Local History, Culture, and Values (LocHist)

• A town plaza at the center of the town
• Adjacent to the plaza was the catholic church, the covenant house and a government hall or casa real
• Hernando Cortes were the first conquistador to implement this town laws in South America
• Fray Cabrera was amused when he saw a kubo or nipa hut for the first time
• Fray Mendoza encouraged the villagers to plant more kamote or gabi as well as different types of palm.
• Fray Cabrera introduced native kapok or native dita trees
• On May 23, 1603 3 Mandarin Chinese came to Manila to see what they say as a “mountain of gold” in Cavite.
• The Spaniards are suspicious of the Chinese and prepared a war.
• The Chinese residents of the Parian in Intramuros panicked and thought that the Spaniards will massacre them.
• Their Shinese leader Eng Kang ordered the Chinese men to get ready to fight.
• Although Eng Kang was arrested the bloody revolt of the Chinese men proceeded.
• They attacked Tondo and Quiapo sending fires to the houses.
• Captain Luis De Velasco came to rescue the capital in favor of Spain.
• The Chinese retreated to the mountains of Laguna and Batangas and made their last stand to the mountain of San Pablo.
• Governor Acuna took over the command and decided to go up to San Pablo with his men and killed a rampage.
• Spanish Chronicles claim that about 23,000 Chinese perished in the revolt
• Second Chinese Revolt - 3 Decades later, the second Chinese revolt flared up.
• On November 1639, the oppressed Chinese started an armed resurrection in Calamba.
• In the succeeding days, the disturbance spread to other towns in the province, as well as to distant places as Batangas, Makati, Tondo, the Parian, Cavite, and Bulacan
• The Chinese rebels continued warfare for nearly a year. They went on a rampage, burning houses and churches, and killing some town officials and parish priests, which caused an edict to be published ordering all Chinese nationals in Laguna province to be slain.
• In San Pablo, Fray Andres Verdugo, the new parish priest, quickly armed more than a hundred volunteers to defend the village in case the rebels came again, as they did decades ago.
• Thrice Chinese invaders tried to evade San Pablo and thrice they were repulsed.
• Some rebels fled to the remote recesses of other towns and others grabbed fishing boats to escape through Laguna Lake.
• Meanwhile, Governor Corcuera hunted down the remaining rebels, with the help of Cagayan and Pampangan archers.
• The last battles were in the foothills of the Sierra Madre in Cavinti and Lumban. In February 1640, famished and disheartened, the last Chinese rebels surrendered at Pagsanjan, Laguna
• In late 1647, 8 years after the Chinese revolt, San Pablo became a town separate from Bae.
• Don Bartolome Maghayin was appointed as the first gobernadorcillo or Captain
• Fray Cabrera renamed the Sitios of San Pablo
• • Balatwin became Sta. Monica
  • Tikew became San Marcos
  • Bulaho became San Bartolome
  • Malinaw became San Lucas
  • Banlaguin became Sta. Felomina
• The powers of government during the Spanish colonial era were really concentrated in the hands of the foreign colonial officials, namely, the Spanish governors-general and the Spanish friars.
• The highest a Filipino native could expect was to rise to the position of town executive, the gobernadorcillo (capitan)
• Even so, his powers were limited to what the colonial officials ordered or tolerated. The Spanish parish priest could have him removed anytime.
• The gobernadorcillo served for a one-year term. But could be reappointed
• Fray Cabrera organized this new leadership called Principallia composed of the council of incumbent chieftains.
• Fiscales - It is a group of supervisors to organize and supervise catechism and other classes.
• The Chart of Spanish Colonial Government

  Spaniards

  • King of Spain
  • Council of the Indies
  • Governor General
  • Encomendero

  Filipinos

  • Gobernadorcillo
  • Cabeza de Barangay
• The five chieftains who fought for Laguna

  • Gat Pulintan
  • Gat Paguil
  • Gat Yantok
  • Gat Sungayan
  • Gat Salakab
• Fray Mendoza is the first parish priest and did an excellent pioneering job in San Pablo. Although alone, he carried out many reforms by the Spanish Crown.
• Fray Cabrera is the most erudite priest ever assigned to San Pablo de los Montes.
• The 2 new instruments influenced by Fray Cabrera

  • virginal harpsichord keyboard
  • lute guitar