Colonization of the philippines essay sample

Before the Spaniards came, early Filipinos led simple lives. They planted rice, fished, hunted, wove cloth from abaca and bartered goods with countries across the Asia. The Philippines was unknown to the peoples of the west. Similarly, the Filipinos did not know that there were people aside from the Asians they traded with. Then, several events in the west led to the discovery of the Philippines by the Spaniards. The arrival of the Spaniards and their subsequent rule altered Filipino life. The 16th century was the period of geographical discoveries and expansion of European nations. The growing strength of the nation states such as Spain, Portugal, England and France together with the expansion of commerce and industry encouraged European powers to expand their territories in the New World and the East.

The new knowledge that the earth was round and not flat spurred the desire to explore the lands beyond the seas. Portugal and Spain became chief rivals in these explorations, so Pope Alexander VI divided the world between them. The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 provided that all lands 370 leagues west of Cape Verde Islands would be ceded to Spain while all lands east of the line were the territory of Portugal. On September 19, 1519, Magellan started his momentous journey the east. On October 20, 1520, he discovered a strait which he called Strait of All Saints which is now called Magellan Strait, he and his men found their way to Pacific Ocean. They sailed the Pacific Ocean for three months and thirty days, when they were sailing the ocean they suffer sickness, hunger, and death and most of their ships were destroyed by storms at the sea.

Magellan and his men reached Guam where they were able to get fresh water and other needs. On March 16, 1521, he sighted the mountains of Samar and eventually landed at the island of Homonhon. The Spaniards were welcomed by a group of Filipinos. Then he proceeded to Limasawa where he met the Rajah Kolambo, On March 29, 1521 , the two had their blood compact to seal their friendship. The day after that the first Christian mass held at Limasawa. The other Rajah made a blood compact with Magellan except from Lapu-Lapu. The only Filipino ruler who defied Magellan was courageous Lapu-Lapu.

Magellan decided to invade Mactan to prove to the Filipinos that Spaniards were great fighter but they lose and Magellan was killed by Lapu-Lapu. After the death of Magellan there were still soldiers who survived but others were massacred by the Filipinos in Cebu . And the two ship consisting two commanders decided to go back to Spain with different routes, the Trinidad was destroyed at the Mollucas while the Victoria reached Spain and tell what happened to Magellan and about the Philippines.