10th Century

• Year 900

  End of prehistory. Laguna Copperplate Inscription, the earliest known Philippine document, was written in the Manila area in Kawi script.
• Year 900

  Rise of Kingdom of Tondo around Manila Bay.
• Tondo


  Also referred to as Tundo, Tundun, Tundok, Lusung
• Tondo


  • Fortified kingdom in Manila Bay, specifically north of the Pasig River
  • One of the settlements mentioned by the Philippines' earliest historical record, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription
  • Originally a kingdom in the 10th century
  • Built upon and capitalized on being central to the long-existing ancient regional trading routes throughout the archipelago
  • Initiated diplomatic and commercial ties with China during the Ming Dynasty
  • Became an established trade force throughout Southeast and East Asia
• Tondo's regional prominence further culminated during its trade and alliance with Brunei's Sultan Bolkiah around 1500. When the Spanish first arrived in Tondo in 1570 and defeated the local rulers in the Manila Bay area in 1591, Tondo came under the administration of Manila (a Spanish fort built on the remains of Kota Seludong), ending its existence as an independent state. This Tondo community continues to exist today as a district of the city of Manila.