6.2 Spanish Colonial Period

• The Spanish colonizers ruled the Philippines for 333 years, from 1565 to 1898
• Apart from their influence on our religion and culture, they have also greatly influenced the literary works produced during that period
• Considerations in agreeing/disagreeing with statements

  Ideas about Spanish influences in our society and culture
• Fr. Pedro Valderrama baptized more than 500 natives along with Rajah Humabon


  April 14, 1521
• Las Islas Filipinas


  Name given by Ruy López de Villalobos in honor of Prince Philip II of Asturias
• King Philip II of Spain officially colonized the country and assigned the new expedition to the first Governor-General Miguel López de Legazpi


  1565
• Spain's two motives in colonizing the Philippines

  • Spice trade
  • Converting Filipinos to Christianity
• Reduccion


  Policy of relocation of scattered settlements to a large town to enable Spanish friars to convert natives into Christianity
• Spanish priests believed that stories about mythical creatures, spirits, deities, and rituals contained works of the devil
• Spanish colonial rule was supposed to derive its authority from the union of Church and State
• Philippine poems during the precolonial period highlighted epics, riddles, folk songs, and proverbs that depicted the spiritual beliefs and everyday lives of natives, while poetry under the Spanish colonial period focused on religion and values, which became instruments in spreading Christianity and Spanish-oriented culture
• The parish priest was practically the only Spaniard who had direct contact with Filipinos and became the embodiment of Spanish power and culture among the colonized populace
• Ladino poem


  A bilingual poem with religious themes, characterized by alternating lines or verses in Tagalog and Spanish
• Religion exerted a pervasive influence among the minds of the Christianized Filipinos
• In Spain, complimentary verses, usually a poem in sonnet form, appeared in books to encourage people to read them
• The Spanish culture became highly noticeable in literature because of characters similar to kings and queens and princes and princesses
• The 333-year Spanish colonization ended with outbreaks of revolution and the rise of independence
• In the Philippines, a book entitled Memorial de la vida Cristiana en lengua Tagala (Guidelines for the Christian Life in the Tagalog Language) by Fr. Francisco Blancas de San Jose included a ladino or complimentary bilingual poem written by Francisco Bagongbanta known by its first line "Salamat nang walang hangga" (Unending Thanks)
• Members of Reform Movement

  • Jose Rizal (Dimasalang/Laong Laan)
  • Marcelo H. del Pilar (Plaridel)
  • Mariano Ponce (Tikbalang/Kalipulako)
• Pasyon


  A narrative poem about the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, consisting of five-line stanzas with eight syllables per line
• Awit


  A narrative poem that consists of 12 syllables per line and four lines per stanza, expressing adoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary and platonic and courtly love
• Revolutionaries


  • Andres Bonifacio (May Pag-asa)
  • Emilio Jacinto (Dimasilaw)
• Kurido


  A narrative poem that consists of eight syllables per line and four lines per stanza, with a faster rhythm compared to an awit
• Dalit


  A religious poem in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the independence of the Philippines from the Spanish colonial rule

  June 12, 1898
• Deity


  God or goddesses
• Francisco Baltazar (1788-1862) was considered the master of traditional Tagalog poetry, and his work Florante at Laura was a metaphor for the tyranny of the Spanish colonizers
• Popular poetry forms during the Spanish colonial period

  • Pasyon
  • Awit
  • Kurido
  • Dalit
• Pervasive


  Existing in every part of something
• Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippines, the poems are mostly focused on themes that depict our ancestors' spiritual beliefs
• Lexicographer


  An author or editor of a dictionary
• The Spanish colonial period shifted the themes of our poetry, dealing with the spread of Christianity and the proliferation of Spanish customs and traditions
• Spanish influences on Philippine literature

  • The first Filipino alphabet, called Baybayin, was replaced by the Roman alphabet
  • Religious practices became based on the teachings of Christian doctrine
  • The Spanish language became the literary language during this time. As a result, our languages borrowed many Spanish words
  • Our songs, corridos, and moro-moros assimilated European legends and traditions
  • Academics collected ancient literature and translated it to Tagalog and other languages
  • Our periodicals during the Spanish colonization gained a religious tone
• Even now, we continue to follow the rituals and traditions passed down from the Spanish colonial period
• Even if some aspects of the Spanish colonial period are seen as gloomy, it is critical to learn from them to avoid history repeating itself
• Baybayin was used as the literary language during the Spanish colonization
• The Propaganda Movement was led by the Ilustrados, who are elite Filipinos who went to Europe to study
• The Spaniards adopted Filipino religious beliefs in their catechism
• Our periodicals during the Spanish colonization had an objective tone