the Alhambra in Granada and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona represent various architectural styles, showcasing Spain's rich cultural heritage.

Unfortunately, many heritage buildings have been lost due to war, natural disasters, and neglect. For instance, during World War II, numerous structures in the Philippines were destroyed, including important historical sites. In Spain, some buildings have suffered from urban development and the passage of time.

Both countries value their heritage buildings as symbols of identity. By preserving these sites, we ensure that future generations can appreciate and learn about our shared history.

Here are some photos from my second home,Boac, Marinduque, illustrating the Spanish architectural style influence in church building as well as in some heritage homes.

Note: I have received numerous positive comments from several non-Filipino readers of my blog. They informed me they learned a lot about the Philippines and encourage me to continue writings about Philippine history, culture and traditions and current news about the Philippines. I promised I will do it to the best of my ability. Thank you all for your encouraging comments.