customs of the tagalog

• Juan de Plasencia


  A Franciscan missionary in the Tagalog region since 1578-1590
• Customs of the Tagalogs

  A narrative on the established culture of the Tagalogs in Luzon written by Juan de Plasencia
• The document was written as an answer to the request of the monarchy in Spain
• Juan de Plasencia: '"this people always had a chiefs, called by them "datos", who governed them and were captains in their wars, and whom they obeyed and reverenced."'
• These chiefs ruled over but few people; sometimes as many as a hundred houses, sometimes less than thirty
• Barangay


  The tribal gathering
• Datu


  • The chiefs of the village; they governed the people as captains even in wars, were obeyed, and revered; any subject who committed any offense against them, or spoke to their wives and children, were severely punished
• Maharlika (nobles)


  • Do not need to pay taxes
  • Must accompany the datos in war
• Aliping Namamahay


  • They have their own properties but has to serve their own masters (commoners)
  • Children belonging to this caste inherit the status of their parents
  • Cannot be treated as a slave nor can be sold off
• Aliping sa Guiguilid (slaves)


  • They serve their master in their houses and lands
  • Can be sold off
  • The master can reward his/her slaves by giving them a portion of the harvest so that the slaves would be faithful to him/her
• Trial by Ordeal


  1. Boiling water and stone

  2. Lighted candle

  3. Swimming under water
• Trial by War


  Fight it out until one gives up
• Dowry

  Given by the men to the women's parents
• In the case of a divorce, if the wife would leave her husband for the sake of marrying another man


  All her belongings plus a certain amount would be given to her former husband
• If she chooses to leave and do not have any plans to marry

  All of her dowry will be returned to her
• Simbahan


  A place to worship which is constructed at a large house of the chief where people of the tribe go to celebrate festivals (aka pandot or worship)
• Bathala


  An idol that they especially worshiped, the title seems to signify 'all powerful' or 'maker of all things'
• They also worshiped the sun and the moon
• Offering sacrifice


  Proclaim a feast, and offer to the devil what they had to eat. This was done in front of the idol, which they anoint with fragrant perfumes and praise it in poetic songs sung by the officiating priest, male or female who is called catolonan
• Burying the dead


  1. The corpse would be placed beside its house and be mourned at for 4 days

  2. It will then be laid on a boat which serves as a coffin which is guarded by a slave
• Maca


  Another life of rest, just as if we should say "paradise" or "village of rest"
• Casanaan


  A place of punishment, grief, and affliction, in the other life and mortality
• Ritual for young girls who first had their monthly courses


  Their eyes were blindfolded four days and four nights; in the meantime, the friends and relatives were all invited to partake food and drink. At the end of this period, the catolonan took the young girl to the water, bathed her and washed her head and removed the bandage from her eyes
• Plasencia's Customs of the Tagalogs is a very popular primary source because it vividly described the situation of the Philippines before it was tainted with Spanish and Christian influences
• Plasencia's historical writings also disprove the claim of some Spaniards that when they arrived in the Philippines, Filipinos were still uncivilized and lacking in culture