Customs of Tagalog

• Juan de Placencia


  Juan Portocarrero, a Spanish friar of the Franciscan Order, born in the early 16th century in Plasencia, Spain. He was one of the first Franciscan missionaries who came to the Philippines, arriving in 1578.
• Juan de Placencia wrote the book "The Customs of the Tagalogs" in 1580, which was published in 1589
• The Customs of the Tagalogs was given to Santiago de Vera by Juan de Placencia to defend native peoples and spread Christianity
• The Customs of the Tagalogs explores pre-colonial Tagalog culture's government, family structures, inheritance, Shaman role, social hierarchy, laws, religions, and rituals
• The Customs of the Tagalogs was written not only for local consumption but for western readers including the author Juan de Placencia
• The Customs of the Tagalogs

  • Focuses on the social hierarchy, beliefs, and traditions of elderly Filipinos before Spanish colonization, addressing issues like dowries, inheritance, slavery, government, and justice administration
• According to Juan de Placencia's account, every Barangay had its own Dato, the highest social rank leader, followed by Maharlikas, commoners and slaves
• Plasencia explained the division of children between slaves (Namamahay or Sa Guiguilid) and married Maharlikas
• Plasencia explained that burial methods vary based on the deceased's status and priests of demons are located in various locations. Filipinos also have a belief in ghosts, known as patianac, vibit, and tikbalang. However, the teachings of the holy gospel have destroyed these ideas.
• The text outlines the classification of people into three classes: nobles, commoners, and slaves, with detailed descriptions of their status and rights. It also discusses inheritance regulations and the adoption status of children, a practice prevalent among Tagalogs.
• The text also outlines the rules for assigning a child's social status based on parents' status. It also discusses the modern approach to marriage, where dowries were given by men to women's parents, and if the dowry was greater than the other sons, it was not counted in the property division.
• The Tagalog have no consecrated temples for the worship of their idols. However, they have the name "simbahan," meaning a place of adoration, when they wish to do a feast, called "nagaanitos" or "worship" in a large house of the chief.