[3] THE PHILIPPINES PRIOR TO THE COMING OF THE SPANIARDS

• The Philippines is an archipelago in insular Southeast Asia consisting of 7,641 islands
• Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire with a tropical climate
• Monsoon seasons in the Philippines:

  • Northeast monsoon (amihan; October to March)
  • Southwest monsoon (habagat; May to October)
• Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the Filipino people were a mix of different ancestries due to intermarriage with foreigners who came for trade or conquest
• Commercial and trade relations with neighboring countries existed before the Spaniards arrived:

  • Sulu was known as a pearl market
  • Trade relations with Cambodia, China, Java, Sumatra, Champa, Cambodia, Annam, Siam, and Tonkin
  • Chinese traders established settlements in some parts of the Philippines
  • During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yung Lo sent a fleet of 60 vessels to the Philippines
• Foreign influence, especially from China, started to enter Philippine life and culture:

  • Filipinos adopted the use of umbrellas, porcelain, gongs, and the manufacture of gunpowder from the Chinese
  • Some Filipino words have Sanskrit origins
• Islam was introduced to the Philippines by Arab traders:

  • Mukdum introduced Islam to the Malay peninsula in the 14th century
  • Raja Baginda and Abu Bakr played key roles in spreading Islam in Sulu
  • Serif Kabungsuan arrived from Johore and converted natives to Islam in Mindanao, becoming the first sultan of Mindanao
  • Islam spread to other parts of the country, including Luzon where Manila was a Muslim kingdom when the Spaniards arrived in 1570
• Clothing of ancient Filipinos:

  • Male clothing consisted of a jacket with short sleeves and a bahag (cloth wrapped around the waist)
  • Women wore baro or camisa (jacket with sleeves) and saya (skirt)
  • Social classes in ancient Philippines:
  • Nobles (maginoo), freemen (maharlika/timawa), and dependents (alipin)
  • Nobles were the upper class, freemen the middle class, and dependents the lowest class
  • Alipin namamahay had his own house and family, while alipin sagigilid lived with the master and couldn't marry without consent