mexico and the philippines by zaide

8/17/2019 Mexico and the Philippines by Zaide

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“The Philippines and Mexico”

by Dr. Sonia M. Zaide

Selected excerpts from

Philippine History and Government

(7 th edition, 2015)

by Gregorio F. Zaide

and Sonia M. Zaide

Before there was a Philippines, there was “Mé jico” (Mexico). The Philippineswould never have been a single political unit, colonized by Spain and later declaredindependent, without Mexico. Through Mexico, the Philippines turned up as the firstand foremost Christian nation in Asia. Because of Mexico, the Philippines became aunique nation, with a cultural heritage from four civilizations – Asian, European,Latin and North American. Connected to Mexico by the galleon trade, the Philippineswon renown as “The Pearl of the Orient,” the center of the first global maritime tradefor five continents – Asia, Latin and North America, Europe, and Australia.1

Most Filipinos know Spain colonized their islands for 333 years (1565-1898).But not many know that it was actually Mexico for most of those years (1565-1821)that enabled Spain to rule over the Philippines. After Magellan’s discovery of thePhilippines in 1521, there were five more maritime expeditions to find thePhilippines: the Loaisa expedition (1525); the Cabot expedition (1526); the Saavedraexpedition (1527); the Villalobos expedition (1542; and the Legazpi expedition(1564-65).

The expedition of Miguel de Legazpi succeeded not only in exploring thePhilippine islands again, but in establishing the return route to Mexico. The MexicanViceroy, on orders of the Spanish king, had organized the Legazpi mission and

subsequent relations thereafter. Thus began a long (256 years) relationship with greatconsequences for the religion, economics, politics, and culture of both nations.

1 This essay is a modified version of sections in the 7th edition of a textbook for Philipp ine schools,

Gregorio F. Zaide and Sonia M. Zaide, Philippine History and Government (2015). The 6

th

edition ofthe book was published in 2011 (Quezon City: All-Nations Publishing Co. Inc.).


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Map of Manila-Acapulco sea

route

Early Philippine-Mexican relations.After 1521, Mexico

became the center of theSpanish Empire in Latin

America. Due to the Mexican viceroy the Philippines was established the center ofthe Spanish Empire in Asia. Both colonies played significant roles in each other’shistories.

Because of missionaries from Mexico, the Philippines became the first

Christian nation in Asia. The missionaries in the Philippines evangelized Guam andthe Marianas, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Eventually, the Filipinosthemselves became outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asia. As Pope Francisnoted, when he visited Manila in January 2015, “The Philippines becoming the firstChristian nation in Asia is a special gift of God, a blessing, and a vocation.”2

Had it not been for the additional troops and supplies from Mexico, Legazpi’scolonial venture would have failed. The soldiers sent to the Philippines wererecruited from veterans of the colonial wars in Latin America. Many were ofSpanish-Mexican blood, second-generation mestizos (creoles) born in Mexicantowns. The wives of the soldiers and civil officials came on the return voyage of the

galleons. The supplies of food, arms and ammunition came from Mexico also. Theannual subsidy from Mexico paid the colonial salaries, stopped revolts, and repelledoutside enemies.

Ocho reales silver peso coin, 1772

The Royal Subsidy (Real Situado).The Philippine colony did not earnenough for its own expenses, nor did itenrich the Spanish kings. The Spanish

conquistadors here did not penetrate theCordilleras, and thus did not find richmines like in Latin America. Neither thetribute, agricultural taxes, nor the galleon

customs tariffs paid enough for the expenditures of the colony. Thus, the Spanishking instructed the Mexican viceroy to send an annual royal subsidy (real situado)to keep colonial administration going in the Philippines.

Every year, an annual subsidy came from the Mexican treasury. It included allthe galleon customs tariffs collected by Acapulco. The amount was not fixed, but it

2 Radio Vatican, January 18, 2015.


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averaged 250,000 Mexican silver pesos a year.3 Sometimes, it was more; at othertimes, less. After Mexican independence in 1821, the subsidy could no longer besent. Ironically, the self-sufficient native economy improved, gave birth to theFilipino middle class ilustrados, and sowed the seeds of nationalism in the islands.

The Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade (1571-1815). In the early colonial era,the undeveloped Philippine economy led to the idea of using the supply galleonsfor trade. The Mexican-Philippine galleon trade turned up as the most interestinganomaly of the global economy.

The galleon, a bulky, slow-moving wooden sailing ship, was the world’s fir stmaritime bulk carrier – similar to today’s tanker or huge container ship. The Manilagalleons brought the luxury goods of the East to the New World. The trade beganmigration to the New World of Chinese coolies and Filipino mariners whoaccompanied the galleons.

The returning Acapulco galleons brought to Manila the Mexican silver pesos,

Spanish friars, colonial soldiers, colonial officials, wives of the colonizers, and provisions from Mexico. The half-empty returning galleons also carried huge ballaststones. Today, the stones of the walls, paved roads, churches, and old buildings ofIntramuros speak of Mexico, their origin.

The sea journey from Acapulco to Manila was easier and faster because ofequatorial trade winds that propelled sailing ships westwards. Hence, the Acapulco-to-Manila route was called “the voyage of the ladies,” because of its ease and

because it brought the wives of Spanish officials to Manila.

The Importance of the Chinese to the Philippines and Mexico. TheChinese played a crucial role in the success of the galleon trade. Chinese junks

brought their luxury goods like silk and porcelain from southeast China to thegalleon port in Aduana (behind today’s Manila Post Office Building). After theChinese merchants were paid, Chinese laborers (coolies) stuffed the goods onboardthe galleon. It was said that no native Filipino could do the job of the Chinese. Onlythe Chinese coolies knew how to pack the goods in such a way that the Spanishowners could cheat on tonnage and customs rules. Moreover, they were the onlyones who could calculate the payments in different currencies and get away with

bribing customs officials.As galleon commerce increased, thousands of Chinese laborers and merchants

flocked to Manila and Mexico. A Chinatown Parian was established outside

Intramuros, and in the main plazas of Acapulco and Mexico City itself.The Chinese became the pillars of the Philippine economy, even during colonialdays. A newly independent Mexico itself recognized the value of Chineseimmigrants. In 1821, the Mexican Independence Junta encouraged Chineseimmigration to Mexico, like thousands of Chinese in the Philippines. The juntanoted, “Because of their business acumen, frugality, and industriousness, we shouldallow them to enter our country, too, in order to foster economic development…”

3

The ocho real coin (the Mexican silver peseta) had a content of around 25 grams of silver. Intoday’s silver prices, the subsidy would have been worth millions of pesos.


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The galleon trade, pioneer of

international trade

The Galleon Trade: A Global Economic Anomaly. The galleon trade was the

heart of Spain's unsuccessful attempt to make money from the colony and its main business in Asia for over two centuries. However, it is hardly known that thegovernments of Spain, Mexico, and the Philippine colony at all did not prosper fromit at all. In reality, the galleon trade was not commerce – it was gambling.

The galleon trade only benefited the individual Chinese and European privatetraders, the middlemen, and the smugglers. Indirectly, it also gave relief to the poormasses of Filipino indios, newly emancipated from slavery and awarded small plotsof land. The indio masses, freed from their oppressive datus and colonialencomenderos, became the vast increments to the tribute payors noted in surveys bythe town friars (who counted the population through the tribute). The former (datus)had no more say over them, and the latter (colonial conquistadors) were too distracted

by the galleons to mind them.Strangely enough, through the underground economy of the galleon trade,

wealth actually left all the three governments – the Philippines, Spain and Mexico – and went into the pockets of individuals in China, Mexico, and Manila. The Chinesewent crazy for the Mexican silver peseta, something they had not seen before. Silver

pesos became the informal currency in the Asian continent for a while. Other profitswent to a few private Spanish or European investors, who secretly included thegovernor and the religious orders. By the 17th century, the galleon trade averaged 2to 5 million pesos a year in turnover. However, merchants in Spain went bankruptand protested against it. Thus, the king limited the number of galleons from four to

only two a year.The galleon trade distracted the attention of Spanish encomenderos and officials,to the utter neglect of the agricultural economy, which were left for the newlyemancipated slaves and a few brave tillers. The Spaniards had no inclination orincentive to farm and ranch, because they made more money in the galleons. Thecontrast between the farmer and the galleon investor is seen vividly in the tale of onefamous investor – Madame Ana Gironiere, wife of Dr. Paul de la Gironiere (1797-1862), a French physician. While her husband labored unsuccessfully to raise coffee,indigo, hogs, and fighting cocks in their farm at Jala-Jala, Morong, she made a fortuneexporting in the galleons.4

4 See Dr. Paul dela Gironiere, Twenty Years in the Philippines (London, 1854).


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Many galleons sank, or pirates stolen them. Today, black rice grains from a burned galleon still wash up on shores of Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. Thegalleons encouraged smuggling, ship overloading, and speculation. In 1815, theMexican Revolution abolished the galleon trade. it was abolished due to the Mexican

Revolution.

Effects of the Galleon Trade . In its first 40 years, the galleon trade grew quickly.It made Manila the trade center of Asia. The Manila-Acapulco galleon trade becamemore profitable than the overland Silk Road, the maritime Spice Route of India andHolland, and the maritime trade route of Portuguese Macao.

Other European colonial powers – Portugal, Holland, and Britain – made attemptsto grab the Philippines for themselves. But their attempts were unsuccessful.However, Britain occupied Manila for two years (1762-64), and successfully grabbeda southern island (Balambangan) from the Sultan of Sulu for the first British colony

in Southeast Asia.

The galleon trade made the Mexican silvercoin the first international money, similar tothe American dollar today. In the Philippinesand Asia, it was called the peso. The word"peso" entered the vocabulary.The silver peso

became the most desirable currency in theworld, and gave birth to the American dollarsign ($).

First Global Trade for Five Continents(1565-1815). The Manila-Acapulco galleon

trade was the most important maritime trade in the world at the time. According tohistorians, the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade was the pioneer of transcontinental orglobal maritime trade. Because the galleons carried precious pearls, Manila becameknown as the “Pearl of Orient,” or the trade emporium of Asia. The safe arrival of agalleon meant a year of prosperity. On the other hand, its loss at sea, or to pirates,was a year of poverty.

The Manila to Acapulco galleon trade was important to five continents – Asia, North and South America, Europe, and even Australia. The galleons exported theexotic and luxury goods from the East to the Americas and Europe. Through Mexico,the goods were brought to Cuba, and from there they reached the West. The Spanish

silver peso (peseta) became the currency of choice in Europe, North and SouthAmerica, Asia, and even Australia.Oakhampton Homestead Farm at Manilla in the

Tamworth region of NSW, Australia. The area is

also known as the “Big Sky” country.


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Not so well-known is the fact that the galleons were important not only to Asia,Europe, South and North America – but also to the little continent of Australia. After

the colonization of Australia in 1788, Australian settlers traded in horses, cattle andsheep to sell to the Spaniards in Manila. So happy were Australian ranchers thatthey named a town, “Manilla” (sic) in New South Wales. The Australian traders were

paid in the galleon silver peso. However, the Australian British have a bad memoryof Spanish monarchs (the Spanish Armada, the unpaid British invasion ransommoney, etc.). So, they punched out the emblem of the Spanish monarch from thesilver coins and made a hole in the middle of it. As the galleon trade ended, aneconomic depression affected Australia, and, from 1820-25, the “holey dollars”

became the only money accepted in the continent.5

The most important events of the year in both Manila and Acapulco were the

departure and arrival of a galleon. A galleon's safe arrival in Manila in September toOctober, or in Acapulco, was fiesta time. It was celebrated with great joy, masses,

parties, and the traditional feria (fair). In Manila, the officers, crew and crowdtraditionally marched barefoot from the port area to the Ermita Church. Here, they

made thanksgiving masses and offerings to the patronsaint of the galleons, the image of the Nuestra Señorade Guia.

Mexicandancer;childrenwithMexican

piñatainaparty

5 See Zaide, History of Asian Nations (2010), p.280.


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Intramuros gate Mariachi entertainers

A Mexican Comedy during the British Invasion of Manila. In 1762-64,Britain successfully invaded Manila from Madras, India. The British and Indiansoldiers looted and burned in what became known as the “Rape of Manila,” the worstatrocity of the Seven Years War. Although there was a tragedy during the war, therewas also some hilarity involving Mexican prisoners of war.

The acting Spanish governor, Archbishop Manuel Rojo, a Mexican mestizo, hadfor his personal guards some 135 Mexican guachinangos (soldiers). The Britishlocked them up at a military stockade outside Intramuros, at San Fernando, Binondo,near the Chinese Parian. Irked by months of boredom and bad meals at their prison,the unhappy Mexicans hatched an escape plan. Their leader, a talented corporal fromGuadalajara, Mexico, masterminded the whole thing.

For two months, the Mexicans secretly dug a tunnel leading to the Parian outsidethe prison gate. From Chinese friends, they obtained the supplies for a stage show.Once the tunnel was done, the Mexican corporal requested permission from the campcommander to celebrate the feastday of the Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico,on December 12th, 1762. He invited the British and Indian Sepoy guards to see amusical stage show. Of course, the commander and all the guards were delighted.

On that night, the Mexicans used their talent for amusement and entertainment

to save themselves. The musical show featured the mariachi Mexican songs andmusic. The British and Sepoy guards were captivated, for they had never experiencedsuch music. Some male prisoners cross-dressed in female attire and brought thehouse down. Their corporal, dressed as a clown, hosted the show with a repertoire ofwitty jokes.

As each number finished, the prisoner-actors slipped quietly offstage, crawledthrough the tunnel, and exited to freedom on the other side of the prison. The jail

breakers easily got lost among the Christmas shoppers in the Chinese Parian stalls.Towards the end, their leader was the last one left on stage. As his turn came to

escape, he told the audience to remain in their seats for an intermission and a bigsurprise number. Then, he, too, quickly slipped through the tunnel, and walked out a

free man on the other side.By the time their captors realized what happened, the Mexicans had all fled to

join the resistance forces in the provinces. The British guards desperately searched but could not find the escaped prisoners.6

6 See Zaide, Pageant , Vol. 2, pp. 19-20.


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Latin Heritage of the Philippines

Spanish Mexicans in the Philippines. Many Spanish Mexicans came to thePhilippines to live or work. Legazpi himself was a retired Mexican official. He

brought his two grandsons, Felipe and Juan de Salcedo. Eventually, thousands ofSpanish soldiers and missionaries came from Mexico. Two Mexican mestizos(creoles) served as Archbishop of Manila. They were Archbishop Miguel dePoblete (1653-1667) and Archbishop Manuel Antonio Rojo (1759-1764).Archbishop Rojo was the acting Spanish governor of the Philippines during theBritish invasion (1762-1764).

Apart from pure-bred Spaniards, there were also indios and mestizos fromMexico who migrated to the Philippines, They were the sailors, servants,adventurers, and soldiers. Many of these Mexicans became important to thedevelopment of Philippine nationalism.

Filipinos in Mexico. The galleon route brought Filipino indios, Filipinomestizos, and Chinese to Mexico. The first Filipinos in Mexico came from the datu(noble) class. They were exiled because of the Tondo Conspiracy of 1587-1588. Allof them were related to Raha Sulayman, the last native datu of Manila and leader ofthe failed revolutionary plot. The Filipino nobles exiled to Mexico were some ofthe most important native rulers. They included Pitongatan, chief of Tondo; FelipeSalonga, chief of Polo, Bulacan; Agustin Manuguit and Juan Banal, both chiefs ofTondo.

During the two and a half centuries of the galleon trade between Manila andAcapulco many Filipino crew members of the galleons deserted and lived

permanently in Mexico. For example, the Espiritu Santo arrived in Mexico in 1618,

with 75 Filipino seamen; it returned to Manila with only five Filipinos remaining.The Filipino deserters married Mexican women and put up a Filipino colony in

the hills of Acapulco. They introduced the coconut wine industry in Mexico. Thetuba became very popular because it was cheaper and sweeter tasting than the corn-

based wine. Irked by the growing number of Filipino illegals in Mexico, and thedrop in local wine sale, a Spanish official suggested that all Filipinos be arrested

and shipped back to the Philippines.Fortunately, no action was taken.

Some of these Filipinos in Mexicoended up in North America, as seen in thelocal history of the Louisiana Manila Menof New Orleans.

ThemarketforManilagalleongoodsbecamethe

IndependencePlazaofMexicoCity.

Chinatowns of Mexico. The first Chinese and Chinatowns in the Americascame from the Philippines. With the galleons came the Chinese goods, Chinese

merchants, and Chinese coolies. They settled down in Acapulco and Mexico City,


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the capital. Their markets (parians) were centrally located. In Mexico City themain Plaza de la Independencia, next to the national cathedral (see photo), was theold galleon market. At these Chinatowns were sold the Asian goods that Mexicansfondly remember as coming from Manila (porcelain, blankets, clay jars, cigars,

monton shawls etc.).

Me xican contributions to the Philippines. During the two and a halfcenturies of Philippine-Mexican relations, the Mexicans enriched Philippine life andculture. The Spanish way of life in the colony was more Latin American thanSpanish. The Mexican contributions included plants and animals; industries; dietand dress; music and dances; Catholic images; church architecture; the grid town

plan; customs and traditions; words and language; and the inspiration forindependence.

New plants and animals. Among the new plants from Mexico were abaca

(maguey), achuete, avocado, beans, cacao, calabasa (squash), camachile, cane sugar(tubo), cassava, chico, cincamas, coffee, corn (mais), guava, guyabano, papaya, peanut, tobacco, pineapple; potato, sirihuela, tomato, and wheat. Many flowerswere introduced, like the acapulco, azucena, marigold, calachuchi, cadena de amor,and poinsettia Among the new animals were the horse, cattle, sheep, donkey; oxen,horses, ducks, geese, pigeons, swans, mayas, and better breeds of chicken andTexas roosters.

New products and industries . The new products from Mexico bred localcottage manufacturing. These included straw hats, ships rope, leather, metal stirrupand armor, shoes and slippers, books, adobe stones, cement; piña cloth; sugar from

sugar cane. In addition, new jobs came through cattle ranching, cigar and cigarette -making, carving Catholic images and church decor, wooden shoes (bakya) or softslippers, and weaving hats and mats. The Philippines became a world center for themanufacture of rope, which came from the maguey (abaca) plant. For centuries,shipping rope was known as "Manila rope."

Pres.AquinointheFilipinobarongandCuba's

FidelCastrointheLatinguayaberashirt

New diet and dress . Filipino dietchanged because of new plants and

animals introduced from the New World. Filipinos learned to eat corn, chocolate,cane sugar, cassava flour, white potato, salted fish, and beef. Recipes for them wereof Mexican origin.


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New dress modes were introduced. Men wore loose trousers and a long, looseshirt called the barong. The Filipino "barong" came from the guayabera. a loose-fitting shirt worn in Cuba and Mexico. (See photo)

The Filipino local officials wore a man's coat, the " Americana," which camefrom Latin America and not from the United States, as usually thought. Men worestraw hats.

Women learned to cover their upper torso, and wear undergarments, longcotton skirts, scarfs or veils. The women's cotton undergarment, naguas, came fromMexico. Footwear was required of native men and women, and the Pagsanjanwoodcarvers invented the wooden clogs (bakya), thus making their town the capitalof Laguna.

New music and dances . New Latin musical influences came from Mexico,

Cuba, and Brazil. New instruments (violin, guitar, flute, harp, drum, piano, trumpet,and cymbal) were brought from Mexico and Spain. The kumparsa (group band)had Cuban origins. Many Philippine songs and dances are of Latin origin – forexample, the jarabe and pandango. Filipino music integrated the six-beat Latinrhythm, and native musicians invented new musical styles, like the kundiman.

Catholic images and churches. Many Catholic images came from Mexico.These are now famous shrines in the Philippines – the Black Nazarene in Quiapo,Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo, and the Guadalupe in Pagsanjan,Laguna. Ironically, the Philippine demand for images influenced the Chinese tomake their own. Friars from Manila commissioned Chinese ivory carvers in Fujian

to carve ivories of Marian images. The industry led to Chinese ivories of Guanying,the Chinese goddess, for the home market in China.

Churches in Spanish Philippines were copied from Mexico because their first parish priests came from Mexico, for example the old church at Mexico, Pampanga.The oldest existing stone church is San Agustin Church at Intramuros Manila, built

in 1607. It has survived all the naturalcalamities, including bombardmentduring WW2. There are hundreds ofother historic stone churches in theislands. 7

Old photo of church in Mexico, Pampanga

7

For a val uable a nd comprehensive survey of a ll the Spanish era chu rches, see Ortigas Foundation, LaCasa de Dios: The Legacy of Filipino Hispanic Churches in the Philippines (2010).


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ChurchbellsfromMexico

Town square design showing

church, townhall, andhouses

aroundtheplaza

Spanish house design

House, church, and town plan. New designs forhouses, churches, and towns grew out of the earlysettlements built by the Spaniards. The local

Catholic Church became the new center for town life, replacing the ancient datu’s

house. Spain introduced the use of stone and cement for building the first stonechurches, stone buildings, stone forts, and stone houses. Due to the tropical climate,the Spanish house followed the Mexican design (which was also tropical).

The Spanish house had a square patter a red tile roof, an azotea (balcony), anda yard ( patio) in the middle. The rooms were arranged around the patio. The livingroom enjoyed air from the south and north. The horses and animals were kept in aseparate stable. Every house had a pit for garbage and human waste. Examples ofbahay na bato (stone house) are the house of Jose Rizal at Calamba, Laguna, andthe Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite.


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Hernando Cortes, the conquistador of Mexico, implemented a town plan inLatin America based on Aztec and Maya cities of Central America. The Spanishofficials applied the same grid design to Philippine towns. The Spanish townformed a rectangular grid-pattern, with a central plaza and rectangular street blocks.

The grid-like town plan organized the native population in more manageable unitsfor purposes of religion, taxation, colonial administration, and military efficiency.

At the center of a town was the square plaza. Adjacent to the plaza was theCatholic Church, the convent house, and the Casa Real or government hall. Thetown streets were arranged in perpendicular style, criss-crossing side streets. Onlythe trusted nobles or richest people could live close to the church and town hall.Only the rich could walk along a main street called the Camino Real (royal walk).In many cases, the camino real of the Spanish colonial era became the “RizalStreet” after independence.

Proper spacing was allowed for trade, festivals, and military operations, as wellas the passage of horses and carriages.

Pacocemetery;Nagcarlanundergroundcemetery;TodoslossantosdayinaPhilippinecemetery

MorionesfestivalinMarinduque,HolyWeek SantacruzanparadeinMay(searchforthe

HolyCross)


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Customs and traditions. Many Filipino customs and traditions reveal theMexican influence. Examples are the moro-moro play, the town feria, the Morionesfestival in Marinduque, the Santacruzan (May procession), and the Flores de Mayo (May parade of beautiful girls), the pabitin (party delights hung from a pole), and

the annual celebration of Todos los Santos (November 1) to honor the dead.

Words and language . Mexico enriched the Filipino vocabulary. More than100 Filipino words came from Mexico, among them are acacia (tree), balsa(lightwood), chocolate, bayabas (guava), mais (corn), palengke (marketplace),tiangge (market day), and zacate (grass fodder). The “Chavacano” language inCavite, Zamboanga and certain parts of the Philippines is a mixture of Mexican,Spanish, and Filipino.

Me xican blood. Filipinos are of admixed racial blood. The “mestizo” was theFilipino version of the Latin American “criollo” (creole), meaning a white person

with native (indio) ancestors. There was no official apartheid (segregation) policyon persons of indio or mestizo blood; but there was some prejudice and injustice.Hence, the movements for rights and independence in both the Philippines andLatin America were begun by the mestizos (criollos).

Many Filipino families are descendants of Spanish Mexican officials andsoldiers who came to live and work in the Philippines. They include the Macabebesof Pampanga, the Amayas, Carranzas, Cuevas, Hidalgos, Morelos, Zaldivars, andZapatas of Manila, Cavite, Pampanga, Masbate, Zamboanga and other places.

Inspiration for independence. When Mexico and other Latin Americancountries won their independence from Spain in the early 19th century, the Filipinos

were inspired to seek their own freedom. The first written constitution made byFelipe Calderon for the First Philippine Republic in 1898 was patterned after theconstitutions of Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

QueenSophiaandaflamencodancerwearinga

montondeManila(shawl)

Mexicanchildrenflykites,alegacyfromthePhilippines


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Filipino contributions to Mexico and Spain. The galleons brought peopleand influences from the Philippines to Mexico and to as far as North America. Among these Philippine influences were new food and plants, clay jars, treasures ofthe East, monton de Manila, new words, new blood, and an unintended assistance

for Mexican independence.

New food and other plants. Many Philippine plants were introduced intoMexico and then to Spain. These new plants included rice, flowers, bay (laurel)

leaves, cinnamon, black pepper, tamarind, mangoes, bananas, ilang-ilang, and of course, rice, yam, andcoconut.

Clay earthen jar. Many Mexican families still usethe big clay jar called tapayan which came from thePhilippines. This was introduced during the galleon

trade.

Treasures from the East. Many rich Mexican and Spanish families collectedtreasures of Chinese porcelain, Paete handicrafts, Ilocano blankets, and othergadgets which came from Manila.

The female shawl became a family heirloom. It was called "monton de Manila"even if it was woven elsewhere. All women wore them, from royalty to the commonfolks.

The Chinese fan and the umbrella were thought to be Filipino. Children enjoyedtheir new toy – the kite. Men liked their new weapon – the switchblade (balisong).

Parian. The Parian of Mexico City and Acapulco existed from 1703 to 1843and was copied from the Chinese Parian in Manila. It was placed in the main plaza.

Filipino words . Some words came from the Philippines. Among these aremanga (mango), monton (shawl), racatan (lakatan banana), palenque (market),

palay (raw rice), maluto (cooked rice), and saranggola (kite).

Filipino blood. Many Filipino sailors deserted the galleon ships and hid inMexico. They married Mexican women and their descendants became Mexican. AMexican Filipino, General Isidoro Montesdeoca, assisted General Vicente Guerrero,

the Mexican revolutionary general who later became Mexican president. OtherMexicans of Filipino origin fought in the Mexican war for independence.


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PhilippinegalleonmoneysavedMexicanindependencefighters

Me xican independence saved by Filipinomoney. Manila galleon money unintentionally

helped the Mexicans gain independence fromSpain (1810-21). In 1819, the MexicanRevolution was about to collapse. The forces ofGeneral Agustin de Iturbide, the Mexicanrevolutionary leader, were hungry, broke, anddesperate.

At this darkest hour of the Mexican fight forindependence, a train passed by. It was carryingsilver pesetas for a galleon leaving for thePhilippines. The money was supposed to pay

Spanish merchants in Manila who had exported goods to Mexico on the galleon.

General Iturbide and his troops held up the train and stole the money for therevolution. He won the revolution and Mexico became independent in 1821.

Of the Manila merchants who lost money in that train, only one dared to file forlegal compensation. In December 1859, Señor Pedro de Escura of Manila went toMexico. On behalf of his father Don Antonio Escura, Pedro wrote a letter to theMexican president requesting reparations for their losses of P100, 000 from thestolen galleon money. President Benito Juarez recommended that the MexicanCongress repay the sum. However, Mexico's government fell and was replaced. Allthat Pedro got in Mexico was a Mexican wife. The Manila traders were neverrepaid, but their money helped to save Mexico in 1821.

LtoR:Cubanindependence;Fr.Hidalgo’sCryofIndependenceinMexico,1810;historicunitymeeting

ofBolivarandSanMartininEcuador,1822


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Influential revolutions. In the 18th to 19th centuries, several revolutionstoppled great empires around the world. These were (in chronological order): theAmerican Revolution, the French Revolution, the Latin American Revolutions, andthe Philippine Revolution of 1896. Each of these revolutions influenced the next

one, and the Philippine Revolution of 1896 influenced the rest of Asia because itwas the first anti-imperial revolution in that continent.

Latin American Revolutions – “Take back your land.” The Latin AmericanRevolutions (1791-1826) were successful, and most of Latin America becameindependent new states. It started in Haiti, a French colony in 1791. The slaves inHaiti sugar plantations revolted and killed their French colonial masters. The ideasof the French Revolution had inspired them. After that, the colonies of Spain andPortugal in Latin America also headed for independence.

The ideas of the Enlightenment, the goals of the American and French

Revolutions, and their own desire for freedom and justice propelled the LatinAmerican natives into the modern world. They, too, wanted to get rid of theirforeign monarchs and colonial masters, and taste “liberty, equality, and fraternity.”

In 1810, in a small Mexican village of Dolores, the parish priest Father MiguelHidalgo, rang the church bell to call his people together. Fr. Hidalgo was a creole(mestizo) who sympathized with the sufferings of the people. “My children,” hesaid, “do you not wish to be free? Will you not take back your land that was stolenfrom your forefathers by the hated Spaniards 300 years ago?”

On that day in September 16, 1810, Fr. Hidalgo’s famous “Cry of Dolores,”

became the first cry of independence in a Spanish colony in Latin America.Although Fr. Hidalgo was caught and executed, his cry echoed throughout Mexicoand other colonies in Latin America. Revolts broke out in Mexico, Argentina,Ecuador, and other colonies. In 1821, Mexico won its freedom from Spain underthe leadership of General Agustin de Iturbide. The loss of Mexico was a big blowto Spain, because of the silver peseta mines.

The weakening of Spain, in terms of finances and troops, was felt as far awayas the Philippines, Spain’s last outpost in Asia. Interestingly enough, newly arrived

peninsular officers from Spain relieved all Mexican creole officers of theircommand.The creole and Mexican soldiers retained in the army were suspected of

revolutionary ideas or divided loyalty. Hence, they were assigned to remotegarrisons in the provinces. One of them, Lt. Col. Juan de San Martin, commanderof the Dragones Luzones cavalry unit, was moved to Zamboanga. He was theyounger brother of Jose de San Martin, the revolutionary hero of Argentina.

Historic unity of revolutionary leaders in South America. The greatest and best-known revolutionary heroes of South America were Simon Bolivar and Josede San Martin. General Simon de Bolivar of Venezuela (1783-1830) was known as“The Liberator” because he successfully led the wars for independence of northerncountries in South America: Venezuela, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia.The last country was named after him.


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In the southern part of the continent, another successful liberator, General Josede San Martin of Argentina (1778-1850), led the independence movement. SanMartin is the national hero of Argentina. After freeing his country in 1816, hecrossed the Andes to help Bolivar in the liberation of Chile and Peru.

Neither of them alone could finish the task of defeating the last Spanishstrongholds, but if they united their forces, they would be successful. However,only one commander-in-chief must lead, in order to avoid confusion and rivalry.Bolivar and San Martin realized this and met in a secret meeting at Guayaquil,Ecuador on July 26, 1822.

Historians are still debating what happened at that secret meeting. It is onlyknown that, at the end of the historic unity meeting, General San Martin graciouslyturned over all his military forces and resources to Bolivar for the sake of the causethey both cherished. Then, San Martin voluntarily sailed for Europe, and nevercame back home to challenge or to rival Bolivar.

Historians acknowledge the supreme sacrifice of San Martin for the sake of

unity as the key to the success of the final liberation of South America. Otherwise,these two leaders would have fought each other, like the tragic rivalry of thePhilippine Revolution between Aguinaldo and Bonifacio.

How Latin American Revolutions Influenced the Philippines. Far morethan the American and French revolutions, the liberation of Latin Americaintersected greatly with the Philippine Revolution. Historians attribute thePhilippine Revolution to the ilustrado class (bourgeoisie) or to the katipuneros(masses). But the influence of Mexican mestizos should also be appreciated.

The Latin American independence movements were led by the educatedcreoles (mestizos) in Latin America. Their successful revolutions increased tensions

between pure-bred Spaniards and half-blooded mestizos in the Philippines. Themestizos came from the mixed races of Filipino Spaniards, Mexican Spaniards, andChinese Filipinos. They considered themselves as the true “hijos del pais” (sons ofthe land). The mestizos belonged to the upper class, but they suffered inferiortreatment by the pure-bred aristocratic Spaniards. It is little appreciated inPhilippine history that the creole mestizos helped to light the long fuse that led tothe Philippine Revolution of 1896.

After achieving independence, the Mexican Independence Junta establishedtheir provisional government, headed by General Agustin de Iturbide. In 1823, theMexican Junta wrote a secret memorandum which vowed to help other Spanishcolonies to obtain their own freedom and independence.8

The Philippines was singled out in this memorandum for special mention.According to the secret memorandum, the new Mexican government promised that“should the Philippines succeed in gaining her independence from Spain, we …must resume the intimate Mexican-Philippine relations, as they were during thehalcyon days of the Acapulco-Manila trade.” The junta sent a secret agent to stir uptrouble in the colony. It is not known if he was successful in his mission.

Nevertheless, Bishop Perez, a member of the Mexican junta, predicted, “Someday,

8

The secret memorandum of the Mexican independence junta is found in Gregorio F. Zaide (ed.), Documentary History of the Philippines (Vol. 6, pp. 305-307) (Manila: National Book Store, 1990.


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in God’s own time, the Filipinos will rise in arms against Spain and win theirindependence like our own people.”

First “Cry of Independence” by Mexican-Filipino mestizos. Even before

Aguinaldo and Bonifacio plotted to revolt from Spain, Mexican mestizos raised thefirst “Cry of Independence” in the Philippines. They took their cue from thesuccessful Latin American revolutions in the early 19th century. After the LatinAmerican revolutions, tensions increased in the Philippines between the peninsularSpanish authorities and the Mexican mestizos. Mexican officers in the colonial armywere sent away from the capital and reassigned to provincial duties. For example, one

battalion of the King’s Regiment was assigned to Cavite, and another to the Ilocos.Mexican officers in the Battalions Reyna Luisa and Principe Fernando, and the elitevalry unit Dragones de Luzon, were dismissed or transferred to provincial garrisons.For example, an Argentine mestizo, Lt. Col. Juan de San Martin, commander of theDragones de Luzon, was sent to Zamboanga. He was the younger brother of

revolutionary general Jose de San Martin, who became the national hero of Argentina.In turn, the Mexican creoles launched several revolts in the Philippines: the

Bayot brothers (Captains Manuel, Jose and Joaquin) in 1822; the mutiny of CaptainAndres Novales in 1823; and the conspiracy of the Palmero brothers in 1830. 9 TheBayot brothers were captains in the King’s Regiment in the Philippines. They weresons of Colonel Francisco Bayot, a prominent mestizo citizen of Manila. Manuel,Jose and Joaquin Bayot together conspired to rise in arms at dawn of April 17, 1822and to proclaim the independence of the Philippines, with their father as king.However, an unknown traitor sold them out to the authorities. The prominent Bayot

brothers were exiled to Spain on the same boat as the mestizos who later conspiredin the Novales revolt.

The Novales Revolt (1823). The Novales revolt was very important because itwas the first Filipino uprising after Mexico’s successful independence. The newgovernor, Juan Antonio Martinez, field marshal of the Spanish Army, brought many

peninsular military officers and the king’s instruction to reorganize the colonialarmed forces. Martinez relieved many Mexican creoles of their military positionsand gave them to the peninsulars. The Mexicans retained in the army were placedunder the command of the peninsular officers or assigned to remote provinces.

To protect their own interests, the Mexican army officers held secret meetingsto discuss their deplorable situation. Many creole residents in Manila, who were

prominent businessmen and professionals, sympathized with their cause. News oftheir clandestine meetings reached Governor Martinez.

The spies reported that the the ring-leader of discontented Mexican mestizos wasCaptain Andres Novales. Captain Novales was commander of the elite Luzoncavalry. He was reassigned to Misamis, Mindanao, to fight the Moros.

On the evening of June 1, 1823, Captain Andres Novales was supposed to boarda ship sailing for Mindanao. Instead, he secretly returned to Manila and organized arevolt. About 800 officers and men of the First Regiment and other military units

joined him. By 11:00 PM, the mutiny erupted. Squads of Novales’ men, led by their

9

On Mexican creoles revolts, see Zaide, Documentary Sources, ibid., 308, and Gregorio F. Zaide,Pageant of Philippine History (Vol. 1, pages 585-591) (Manila, Philippine Education Co., 1079).


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sargeants, raided the homes of Spanish civil and military officials and took them prisoner.

Lt. Ruiz, commander of the Intramuros city guards that night, joined the revolt.Lt. Ruiz and his men rushed to the home of former governor Mariano Fernandez de

Folgeras and demanded to get the keys to the main Intramuros gate. But the latterresisted, and Lt. Ruiz and his men killed him and got the keys. Novales himself led his main forces toward Fort Santiago. To his great surprise

and dismay, his own younger brother, Lt. Mariano Novales, refused to give him FortSantiago and declared his loyalty to Spain.

Unable to enter the main fort, Novales turned back his forces and seized theCabildo (City Hall), the Governor’s Palace, and the Manila Cathedral. Everywherehe struck with success, crushing the loyalist defenders.

The victorious mutineers proclaimed their leader as “Emperor of thePhilippines.” “Long live Emperor Novales!” they cheered. They were only followingthe example of General Iturbide de San Agustin, who was also proclaimed “emperor”

for a while of independent Mexico.The incumbent governor, General Martinez, was at his summer palace at

Malacañan, outside the city walls. With his loyal forces – the crack PampangaRegiment, the Queen’s Regiment, and the artillery corps – he assaulted the

beleaguered city of Intramuros. Furious fighting raged in the streets until Novales andhis rebellious troops were crushed in the morning of June 2nd .

The tragic Captain Novales was captured alive. After a hurried court-martial, hewas found guilty of treason and sedition. At five o’clocl in the afternoon of the sameday, he and his brave Sargeant Mateo were shot by firing squad at the Luneta. Thenext day, Lt. Ruiz and 14 surviving sargeants were also executed at Luneta. GovernorMartinez pardoned the other survivors, except six more sargeants, who were alsoshot.

Thus ended the tragic story of Captain Novales, who had reigned only for a fewhours. As Dr Gironiere wrote, “At midnight he was outlawed; at two o’clock in themorning proclaimed emperor, and at five in the evening shot.”

Aftermath of the Novales Revolt. After the Novales revolt, many libera l-minded and prominent Manila creoles were arrested and exiled abroad. Theycontinued to intrigue against the colonial government for decades. Among them werethe prominent poet Luis Rodriguez Varela, known as the “precursor of politicalindependence.” The others were Domingo Roxas, millionaire industrialist; Francisco

Rodriguez, banking magnate; Jose Maria Jugo, lawyer; and Jose Ortega, director ofthe Royal Company of the Philippines.In 1830, another conspiracy was hatched by the Palmero brothers,

discontented Mexican creoles against the Spanish colonial government. The firstnames of the Palmero brothers were not known, and their conspiracy was short-lived. It is only known that they were exiled and imprisoned in Spain.

Other influence s of Mexican mestizos in the Philippines. Of those arrestedand exiled after the Novales revolt, Domingo Roxas returned to the Philippines and

became a follower of the religious revolt of “Hermano Pule,” Apolinario de la Cruz,in Tayabas Province, 1840-41. The violent seige by Spanish troops of Hermano

Pule’s religious community in 1841 led to thousands of his followers being


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massacred. Two years later, their relatives in the Tayabas Regiment of the colonialarmy waged a mutiny led by Sargeant Irineo Samaniego in Manila on January 21,1841. The bloody revolt was put down, and Sargeant Samaniego and 80 of hisfollowers were executed by firing squad. During the furious combat at the gates of

Fort Santiago, the mutineers shouted the word, “Independence!” According to theFrench consul Fabre, in his repor t to his government, “This was the first time thatthe word, Independence, had been said in the Philippines as a rallying cry.”10

Meanwhile, Francisco Rodriguez (1790-1857), another Mexican creole, madehis exile in London profitable. He returned to Manila as a wealthy banker and asecret agent for the British and Foreign Bible Society, the most active missionsociety distributing Bibles and bible translations around the world at the time.

He succeeded in providing seed money for British companies. His help wascritical to the growth of British investments (and to the Philippine Revolution).Among the British investments were the first railway system in the Philippines, thesugar industry and modern sugar mills in association with the British consul

Nicholas Loney in Iloilo and Negros, and a warehouse for Fleming & Company inTondo. In the 1980s, this warehouse employed an alert young checkernamed Andres Bonifacio. He recruited many urban workers for the Katipunanrevolutionary society.

Rodriguez and Loney were also instrumental in ensuring that every Britishmerchant ship coming to the Philippines carried Bibles, which then got into thehands of local people. It is interesting that Nicholas Zamora, a nephew of Fr.Mariano Zamora, later became the first Filipino Protestant pastor in the Philippines.Fr. Mariano Zamora, himself was one of the three priest martyrs (Gomez, Burgosand Zamora or “Gom-Bur-Za”) executed after the Cavite Mutiny of 1872.

As a result of Rodriguez’ successful f oray into banking, the Spanish alsocreated their own banking industry. Thus in 1851 was founded the Banco de lasIslas Filipinos (BPI), the first bank in Southeast Asia. When Rodriguez died in1857, his own fortune was willed to the British government.

The Latin Revolutions and the Philippine Revolution of 1896. Due to thediscontentment of the Mexican military mestizos against Spain, many of themdeserted and joined the Philippine Revolution of 1896. They fought in the ranks ofthe Philippine Independence Army under the leadership of General Antonio Luna,Emilio Aguinaldo’s Chief of Staff in 1898.

Among them were Colonels Celso Mayor, Manuel Silyar, Cavestani, and

Queri; Majors Jose Torres Bugallon, Bedel, Blardoni and Hernando; and CaptainsA. Costons, R. Leysan, and Zousa. They distinguished themselves in battles,fighting with gallantry and valor in defense of the Philippines against Spain and,later, the United States invasion. Interestingly enough, a Mexican-French creolenamed Juan Cailles (1871-1951) left his profession as a schoolteacher and joinedAguinaldo’s warriors in southern Tagalog region. Later, Cailles became the firstFilipino governor of Laguna Province.

10 See French Consul Fabre to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Manila, January 21, 1843,

Archives de Ministre des Affaires Etrangere, Paris, II, pp. 71-72, cited in Zaide, Pageant of Philippine History, Vol. 1, p. 596.


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The Latin American revolutions influenced the Philippines in so many ways – as an inspiration for the Filipino people, and as the model for its flag, its first

constitution and its first government. The tricolor design of the Philippine flag,which appeared in 1898, was similar to the revolutionary Cuban flag. The first

Philippine Constitution of 1899 approved in Malolos was influenced by theconstitutions of Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala. The firstgovernment established by Filipinos – the First Philippine Republic (1899-1901)was parliamentary and influenced by the Latin American governments, rather than

by the American model.Finally, the second part of the Cuban Revolution was the beacon that signaled

Andres Bonifacio to begin his own violent uprising in August of 1896. Spanishforces from the Philippines were moved to Cuba. The weakening of Spanishdefenses in the Philippines inspired Bonifacio to summon the katipuneros to arms inAugust 1896. And the rest is history. Ω

mexico and the philippines by zaide

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