The Spanish Creation of the Philippines: The Birth of a Nation

This chapter examines the human background of the country from its early settlement to the end of the Spanish colonial era. Different theories have been presented to explain the initial settlement of the country. The Austronesian societies developed a social structure and patterns of commerce that were not completely erased by the Spanish colonization following the discovery travels of Magellan and others, and the conquest of the islands by Legazpi in the sixteenth century. Spanish control meant the imposition of the Catholic Church as a powerful element of organization in the countryside, and the development of cities following colonial Spanish guidelines. Manila was central to a large maritime trade network symbolized by the Manila galleons linking the Philippines, China and Spanish America (Acapulco). The excesses of the Spanish friars were a major factor in the Philippine revolution of the 1890s where writer Jose Rizal was a dominant figure. The end of the Spanish colonial order in 1898 marked the beginning of a second colonization by the United States.