Discover Mindoro

Mindoro History 101

Mindoro (10,041 square kilometers) is the seventh largest island in the Philippines, lies in the Southern
Tagalog Region, off the southwest coast of Luzon and separated by only 45 kilometers of sea from the
province of Batangas. It is politically subdivided into two provinces Mindoro Oriental and Mindoro
Occidental, including Lubang Island in the North. [1]

"Historical Map of Mindoro"

The island is a well known eco region, arguably a center of endemism, it is home to a remarkable
number of endemic and near endemic mammal and bird species; more than half of these species are
endemic to the island.[2] Foremost of this is the Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis), the largest
endangered mammal in the Philippines, its population as of last count on April 23, 2010 by the Tamaraw
Conservation Program was reduced to just 314 from an estimate of 10,000 at the turn of the 20th
century.[3]

The recently discovered new species of bat, the Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat (Styloctenium
mindorensis) is also endemic to Mindoro; its distant cousin the Sulawesi Stripe-faced Fruit Bat
(Styloctenium Matschie) can only be found in Sulawesi and the nearby Togian Islands in Indonesia some
750 miles (1,200 kilometers) away.[4]

Photo from: National Geographic News

Sadly these natural wonders are constantly under threat of extinction due to heavy deforestation,
poaching, hunting and unbridled exploitation of land for commercial purposes. According to the
Encyclopedia of Earth “the only remaining intact forests in Mindoro are found along the top of the
mountain ridge that divides the island.” [5]

And such devastation had terrible effects on the local wildlife. For instance the Mindoro Post reported on
its website that nine animal species endemic to Mindoro are on the International Union for Conservation
of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.[6]

Actually, there are not just nine but ten, the Mindoro Post missed out on the newly discovered Mindoro
stripe-faced fruit bat (Styloctenium mindorensis) which is also on the red list.[7] Simply put, ten species
of animals that can only be found in Mindoro are considered endangered.

With the exception of the Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat the report listed four species of birds, three
species of rodents, the Tamaraw and a crustacean. The endangered species of birds are Mindoro
Imperial Pigeon (Ducula mindorensis), Mindoro Bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba platenae), Mindoro Scops
Owl (Otus mindorensis), and Mindoro Hornbill (Penelopides mindorensis) popularly known as Mindoro
Tarictic; while the endangered species of rodents are the Mindoro Soft-furred Rat (Rattus mindorensis),
Mindoro Climbing Rat (Anonymomys mindorensis), and Large Mindoro Forest Mouse (Apomys
gracilirostris). The mysterious crustacean on the other hand goes with the scientific name Parathelphusa
Mindoro which according to IUCN “is known only from the type specimen from Agan River, Oriental
Mindoro Island of the Philippines (Freitag and Yeo 2004). There have been no records in over 20 years,
but this is probably largely due to a lack of collection efforts and long-term taxonomic problems which
until recently have made it difficult to identify freshwater crabs species from many parts of the
Philippines.”

Mindoro is not only rich in natural resources but in history and culture as well. Anthropologists believe
that Mindoro’s original inhabitants are the six ethnic groups namely the Alangan, Iraya, Tadjawan, Buhid,
Hanunoo, and Tau-buid collectively known as the Mangyans whose culture can also be consider as
endangered.[8] The Ratagnon ethnic group was not included by anthropologists to this original group; it
is believed that they came from Cuyo islands because they spoke a language similar to Cuyunon, the
Visayan language spoken by the inhabitants of Cuyo islands. But the Mangyan Heritage Center (MHC)
included them on their website’s list of Mangyan groups, making them the 8th Mangyan major group.
The Bangon Mangyans inclusion to be the 7th Mangyan major group and not just be a sub-tribe of the
Tau-buid on the other hand, appeared to be a result of political self determination and consciousness.
According to the Mangyan Heritage Center (MHC):

“The Bangon Mangyans have their own culture and language different from the other 6 major Mangyan
tribes in Oriental Mindoro and also their writing system. Hence, the Bangons have asserted that they be
considered as the 7th major Mangyan tribe not as a sub-tribe of the Tau-buid Mangyans. On March 28,
1996 in a meeting in Ogom Liguma together with Buhid Mangyans, they decided to accept the word
Bangon for their tribe.”

In addition to these original inhabitants, a heavy influx of migrants came into the island after the Second
World War. Using the Census of Population and Housing, Schult breakdown the ethnic origin of
Mindoro’s inhabitants in 1980 into the following 77 % are Tagalogs who mostly settled in the north and
northeast, 10 % are Visayans who mostly settled in the south, and 7 % are Ilocanos who mostly settled in
the west.[9]

Interestingly it was not mentioned by Schult at what point in history did the Tagalog and Visayan
migrants started migrating into the island. These ethnic groups are likely candidate to have migrated
after the Mangyans due to Mindoro’s proximity to Luzon and Lubang Island to the north, and Panay
Island to the south.

It is hard to imagine that the Tagalogs who are the original inhabitants of Lubang Island and the islets
near it, there are no Mangyans in Lubang, didn’t make it all the way to Mindoro during the pre-Hispanic
times.[10] The same can be said about the Tagalogs who are now inhabitants of Batangas who is just 45
kilometers away by sea. Our pre-Hispanic ancestors being Austronesians were a maritime people, when
the wind is behind their sails a sea voyage from Batangas to Minolo for them is like a tourist motorboat
ride from Batangas City to Puerto Galera.

At the time of Spanish contact the coastal settlements on the northern part of the island are more
populous and advanced than those on the southern part.[11] Because of the location of these
settlements and since the Spaniards called them Moros not Pintados, it was more likely that these
settlements were inhabited by Tagalogs than Mangyans or Visayans. So why not consider the Mangyans
as possible inhabitants of these settlements? I did of course, but besides the inhabitants being Muslims,
the Spanish accounts painted a different picture; a culture different from the Mangyans.

And from these Spanish accounts are evidences that the Mangyans on the northern part at least, already
inhabit the inner parts of the island. The coastal settlements meanwhile were inhabited by an unknown
ethnic group not belonging to the Mangyans. One of these evidences is a curios entry in Volker Schult’s
book titled Mindoro: A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th Century page 24 note number 8,
it quoted a work of Antoon Postma, which gave a hint that Mindoro’s coastal population’s ethnic origin
is different from those living inland.

Postma wrote:

“There [in Baco] the Spaniards first received the message that people roaming the forests differed in
clothing and language from the coastal population. That was the first hint concerning the existence of
different ethnic tribes, which we now call Mangyans. The first to mention the word “Mangyan” was P.
Martin de Rada, who in 1577 wrote in a letter “los manguianes en la isla de Mindoro”.[12]

More revealing accounts came from "Relation of the voyage to Luzon" written by an unknown author
sometime in 1570 believe by other scholars to be Hernand Riquel, Legazpi’s chief notary which appeared
in the gargantuan volume of books researched from the archives of Seville in Spain titled The Philippine
Islands, 1493-1898, translated from the originals, edited and annotated by Emma Helen Blair and James
Alexander Robertson, with historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord Bourne.
Cleveland, Ohio: A.H. Clark Company, 1903-9. Vol. 3, 1569-1576. Pp. 73-104.

The unknown author wrote:

“From the island of Banton to that of Bindoro there is a distance of about twelve leagues. The master-of-
camp reached this latter place, and anchored there with all the vessels in his charge. Mindoro is also
called "the lesser Luçon." All its ports and maritime towns are inhabited by Moros. We hear that inland
live naked people called Chichimecos. As far as could be seen, this island lacks provisions.”

Such revealing entries give weight to the premise that the Mangyans, at least at the northern part of the
island, are already living inland when the Spanish arrived. But more importantly the account mentioned
the existence of ports and maritime towns in Mindoro. Which according to the accounts are all inhabited
by Moros, and how many ports and maritime towns does Mindoro have at that time? The two main
Spanish accounts regarding Mindoro mentioned only five place names that can still be identified today.
These are Ilin Island, Mamburao, Lubang Island, Baco and Minolo. Are all these places inhabited by
Muslims at the time of Spanish advent? Or more importantly, are these the ports and maritime towns of
pre-Hispanic Mindoro? All these places mentioned except for Ilin Island are located north of Mindoro.

In the account only two places whose inhabitants were specifically called Moros by the Spaniards, these
were Minolo and Lubang Island. The accounts regarding these two places were long enough that in the
case of Lubang it was not until the middle of the account that they called the inhabitants Moros, using
first the terms “natives” and “Indians” interchangeably to depict its inhabitants. In comparison the
accounts regarding Ilin Island and Mamburao were perhaps too brief to have mentioned the religion of
its inhabitants. Also in Ilin Island the inhabitants are too peaceful, this led Antoon Postma to conclude
that they were Mangyans, since the Ratagnon still inhabits the island all through the Spanish period until
the 1930’s.[13] In the case of Baco, the Spanish account was too focused with their skirmish with two
Chinese junks anchored at its river to pay attention to its inhabitants These two places that were certain
to be inhabited by Muslims are all located north of Mindoro and not incidentally the most prosperous
and advanced settlements in the area; an area which will comprise the two Mindoro provinces in the
future.

Being identified as Moros like those of Luzon and being close to important sea routes, they most
probably have the same trade relations with the Sultanate of Brunei. According to Dr. William Henry
Scott, in his book Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society, “By the time of Spanish
advent, parts of Luzon with direct Bornean-Malay contact—Manila, Mindoro, the Batangas coast and the
Betis valley in Pampanga—had received Islam.”[14]
While Dr. Laura Lee Junker, an archaeologist and ethno-historian, in her book Raiding, Trading and
Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms went as far as saying that “We know very little
about the Mindoro polity other than that its chiefs, like those of Manila, were powerful enough to trade
regularly with and intermarry with the ruling families of Brunei.”[15]

Could this be the reasons why Mindoro is called the “lesser Luzon” at the time of Spanish contact? Or is
it because the customs and language of its maritime towns same as those that inhabits Luzon, the
Tagalog ethnic group perhaps? Or is it because it was the strongest island next to Luzon in terms of
military and economic might? And yet the Spaniards say “as far as could be seen, this island lacks
provisions.”

It seems that there are more questions than answers. But let us see if by solely examining the weapons,
clothing, means of defense or warfare, religion, socio-political organization and even foreign relations,
depicted in the two main Spanish account regarding Mindoro; we can answer some of these questions, if
not all of them.

But before we continue with the rest of the account regarding Mindoro’s north and eastern coast
chronicled in "Relation of the voyage to Luzon”, let us first go back to a narration of an earlier expedition.
The first Spanish expedition, lead by Juan de Salcedo, towards Mindoro via Ilin Island, an islet off the
coast of San Jose in Southwestern Mindoro. The expedition culminated with the Spaniards’ successful
siege of three Lubang stone forts. These stone forts were the first stone forts the Spaniards encountered
in the archipelago. Further proof of how prosperous the northern part of Mindoro was and the islands
near it, a result of being close to Luzon and important sea routes.

The expedition, based on the accounts, probably lasted from April 28, 1570 to May 5, 1570 but was only
written two years later on April 20, 1572. Like the previous document the account was also written by
another unknown author, it is titled "Relation of the Conquest of the Island of Luzon" and is also from
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, translated from the originals, edited and annotated by Emma Helen
Blair and James Alexander Robertson, with historical introduction and additional notes by Edward
Gaylord Bourne. Cleveland, Ohio: A.H. Clark Company, 1903-9. Vol. 3, 1569-1576. Pp. 141-172.

The unknown author wrote:

“The first thing which I shall attempt to relate herein will be an expedition which was made by Captain
Juan de Salzedo (=Juan de Salcedo) when he was governor in the island of Panai (=Panay). As has been
already related in other accounts, written in the year sixty-nine, the Portuguese raised the blockade
established by them on the island of Çubú (=Cebu) against the camp of his Majesty (=Philip II), because
of certain difficulties which arose; and the governor determined to cross to the island of Panay with his
captains in order to levy tribute upon the people of certain provinces. His nephew, recently made
captain of the company which his brother Felipe de Sauzedo (=Felipe de Salcedo) had brought to these
islands, was sent with forty soldiers to certain islands. This captain embarked in fourteen or fifteen small
native boats, and set out for an islet which is called Elem,39 and when we had reached this island we did
not find any resistance whatever, for all the natives came to us in peace.

-----

39 Elem: in Retana's text, "el M." In some old documents appears the name Elen (or Helin); it apparently
refers to the islet off the southwest point of Mindoro which is now called Ylín.

From there, led by a guide, he crossed to the island of Mindoro, and made an attack one night just about
dawn upon a very rich native village called Mamburau, and plundered it. Many of the natives were
captured, some of whom afterward bought their liberty, and others were allowed to go free. Thence he
took a guide for a little islet, Loban (=Lubang) by name, which is fifteen leagues farther. When the
captain was departed, the natives, who had fled from the village, returned and saw the havoc and
destruction caused by the Spaniards, and were unwilling to return to rebuild it; accordingly they
themselves set fire to it, and totally destroyed it.
 The captain, having arrived at his destination at midnight, with all possible secrecy leaped ashore, and
arranged his men and the Pintados40 Indians whom he had with him in ambuscade near the villages, in
order to make the attack upon them at daybreak. However, the natives of this island having been
informed of the hostile incursion of the Spaniards, withdrew with their children and wives and all their
belongings that they could take with them, to three forts which they had constructed.

Now since these were the first natives whom we found with forts and means of defense, I shall describe
here the forts and weapons which they possessed. The two principal forts were square in form, with ten
or twelve culverins on each side, some of them moderately large and others very small. Each fort had a
wall two estados high, and was surrounded by a ditch two and one-half brazas in depth, filled with water.

-----

40 Pintados ("painted"): a term applied to the inhabitants of the Visayas (and afterward extended to
those islands), because they painted their bodies with red clay--or, as some writers say, on account of
their being tattooed.

The small weapons used by these natives are badly tempered iron lances, which become blunt upon
striking a fairly good coat of mail, a kind of broad dagger, and arrows—which are weapons of little value.
Other lances are also used which are made of fire-hardened palm-wood and are harder than the iron
ones. There is an abundance of a certain very poisonous herb which they apply to their arrows. Such are
the weapons which the natives of these islands possess and employ. Now as the captain approached the
villages at daybreak, and found them empty, he proceeded through a grove to the place where the first
fort was situated; and, having come in sight, negotiated with them, asking whether they desired to be
friends of the Spaniards.

The natives, confident of their strength, refused to listen, and began to discharge their culverins and a
few arrows. The captain, seeing that they would not listen to reason, ordered them to be fired upon. The
skirmish lasted in one place or the other about three hours, since the Spaniards could not assault or
enter the fort because of the moat of water surrounding it. But, as fortune would have it, the natives had
left on the other side, tied to the fort, a small boat capable of holding twenty men; and two of our
soldiers threw themselves into the water and swam across, protected by our arquebusiers from the
enemy, who tried to prevent them. This boat having been brought to the side where the Spaniards were,
fifteen soldiers entered it and approached the rampart of the fort. As soon as these men began to mount
the rampart, the Indians began to flee on the other side, by a passage-way which they had made for that
very purpose.

It is true that thirty or forty Moros fought and resisted the entrance of the Spaniards; but when they saw
that half of our people were already on the wall, and the rest in the act of mounting, they all turned
their backs and fled. A hundred or more of them were killed, while of our men five were wounded. In
this way was the fort taken, together with fifty or sixty prisoners, ten or twelve culverins, and everything
else in it. On the morning of the next day, which was the second of May, in the year one thousand five
hundred and seventy, the captain set free one of the Moro prisoners, and sent him to the second fort,
which was in the middle of the island very near the first one, and charged him to tell them that he
summoned them to surrender peacefully.

The Moro having performed his mission, and delivered the message of the captain to those in the fort,
they sent back the reply that they did not desire to be friends with the Spaniards but were eager to fight
with them; and with this reply the Indian aforesaid returned to the captain. On the following day we
went with some four hundred friendly Indians to the fort; and the captain, advancing within sight of it,
addressed them, asking that they should be friends with the Spaniards and not try to fight with them, as
that would result badly for them. They again declared that they did not desire this friendship, and began
to fire their culverins and discharge arrows; and in return the soldiers discharged, on all sides, their
arquebuses. But during the whole day we were not able to enter the fort, for we Spaniards were very
few in number; and the heat was intense, and we had not eaten, although it was near night.

The captain, seeing that he had not accomplished anything, decided to return to the boats which he had
left behind, and on the next morning again to besiege the fort, and hem them in as closely as possible;
and thus he did. Having come in this manner and having grounded his boats upon a beach close to the
enemy, when these latter saw the determination of the Spaniards, and that they would not depart under
any circumstances until they had conquered them, they therefore determined to make peace and
become friends. To this end the leaders came out of the fort and made peace and friendship with the
captain, becoming good friends, which they are up to the present time. They gave him a hundred tall
[ taels] of gold, which he divided among his soldiers.
From there the captain went to a rock belonging to another small islet very near to that of Loban, and
lying in the sea at a very short distance from the said islet. The natives who lived in that island had
retired to this rock to the number of about three hundred warriors. The captain, having arrived on the
same day at about ten o'clock, went around the rock, and we captured a small boat containing thirty
men. Many volleys from the arquebuses were fired at them during this day; and on the following
morning the soldiers began to make ladders to scale the rock—whose occupants, when they saw the
determination of the Spaniards, came to terms of peace and friendship, giving another hundred tall of
gold, following the example of those of the other fort, who had been left good friends. The captain
returned with all of us who were with him to the island of Panay, where the governor was with the
master-of-camp, who had returned from another expedition made with his men to an island called
Acuyo. Thereupon the question was discussed of sending men to explore the island of Luzón; and it was
agreed that the master-of-camp and captain Juan de Sauzedo (=Juan de Salcedo) should set out upon
this expedition with a hundred soldiers.”

To read the complete document click here.

Photo from "Voyage of the Balangay" Presentation

It is not known from the account if the Pintados of Panay was only familiar with the route to the
settlement of Ilin Island and needed more information and a new guide who is familiar with the western
littoral of Mindoro. For the unknown chronicler wrote:

“This captain embarked in fourteen or fifteen small native boats, and set out for an islet which is called
Elem,39 and when we had reached this island we did not find any resistance whatever, for all the natives
came to us in peace. From there, led by a guide, he crossed to the island of Mindoro, and made an attack
one night just about dawn upon a very rich native village called Mamburau, and plundered it.”
When the account said “for all the natives came to us in peace”, did this mean that the inhabitants of Ilin
agreed to pay the Spaniards “tribute” right away when they asked them to, perhaps in gold? Because all
through the Spanish account of this archipelago they named Felipinas, the sign of friendship and loyalty
the Spaniards was asking, is for the inhabitants to pay them "tribute".

And that‘s exactly what the expedition was for, the Spaniards were looking for wealthier settlements to
conquer and extract wealth and provisions from, and Mamburao was such settlement. Using the
element of surprise they attacked it at dawn. It is rather odd that they didn’t find any means of defense
or fortifications in what they called “a very rich native village.” Perhaps Mamburao have also warriors
and culverins for defense but were taken by surprised. There’s also a hint of Mamburao’s familiarity with
the frequent slave raiding between the chiefdoms of this archipelago when the account said “Many of
the natives were captured, some of whom afterward bought their liberty.”

There’s also a hint that the inhabitants of Mamburao have connections with those inhabiting Lubang,
could it be because the former is also a Muslim settlement? Because Lubang have been warned in
advance of the impending Spanish attack thus removing the element of surprise, and allowed them to
prepare and withdraw to their three stone forts, a means of defense that the inhabitants of Mamburao
didn’t have:

“Many of the natives were captured, some of whom afterward bought their liberty, and others were
allowed to go free. Thence he took a guide for a little islet, Loban (=Lubang) by name, which is fifteen
leagues farther. When the captain was departed, the natives, who had fled from the village, returned
and saw the havoc and destruction caused by the Spaniards, and were unwilling to return to rebuild it;
accordingly they themselves set fire to it, and totally destroyed it. The captain, having arrived at his
destination at midnight, with all possible secrecy leaped ashore, and arranged his men and the
Pintados40 Indians whom he had with him in ambuscade near the villages, in order to make the attack
upon them at daybreak. However, the natives of this island having been informed of the hostile incursion
of the Spaniards, withdrew with their children and wives and all their belongings that they could take
with them, to three forts which they had constructed.”
The stone forts of Lubang were not only the first stone forts the Spaniards saw in this archipelago they
named Felipinas, it were also the only ones of its kind.

Thus the unknown chronicler writes:

“Now since these were the first natives whom we found with forts and means of defense, I shall describe
here the forts and weapons which they possessed. The two principal forts were square in form, with ten
or twelve culverins on each side, some of them moderately large and others very small. Each fort had a
wall two estados high, and was surrounded by a ditch two and one-half brazas in depth, filled with
water.”

The inhabitants of Lubang don’t just have ordinary stone forts, what they have were pretty modern
stone forts, with not only stone walls as barriers, it was also surrounded by moats filled with water. They
also possessed large number of culverins. Culverins is culberina in Spanish, we can use the smallest
culberina in the 16th Century Spanish arsenal as a conservative basis for measuring the culverins the
Spaniards witnessed in Lubang and for that matter in Minolo as well.[16] And the smallest Spanish
culverin is the media culberina, a 10-18 pounder cannon, meaning the weight of the cannonball is ten to
eighteen pounds, while the maximum range in yards is 5,000.[17] So at the time of Spanish advent the
inhabitants of Lubang have already modern weapon on their arsenal plus of course a modern means of
defense, their complex stone forts.

In addition to these modern means of defense and warfare the inhabitants of Lubang had also, in the
words of the unknown chronicler, “small weapons” such as “badly tempered iron lances, which become
blunt upon striking a fairly good coat of mail, a kind of broad dagger, and arrows. Other lances are also
used which are made of fire-hardened palm-wood and are harder than the iron ones. There is an
abundance of a certain very poisonous herb which they apply to their arrows.”
Although armed with modern weapons the inhabitants of Lubang are no match for the battle hardened
Spaniards and their Pintado allies. And as what the Spaniards expected and waiting for, the inhabitants
of Lubang capitulated, the conquistadors extracted 200 taels of gold from them which they justified as
“levying tribute”. "Tael” according to Blair and Robertson is the trade name in China for the ounce of
silver; it also designates a weight, of 1⅓ oz. avoirdupois.

After conquering Lubang the Spaniards returned to Panay Island, there they discussed with Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi that it’s time to do a reconnaissance of Luzon. And it was agreed upon that the Master of
Camp Martin de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo will be leading this expedition.

But between Panay and Luzon is the island of Mindoro, and perhaps the Pintados reported to the
Spaniards that the island’s capital, the town and port of Mindoro is very wealthy and very strong. And
that the inhabitants of this town and port were also tributaries of Rajah Sulayman, chief of their bitter
enemies in Manila.[18]

There are two different accounts of how the town of Mindoro and Manila was conquered; the first
appeared in "Relation of the voyage to Luzon" which is more detailed and obviously an eyewitness
account and thus more reliable. The other one appeared in the Relation of the Conquest of the Island of
Luzon which the chronicler admits “I did not take part in this expedition but shall describe literally
everything which occurred in it. I have drawn my information from the others who participated in it, and
more especially from two of my associates, both of whom went on this expedition, and who are men of
great reliability—an advantage, as I have before mentioned” and thus less reliable.

So only the more reliable account will be discuss and appear here, but the link of the whole Relation of
the Conquest of the Island of Luzon document if you haven’t notice was also given above, after quoting
the whole account regarding the western settlements in Mindoro and the island of Lubang.
As the account regarding Mindoro in Relation of the voyage to Luzon continues:

“After sailing northwest for two days, they arrived at the island of Zibuyan, a high and mountainous land
known to possess gold-mines. Without talking to any of the natives, they left that island, which is
situated about fourteen leagues from the river of Panay, and went to the island of Mindoro. Among
other islands passed was that of Banton, where lived certain Spaniards, who had gone there in vessels
belonging to friendly Indians. The island of Banton is about fifteen leagues from Cibuyan. It is a small
circular island, high and mountainous, and is thickly populated. The natives raise a very large number of
goats here, which they sell in other places. The natives of this island of Banton, as well as those of
Cibuyan, are handsome, and paint themselves.

From the island of Banton to that of Bindoro there is a distance of about twelve leagues. The master-of-
camp reached this latter place, and anchored there with all the vessels in his charge. Mindoro is also
called "the lesser Luçon." All its ports and maritime towns are inhabited by Moros. We hear that inland
live naked people called Chichimecos. As far as could be seen, this island lacks provisions.

News reached the master-of-camp that, in a river five leagues from the place where the ships had
anchored, were two vessels from China, the inhabitants of which these natives call Sangleyes.22 Seeing
that the weather did not permit him to send the large ship, because the wind was blowing south by
west, he despatched Captain Juan de Salzedo, with the praus23 and rowboats to reconnoiter the said
ships, and to request peace and friendship with them.

-----

22 Sangleyes: derived from hiang (or xiang) and ley, meaning "a traveling merchant;" appellation of
Chinese traders in the Philippines.

23The prau or parao (a name of Malay origin) was a large, flat boat with two masts, and lateen sails;
used for carrying freight, and employed in the rivers and bays.
This step had scarcely been taken when the southwest wind began to blow so violently, that our people
were compelled to put into a harbor, and to find shelter for that night behind a promontory. Four praus
and the frigate, unable to do this, found shelter farther away; and, keeping always in sight of the shore,
these vessels looked for the ships all that night.

The next morning they were overtaken by five of the other vessels and the frigate, which were searching
for them. The master-of-camp and captain Juan de Salzedo were still behind, with the large junk and the
other praus. At break of day, the praus which had preceded the others reached the river where the
Chinese ships were anchored. The Chinese, either because news of the Spaniards had reached them, or
because they had heard arquebuse-shots, were coming out side by side with foresails up, beating on
drums, playing on fifes, firing rockets and culverins, and making a great warlike display. Many of them
were seen on deck, armed with arquebuses and unsheathed cutlasses.

The Spaniards, who are not at all slothful, did not refuse the challenge offered them by the Chinese; on
the contrary they boldly and fearlessly attacked the Chinese ships, and, with their usual courage,
grappled them. This was certainly a rash move on their part, for the Chinese ships were large and high,
while the praus were so small and low that they hardly reached to the first pillar of the enemy's ships.
But the goodly aim of the arquebusiers was so effective that the Chinese did not leave their shelter, and
the Spaniards were thus enabled to board their ships and take possession of them. There were about
eighty Chinese on board the two ships; about twenty were killed in the affray.

The soldiers searched the cabins in which the Chinese kept their most valuable goods, and there they
found silk, both woven and in skeins; gold thread, musk, gilded porcelain bowls, pieces of cotton cloth,
gilded water-jugs, and other curious articles—although not in a large quantity, considering the size of the
ships. The decks of both vessels were full of earthen jars and crockery; large porcelain vases, plates, and
bowls; and some fine porcelain jars, which they call sinoratas. They also found iron, copper, steel, and a
small quantity of wax which the Chinese had bought. Captain Juan de Salzedo arrived with the rear-
guard of the praus, after the soldiers had already placed in safety the goods taken from the Chinese
ships. He was not at all pleased with the havoc made among the Chinese. The master-of-camp, Martin
de Goite, who had remained behind with the large ship, showed much more displeasure, when he heard
of the occurrence. As soon as he was able to cast anchor with the junk in the river of Bato (the name of
the place where the Chinese vessels were found), he made all haste to make them understand that he
was sorry for their misfortune, and that they had done wrong in sallying forth against the Spaniards.
Nevertheless, he said he would give them, besides their freedom, a ship, in which they might return to
their own country without any hindrance—besides whatever was necessary for their voyage. This was
highly appreciated by the Chinese, who, being very humble people, knelt down with loud utterances of
joy.

After this proposal had been made clear to the Chinese, and gladly accepted by them, the master-of-
camp entrusted the chief notary, Hernando Rriquel, with the repairing of one of the ships—ordering him
to have the hatchway taken out, and to send all that the ship contained to the port of Panay. Seeing that
the sails, masts, and rigging of the vessels were so different from ours that none of his men had any
knowledge of them, the master-of-camp thought best to ask the Chinese to send three or four of their
sailors with the junk to Panay, in company with some friendly Moros of Luçon, who were with the
Spaniards. The Chinese very willingly agreed to that, and provided the required men. Thus the ship was
despatched with twelve Lucon Moros, four Chinese, and four Spanish soldiers of the guard.

In this river of Bato was found some green pepper24 growing on trees as small as shrubs, with their
clusters like agias. Here they learned that the town of Mindoro, which is the capital of that island, was
five leagues from Bato, and that three more Chinese ships were there. They also heard that the Moros of
Mindoro had made great preparations for its defense, and had provided themselves with a large number
of culverins, arrows, and other offensive weapons, and were intrenched in a very strong fort. In
consideration of this, and the fact that the Spaniards in this country have always desired to come in
conflict with people who do not flee from them, they decided to proceed immediately to that island—
although the natives of the river of Bato offered them peace, and promised to pay them two hundred
gold taels25 (the equivalent of two thousand pesos de minas in Spanish reckoning), if they would remain
there a few days. The master-of-camp assured them of peace, and, telling them to have the money ready
upon his return, set out for the port of Mindoro.

-----

24Cf. Friar Odoric's description of the green pepper found in Malabar (called by the Arabs Balad-ul-Falfal,
"the Pepper Country")—growing on vines which the natives plant against tall trees for support, and
bearing fruit "just like bunches of grapes;" see Yule's Cathay, vol. i, pp. clxxvii, 77.

-----
25The tael is a Chinese money of account, worth formerly about $1.50; now $1.68, "Tael" is the trade
name in China for the ounce of silver; it also designates a weight, of 1⅓ oz. avoirdupois

Departing from the river of Baco in the morning, the Spaniards arrived, by noon, at the town of Mindoro,
which is an excellent though poorly-sheltered seaport. The harbor has only one entrance. Its waters beat
against a hill which is the first and the smallest of a chain of three hills overlooking the port. The other
two hills are very craggy and thus form a defense to the pass for the natives. Many armed Moros
appeared on the first hill—bowmen, lancers, and some gunners, linstocks in hand. All along the hillside
stood a large number of culverins. The foot of the hill was fortified by a stone wall over fourteen feet
thick. The Moros were well attired after their fashion, and wore showy head-dresses, of many colors,
turned back over their heads. Many of them were beating drums, blowing horns made from shells, and
ringing bells. The number of men was quite large.

The master-of-camp arrived with his ship, ahead of the oared praus. When the first prau arrived, he
embarked in it with the chief notary, Hernando Rriquel, the interpreter, and a recently-converted Moro,
who served as guide. With only these men, and one soldier armed with a shield, the master-of-camp
advanced toward the Moro fort. He reached the foot of the hill, without allowing any others to follow
him; and, being unable to proceed any further on account of its steepness, he summoned from above
two Moros, to treat for peace.

There seemed to be a difference of opinion among the Moros, as was gathered from their demeanor, for
some made gestures of war, and others of peace, some of them even going so far as to throw a few
stones and level the culverins. On the whole, they were not very anxious to fight. Meanwhile, the
master-of-camp was so near them that they could have spit on him. All the Spaniards had already
disembarked, and stood at an arquebuse-shot from the master-of-camp. The latter was so anxious to win
over those Moros and gain their confidence, because they exhibited fear, that he wished to climb the hill
on all fours to reach them; but his companions dissuaded him from this.

At this time Captain Juan de Salzedo, the sergeant-major, the high constable, and the ensign-major, came
up; and the master-of-camp, the captain, and the officials were assembled there, with but one soldier,
for the master-of-camp would not allow the others to advance. The Moros having seen the peaceful
attitude of our people, one of them descended the hill, almost on all fours. Our Moro guide advanced
toward him; but, on account of the great steepness of the hill, he had to be helped up by the other
Moro. After they had seen and recognized each other, and after the customary embrace and kiss, they
descended to the master-of-camp. The latter told the Moro who had come down, through the
interpreter, that he need not fear; for he had not come to harm them, but to seek their friendship. The
Moro carried the message to the others upon the hill, and a chief came down; and, upon reaching the
master-of-camp, said that he and all the town wished to be his friends, and to help the Spaniards with
whatever they possessed.

The master-of-camp answered that the proposition was acceptable; whereupon the Moro chief asked
him to withdraw from that place—saying that, after they had withdrawn, he would come to treat of
friendship and of what was to be given. The master-of-camp, in order to please him, agreed to this; and
told the chief that he was going to review his men, and that he should not be offended when he should
hear arquebuse-shots and the noise of artillery. Accordingly, he withdrew to the place where his men
were drawn up in order, and there a fine review took place—the company closing ranks in such perfect
order that both the friendly Indians (who came with us, to the number of five or six hundred) and the
Moros were greatly frightened.

The master-of-camp ordered that the cannon amidship on the large vessel be fired, although not to
increase their fright. The review had not yet ended when a Moro came with sixty gold taels, which he
gave to the master-of-camp—asking him not to be offended if the gift were not brought quickly, because
the people had dispersed through fear, and therefore it could not be collected so soon; but he promised
that they would raise the amount to four hundred taels. The master-of-camp received this gold, and had
it placed in a small box, the key of which he gave to the Moro, telling him to keep it until the promise was
fulfilled; but to consider that after treason nothing could be more blameworthy than falsehood.

The Moro salaamed low, and said that he would not lie, and that they would fulfil their promise, little by
little. And so they did, for, on that same day, four more messengers came with gold; and all entreated
and begged the master-of-camp not to be offended at the delay, if there should be any. With these
flatteries and promises the Moros detained us about five days, during which time we had friendly
dealings and intercourse with them, although they mistrusted us to a certain extent.
They had already abandoned the first town on the shore and had withdrawn to a hill about two hundred
paces away. There most of them had taken their wives, children, and part of their goods, although the
best part of their property was kept farther inland. This hill was so well fortified by nature, that, had it
not been for the two ladders, which the Moros kept in two places, one could have ascended it only with
wings. Notwithstanding all these difficulties, our Spaniards paid them friendly visits. On this little
fortified spot the Moros had built their huts, as high as Mexican market-tents. They resembled a crowd
of children with their holiday toys. During these five days, the Moros had, little by little, given two
hundred taels of impure gold, for they possess great skill in mixing it with other metals. They give it an
outside appearance so natural and perfect, and so fine a ring, that unless it is melted they can deceive all
men, even the best of silversmiths. While in this port of Mindoro the master-of-camp sought information
concerning the distance to Manilla and the towns which would be found on the journey. Our interpreter
disagreed with the Moros of Mindoro as to the number of days it would take; but they all agreed that it
was far, and that perhaps the weather would not permit us to sail thither.

The natives of Mindoro added also that the Spaniards were crazy to go to Manilla with so small a force,
and that they pitied us. They recounted so many wonders of Manilla that their tales seemed fabulous;
they said that there were very large oared boats, each carrying three hundred rowers, besides the
warriors; that the people were well armed and excellent bowmen; that the ships were well equipped
with artillery, both large and small; and that any one of those vessels could attack two praus, and sink
them when within range. With these accounts the Moros tried to discourage the Spaniards; but the
more they attempted to frighten them with such things the more desirous they all became to set foot in
Manilla. In view of this, the master-of-camp did not wait for the full payment of what the Moros had
promised; but, warning them to have the remainder ready upon his return, he left them on friendly
terms, and set out for the town of Manilla with all his men.

He left the port of Mindoro at midnight, and the next morning cast anchor before a small island lying
between Mindoro and Lucon, where he remained two days waiting for the praus”.

To read the complete document click here.

 Photo from "Voyage of the Balangay" Presentation

The document speaks of a main settlement, a town which is also named Mindoro and it was stated that
it is also the capital of the island; hence we can surmise that the Island’s name came from that town.

The unknown author wrote:

“In this river of Bato was found some green pepper24 growing on trees as small as shrubs, with their
clusters like agias. Here they learned that the town of Mindoro, which is the capital of that island, was
five leagues from Bato, and that three more Chinese ships were there. They also heard that the Moros of
Mindoro had made great preparations for its defense, and had provided themselves with a large number
of culverins, arrows, and other offensive weapons, and were intrenched in a very strong fort.”

There’s no town in the island’s history that is named Mindoro, but there’s a town named Minolo at the
time of Spanish contact, which was the first provincial capital of Mindoro and is also the main settlement
when the Spaniards arrived.[19] This town’s importance was also delineated when Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi in 1572 proclaimed it as a royal encomienda while the rest of Mindoro including Lubang and Ilin
Islands was assigned to Felipe de Salcedo as a private encomienda. [20]

And as the unknown chronicler from the document “Relation of the Conquest of the Island of Luzon”
wrote:
“This is the port where enter all the passengers who come from the islands of the Pintados and from
España to this island of Luzón, where the governor resides.”

There’s also an entry in the book written by Volker Schult that explains how the town’s name Minolo was
changed into Mindoro in Spanish translations, and how it became identified with the whole island.
Schult quoted from the work of Antoon Posta, a leading Mangyan and Mindoro scholar.

Schult wrote:

"A.Postma, Mindoro Missions Revisited, PQCS, vol. 5 (1977), pp. 253-254, made it clear that the name
"Mindoro" as the island's name has derived from "Minolo", the main settlement at the time the
Spaniard's arrived. In documents written in Tagalog, Mindoro was named as "ang pulo ng Minolo" up to
the end of 18th century. In the Spanish translations of these documents, however, "Minolo"
permanently was changed into "Mindoro". Moreover, the Spaniards used "Mindoro" as the synonym of
the main settlement and harbor of "Minolo". Thus, it seems that "Mindoro" is a hispanization of the
Tagalog "Minolo" which, at first, denoted only the main settlement. In the course of time however,
"Mindoro" was identified with the island as such. The settlement of "Minolo" lost its importance, which
made identification with the island's name much easier."[21]

At the present "Minolo" is reduced to just one of the barangays of "Puerto Galera", a name which
according to Schult was only mentioned in records from the 18th century onwards.[22]

Back to the document, the means of defense of this port and town of Minolo includes a hill fortified “by
a stone wall over fourteen feet thick manned by many armed Moros—bowmen, lancers, and some
gunners, linstocks in hand” and “all along the hillside stood a large number of culverins”, a modern
weapon at that time.
You can sense that the harbor was specifically chosen for its strategic purposes, as the account goes:

“The harbor has only one entrance. Its waters beat against a hill which is the first and the smallest of a
chain of three hills overlooking the port. The other two hills are very craggy and thus form a defense to
the pass for the natives.”

There’s also a brief mention of their manner of dressing and some kind of war music and the number of
its warriors, as the unknown author wrote:

“The Moros were well attired after their fashion, and wore showy head-dresses, of many colors, turned
back over their heads. Many of them were beating drums, blowing horns made from shells, and ringing
bells. The number of men was quite large.”

The inhabitants of Minolo also possessed great skills in mixing gold with other metals, giving it “an
outside appearance so natural and perfect and so a fine a ring that unless it is melted they can deceive
all men, even the best of silversmiths.”

In short the people of Minolo at that time were very good goldsmiths or silversmiths.

And to organize such a huge, advanced and wealthy settlement, it needs a relatively complex political
and social organization, a trait which the Mangyan tribes don’t have. Mangyans live in scattered
settlements with about thirty families each.[23] Minolo, being the capital of the island of Mindoro, must
also be the urban center. It could have been the preferred home by most of its more than 15,000
inhabitants living at different coastal settlements on river banks. The rough population estimate came
again from "Relation of the Conquest of the Island of Luzon."

The unknown author wrote:

“From that island [Panay] to the island of Luzón it is about sixty leagues, and in the course is that of
Mindoro. This is an island where much wax and honey is produced. It contains many gold mines, and
rivers where gold is gathered. I have been all about it; on the farther coast, which is to the south, it is
well populated, while on the northern coast is the village called Mindoro, as well as other thickly-
populated rivers. Those who have not seen it or set foot upon it say that it contains about eight
thousand men. I shall dare to affirm from what I have seen of it that it has more than fifteen thousand. It
is very near the island of Luzón. Between this island and the others above named, lie many small islets,
which are friendly, although they have but small populations.”

Mindoro Island is said to have “many gold mines and rivers where gold is gathered” perhaps another
reason why the pre-Hispanic Tagalogs migrated and settled here. It is also another evidence and reason
for the island’s relative prosperity. It also gives weight to Postma’s premise that Minolo is a hispanization
of Mindoro. According to Antoon Postma, the Spaniards preferred Mindoro as the name of the island
because it is a word they can recognize, which sounds like “mina de oro” or “mine of gold”.[24]

And last but certainly not the least, the two documents, "Relation of the voyage to Luzon” and "Relation
of the Conquest of the Island of Luzon" also revealed that Mindoro’s ports and maritime towns, like of
those of Manila, was not only regularly trading with Brunei but with China as well. Other than the two
Chinese vessels they found in the river of Baco, the inhabitants of this river reported to the Spaniards
that there are three more Chinese ships in the town of Minolo. Although there’s no entry regarding
these three Chinese ships during the siege of Minolo, one can assume that they could have left having
been informed of the impending siege. Assumption aside, there’s a telling entry in "Relation of the
voyage to Luzon” right after Martin de Goiti burned Manila, that the Chinese regularly calls on the ports
of Mindoro to trade.

The entry goes like this:

“Thus we set sail in company with only the Chinese and their four vessels; these said that they had no
articles of trade in their vessels except some large earthen jars and porcelain. Many of the soldiers
bartered trifles of little value with them in exchange for wax, which the Chinese greatly value and even
buy with gold. From what we could see and hear of them, the Chinese are a very humble people. It
seems that they observe among themselves a certain form of politeness and cleanliness. They became
great friends with us, and gave us letters of security, which consisted of white cloths that they had with
them, upon which were painted the royal coat of arms. They promised to come the next year to this river
of Panay, and to establish trade with the Spaniards. All that the Chinese asked was given them, which
pleased them much, and they were shown the best possible treatment. Then they left us, and, according
to what they said, went to Mindoro.”

So how long was this China-Mindoro trade relations been going?

Photo courtesy of Mike Pangilinan

If Dr. William Henry Scott is correct, Mindoro first appeared in written records during the Sung Dynasty
(960-1278) in the year 972 A.D. by its medieval name Ma-i or Ma-yit. In his book Prehispanic Source
Materials for the Study of Philippine History (Revised Edition 1984) page 65, Scott wrote:

"The Sung Dynasty was almost literally supported by tariff revenues on overseas trade, so it is not
surprising that from this period comes the first positive reference to political states in or near the
Philippines. An entry in the official Sung history for the year 972 records the first administrative action
intended to bring foreign commerce under government control."

"In the fourth year of the K’ai Pao period [972], a superintendent of maritime trade was setup in
Kwangchow, and afterwards in Hangchow and Mingchow also a superintendent was appointed for all
Arab, Achen, Java, Borneo, Ma-i [Mindoro], and Palembang barbarians, whose trade passed through
there, they taking away gold, silver, strings of cash, lead, tin, many colored silk, and porcelain, and selling
aromatics, rhinoceros horn and ivory, coral, amber, pearls, fine steel, sea-turtle leather, tortoise shell,
carnelians and agate, carriage wheel rims, crystal, foreign cloth, ebony, sapan wood, and such things.”

And ten years after the appointment of Maritime Trade Superintendent for barbarian traders including
those from Ma-i, Scott added:

“And in 982, some Ma-i traders are reported to have brought valuable merchandise to the Kwangtung
coast.”

But one of the most detailed descriptions of this polity named Ma-i, assumed to be present day Mindoro
came from Chao Ju-kua’s Chu Fan Chi (An account of the various barbarians). Chao Ju-kua is the
Superintendent of Maritime Trade in Ch’uan-chou, Fukien province in 1225 A.D at the time he wrote his
Chu Fan Chi which was based on returning merchants’ accounts.[25]

Chu Fan Chi as translated by Scott and I-hsiung Ju in 1968 which appeared in his book Prehispanic Source
Materials tells of various chiefdoms where the Chinese merchants trade their wares but focuses on two
main chiefdoms which are Ma-i and Shan-hsu.
Ma-i was not the only polity identified by Scott to be medieval Mindoro, he also considered the
suggestion of Antoon Postma that perhaps Chia-ma-yen is a transliteration of Ka-mangyan, both of which
appeared in Chao Ju-kua’s account.[26]

Chu Fan Chi as translated by Scott and I-hsiung Ju in 1968 goes like this:

Ma-i

The country of Ma-i is to the North of Borneo. The natives live in large villages [lit., of more than a
thousand households] on the opposite banks of a stream, and cover themselves with a cloth like a sheet
or hide their bodies with a loin-cloth.

There are metal images [lit., “Buddhas”] of unknown origin scattered about the tangled wilds. Few
pirates reach these shores.

When trading ships enter the harbor, they stop in front of the official plaza, for the official plaza is that
country’s place for barter and trade, and once the ship is registered, they mixed together freely. Since
the local chieftains make a habit of using white umbrellas, the merchants must present them as gifts.

The method of transacting business is for the savage traders to come all in a crowd, and immediately
transfer the merchandise into baskets and go off with it. If at first they can’t tell who they are, gradually
they come to know those who remove the goods so in the end nothing is actually lost. The savage
traders then take the goods around to the other islands for barter, and generally don’t start coming back
till September or October to repay the ship’s merchants with what they have got. Indeed, there are some
who do not come back even then, so ships trading with Ma-i are the last to reach home.
San-hsu, Pai-p’u-yen, P’u-li-lu, Li-yin-tung, Liu-hsin, Li-han, etc. are all the same sort of place as Ma-i.

The local products are beeswax, cotton, true pearls, tortoise shell, medicinal betelnuts and yu-ta [jute?]
cloth. The merchants use such things as porcelain, trade gold, iron pots, lead, colored glass beads and
iron needles in exchange.

San-hsu

Sun-hsu [lit., three islets] is also of the same sort as Ma-i, with such names as Chia-ma-yen, Pa-lao-yu,
and Pa-chi-nung, each with its own tribe living sparsely scattered through the islands who come out to
trade when ships arrive. All together they are called San-hsu, and their customs are for the most part
the same as Ma-i’s. Each tribe contains a large number of families [lit. more than a thousand].

The land has many lofty ridges rising one behind the other with ranges of cliffs as steep as the walls of a
house. High in the inaccessible fastness they make their houses of plaited reeds, and since the
mountains have no springs, the women place pots on their heads stacked two or three high and go to
get water from the streams , climbing back with as sure step as if they were walking on level ground.

Deep in the remote valleys there is another kind of settlements called Hai-tan; the people are short,
their eyes are round and bright [lit., yellow], their hair curly, and their teeth protruding. They nest in
treetops, and sometimes three or four get together and lurk in the jungle where, unseen, they shoot
arrows at passerby, and many have fallen victims to them. But if a porcelain bowl is thrown down, they
will look around for it, snatch it up, and go off skipping and shouting.

Whenever foreign [lit., barbarian] merchants reach one of the settlements, they dare not go ashore but
first stop the ship in midstream and beat a drum to call them. The savage traders then race out in small
boats to get there first with such things as beeswax, cotton, foreign cloth and coconut-heartmats to
barter with them. If the price cannot be agreed upon, the real boss of the traders is sure to appear on
the spot and settle matters, after which they offer him silk umbrellas, porcelain, and rattan baskets as
gifts. But still they retain one or two on board as hostages, and then afterwards they go ashore to trade.
Only when the business is all finished do they release the hostages.

The ships stop for no more than three or four days before going on to other places. All the other savages
living around San-hsu belong to no common jurisdiction [i.e., are independent].

The mountains incline toward the northeast corner, and often when the southern monsoon comes, the
swelling waters dash against the mountains in such huge billows ships quickly put to sea and cannot
anchor, so those trading with San-hsu generally prepare to return during May and June.

The main products used for barter are porcelain, damask and thin pongee silk, bright-colored beads, lead
fishnet sinkers and tin.

P’u-li-lu is connected with San-hsu but its villages are larger. The people are mostly of fierce disposition
given to plunder. The sea is full of corroded-looking rocks, jagged-toothed like blasted trees, with points
and edges sharper than swords or lances, so that ships passing by keep on the alert to avoid striking
them, and it produces precious-coral trees but they are difficult to get."

The vivid descriptions of returning merchants chronicled by Chao Ju-Kua of course had not mentioned
any specific characteristic that can pinpoint where Ma-i, San-hsu, Chia-ma-yen, Pa-lao-yu, Pai-p’u-yen,
P’u-li-lu, Li-yin-tung, Liu-hsin, Li-han, etc. were exactly located. Given the descriptions it might be any
Philippine chiefdom from Batanes to Tawi Tawi.
But according to Scott “they are surely to be looked for along the western littoral of the archipelago,
since that is the route by which Chinese knowledge of the Philippines grew over the next four centuries
to culminate in the sailing directions in Chang Hsieh’s 1618 Tung Hsi Yang K’ao (Eastern and Western Sea
Pilot) down the coast of Luzon via Mindoro, Iloilo, Dapitan and Maguindanao to the Moluccas.” [27]

And Scott chooses Mindoro to be Ma-i or Ma-yit for the following reasons, Scott wrote:

“There is no reason to doubt that Ma-i—or Ma-yit—is Mindoro, for Mait was the old name of the island
when the Spaniards arrived, and that name is still known to its hill tribes and fishermen from
neighboring islands.” [28]

Scott obviously is referring to the Mangyans when he said “that name (Mait) is still known to its hill
tribes”; for Mait is still the name being use by the Mangyan tribes who inhabit the southern part of
Mindoro when referring to the island.[29]

According to Antoon Postma, Mait is often mentioned in the ambahan (the Mangyan Heritage Center
defines ambahan as a literary product and poetic expression of the Southern Mangyans of Mindoro) and
there’s a coastal community in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro that is still being called Mait by the Southern
Mangyans. [30]

One unverified account says “Mait” in the ambahan means “this earth, this place where we are living.”
And that the river near Maujao is still being called by the Southern Mangyans as Mait River. It added
further that the old folks of Aklan in Panay referred to Mindoro as the Island of Mait.[31]
Could it be that, the “old (fisher) folks of Aklan” is what Scott is talking about when he added “and
fishermen from neighboring islands” ?

But when he said “for Mait was the old name of the island when the Spaniards arrived”, I hit a blank a
wall because so far I have not read any material written by our former colonial master that refer to
Mindoro as Mait.

Perhaps that is partly because I am a newbie when it comes to researching our nation’ past and partly
because I had and can only read materials already translated in English and not those written in original
Spanish. Prehispanic Source Materials was Scott’s doctoral dissertation so I didn’t know how a panel of
imminent Filipino historians who I am sure have very inquisitive minds missed the fact that he didn’t
gave a source; or perhaps allowed him not to give a source for a finding which is not of minor
importance that is identifying Mindoro as Ma-i or Ma-yit.

But another good point that can be argued for Mindoro as being the location of this enigmatic polity Ma-
i, came also from Scott; when he is surmising the chiefdoms mentioned in Chao Ju-Kua’s Chu Fan Chih
and its possible locations, Scott wrote:

“Ma-i is obviously the most important: it is the only one referred to as a “country” and it had delivered
trade wares to Canton 250 years before. It was an international entrepot well situated to control the flow
of Chinese products into the archipelago and beyond; foreign vessels anchored at a designated
waterfront, registered before transacting business, and transshipped their merchandise to local bottoms
for resale in islands unknown to the Chinese. Whatever harbor princeling exercise authority in this port,
he may have migrated there for that purpose: the Ma-i people in the Chu Fan Chih sound like new
comers since they don’t know where the metal statues in the jungle come from.”[32]

Like the Ma-i polity mentioned in Chu Fan Chih, Mindoro is also well situated, it is in fact has a geo-
strategic location being close to important sea routes and the island of Luzon. All sea vessels sailing from
the North going to present day Southern Batangas, Southern Quezon, Marinduque, Romblon, Bicol
Region , Masbate and farther down south to the rest of Eastern Visayas had to passed the Verde Island
passage. The same way Mindoro Strait is the gateway to Palawan, Western Visayas and farther down
south to Western Mindanao and Sulu Sea using the western route.

Mindoro’s geo-strategic location was not lost to the Moros who used it as a base when they conducted
raids in Luzon and nearby settlements.[33] Even sea vessels passing near Mindoro’s strategic sea routes
were not spared. It uses Mamburao as its base on the West Coast and Balete (now reduced to just a
barangay in the town of Gloria) on the East Coast to control these sea routes.[34]

Such strategic positioning allowed Iranun raiders from Mamburao to capture a Manila-bound Chinese
junk causing the galleon St. Joseph to leave Manila in 1770 with an incomplete cargo.[35]

It was not also lost to a modern military tacticians headed by General Douglas Mac Arthur, Supreme
Commander of the Allied Forces in the Far East during the Second World War, who used Mindoro as its
intelligence, staging and supply base for the recapture of Luzon from the Japanese.[36]

While it is true that Mindoro is geo strategically located to be the medieval Ma-i polity, the evidence
which was its potential archaeological sites were destroyed and looted by antique hunters.

Scott wrote:

“Contemporary looters from Mindoro report the removal of literally thousands of whole specimens (of
Sung wares) from one site alone.”[37]
While according to Laura Lee Junker:

“Several heavily looted archaeological sites with Sung period (as well as later Yuan and Ming period)
porcelains have been reported from the Northern Mindoro coast and were the focus of preliminary test
pitting by Tenazas (1964). While much of the archaeological potential of this site has been destroyed by
modern construction, the density and extensiveness of the archaeological remains tentatively support
the identification of this region as the probable locust for the Ma-i polity. Again, the Chinese records and
archaeological evidence show an interesting chronological disjunction. While Ma-i is most frequently
mentioned early in the Sung period (around the late tenth century), archaeological evidence from
Northern Mindoro suggests significant expansion of settlement and foreign trade in the region in the
eleventh and twelfth centuries.” [38]

Not only did the archaeological evidence shows disjunction with the Chinese records, it also shows
disjunction with the location of Mait being pointed out by the Southern Mangyans; which is on the
Southeastern coast of Mindoro, not in the North coast.

But whether the disjunction of evidences weakened Mindoro’s claim to being the enigmatic Ma-i or not,
the island’s importance as a trading partner especially Northern Mindoro, which the Chinese regularly
calls on from the eleventh century to the sixteenth century can never be questioned. The only question
is what polity was it among the Chinese transliterations, if it is not Ma-i? Could it be Chia-ma-yen, a
transliteration of Kamangyan as Antoon Postma suggested?

There’s another polity in Chinese records that Scott assumes to be possibly Mindoro or Marinduque, this
is the polity of Mao-li-wu also called Ho-mao-li.[39] According to Scott, this polity was represented by a
Muslim named Tawnu Makaw and together with Luzon and envoys from Java presented tribute to China
on October 17, 1405.[40]
But this was already during the Ming period, thus creating a more noticeable chronological disjunction
between the archaeological evidence and the Chinese record; unless of course this polity was in another
location in the island other than the one identified in Puerto Galera.

Another location in Mindoro that was reported to have been heavily looted by antique hunters was Ilin
Island, an islet off the coast of San Jose which also appeared in Spanish records as was mentioned earlier.
[41] The artifacts reportedly found in the island range from the Sung to late Ming period porcelains,
Sawankhalok or Sukhotai porcelains, a Cham jar, very small pieces of gold, jewelries, coffins carved out of
Mulawin logs and a Javanese jar.[42]

Most probably there are more sites in Mindoro where trade wares were found but not reported, or
documented be it Chinese, Thai, Cham or Javanese artifacts. Sometimes Mangyans used these artifacts
as trade articles to the low land settlers. My uncle who was an antique collector used to buy some of his
collections from the Mangyans. These artifacts prove the existence of pre-Hispanic settlements in
Mindoro that have links with various trade networks.

Sadly there are no longer archaeological researches regarding Mindoro’s pre-Hispanic past, perhaps
because of lack of funding or Bathala forbid, interest. Later archaeological research and excavations were
limited to Spanish era structures.

So perhaps the availability of funds in the near future would instigate a new round of archaeological
research and excavations regarding the island’s pre-Hispanic past. But until then, scholars are reduced to
speculations and guess works. Mindoro's pre-Hispanic past is an interesting area of research for
archaeologists; let’s just hope like the thousands of looted artifacts on its soil, it’s not lost on them too.
References:

1. V. Schult, Mindoro: A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th Century (1991), p.20

2. http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mindoro_rain_forests

3. http://www.animalinfo.org/species/artiperi/bubamind.html

4. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070918-flying-fox.html

5. http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mindoro_rain_forests

6.http://mindoropost.com/2010/01/09/9-animals-endemic-to-mindoro-on-iucn%E2%80%99s-
%E2%80%98red-list%E2%80%99/

7. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/136534/0

8. V. Schult, Mindoro: A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th Century (1991), p.21

9. Ibid
10. Ibid, p.13

11. Ibid, p.22

12. A. Postma, Mangyan Encounters: East and West (1570-1985), DIWA, special number, vol. 10 (Oct.
1985), p.6. as it appeared on V. Schult, Mindoro: A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th
Century (1991), p.24

13. A. Postma, Historical Data on the Greater San Jose Parish of Occidental Mindoro (1983), p.1, p.7

14. W.H. Scott, Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society (1994), p.195

15. L. Lee Junker, Raiding, Trading and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms (2000),
p.111

16. http://www.thepirateking.com/historical/cannon_smoothbores_early.html

17. Ibid
18. V. Schult, Mindoro: A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th Century (1991), Divine Word
Publications, p.23

19. Ibid, p.26

20. Ibid

21. Ibid, p.24

22. Ibid, p.28

23. Go Bon Juan, Ma’i in Chinese Records - Mindoro or Bai? An Examination of a Historical Puzzle,
Philippine Studies vol. 53, no.1 (2005): 119–138

24. Rudy Candelario, Maikling Kasaysayan ng Occidental Mindoro (2000), p.6

25. W.H. Scott, Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History (1984), p.67
26. Ibid, p.71

27. Ibid, p.70

28. Ibid

29. http://www.mangyan.org/tribal/index.asp

30. Rudy Candelario, Maikling Kasaysayan ng Occidental Mindoro (2000), p.5

31. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulalacao,_Oriental_Mindoro

32. W.H. Scott, Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History (1984), p.71

33. V. Schult, Mindoro: A Social History of a Philippine Island in the 20th Century (1991), p.28
34. Ibid, p.29

35. William Henry Scott, Slavery in the Spanish Philippines, page 57

36. Rodolfo Meim Acebes, Mindoro sa Panahon ng Digmaan 1941-1945 (2008)

37. W.H. Scott, Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History (1984), p.23

38. L. Lee Junker, Raiding, Trading and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms
(2000),p.99

39. W.H. Scott, Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History (1984), p.75

40. Ibid

41. History Tour 2009 Proceedings (2010), an annual activity of Occidental Mindoro History Team.
42. Interbyu kay Benjamin Cecil Tordesillas, Jr. (Sta. Teresa, Magsaysay, Occ. Mindoro – Dec. 30, 2009) by
Occidental Mindoro History Team

Kenneth

Share

2 comments:

Kim FabzMarch 11, 2016 at 10:17 PM

WHat is your fullname, I need to cite your name for my thesis, thank you

Reply

maximo fabellaDecember 8, 2016 at 2:37 AM

The documentatioin is not very good. There was a Landicho book on Mindoro. There are

thesis in antrhopology by Violeta Lopez

Hayzkul Lyf

Monday, September 29, 2014

Katangian, Klima, Hanapbuhay, Produkto, Pagdiriwang sa Mindoro

Katangian, Klima, Hanapbuhay, Produkto, Pagdiriwang sa Mindoro

1. Kabuuang katangian ng Mindoro

Mina de Oro

Ang Mindoro ay isang isla ng Pilipinas na matatagpuan sa timog katagagalugan ng Luzon na binubuo ng
dalawang lalawigan, ang kanlurang Mindoro at silangang Mindoro. Mindoreño ang tawag sa mga tao rito.
Ang Mindoro ay tirahan din ng mga katutubong mangyan na binubuo ng walong pangkat, Alangan,
Bangon, Tau-buhid, Buhid, Hanunoo, Iraya, Ratagnon at Tadyawan.

Ang mga bayan na bumubuo sa probinsya ng Mindoro ay ang mga sumusunod:

Occidental Oriental

Abra de Ilog Calapan City

Calintaan Baco

Looc Bansud

Lubang Bongabong

Magsaysay Bulalacao

Mamburao Gloria

Paluan Mansalay

Rizal Naujan

Sablayan Pinamalayan

San Jose Pola

Santa Cruz Puerto Galera

Roxas

San Teodoro

Socorro

Victoria
Ang Mindoro ay isang isla. makikita sa mapa na napapalibutan ito ng tubig. Dahil dito, ang mga
pamayanang malapit sa tubig ay umaasa nang malaki sa pangingisda, karaniwang galing sa dagat, at
meron din sa mga palaisdaan. At may malawak na kabundukan at kapatagan, malaking bahagi ng
kabundukan ay tinataniman ng mga punongkahoy na namumunga lalo na sa bahagi ng Oriental, sa
bahagi naman ng Occidental ang malaking bahagi ng kapatagan ay ginagamit sa pagtatanim ng palay, at
pag-aalaga ng mga hayop, tulad ng baka at kambing, at ang ibang bahagi ay ginagamit na asinan, sa
katunayan malaking bahagi ng asin sa Pilipinas ay nanggagaling sa Mindoro.

May mga yamang mineral din na matatagpuan, kagaya ng ginto, carbon at nikel, ayon sa ulat ng inquirer
ang Intex mining ay may proyekto sa Mindoro na nagkakahalaga ng 2.8 bilyong dolyar.

Sa Mindoro din matatagpuan ang Mount Baco-Iglit National Park na tirahan ng ipinagmamalaking
Tamaraw, na sa probinsya lang matatagpuan. Sa bayan ng Sablayan din matatagpuan ang pangalawa sa
pinakamalaking bahura (coral reef) sa buong mundo, ang Apo reef. Ang magagandang mga puting
buhangin ng Puerto Galera, Pandan island, Grace island at ang parang pulbos na buhangin ng Inasakan sa
isla ng Iling na higit na pino kesa buhangin ng boracay.

2. Katangian ng bawat bayan sa Mindoro

Nasa iisang isla ang dalawang lalawigan; subalit marami pang maliliit na isla na nakapalibot sa buong
probinsya ng Mindoro.

Ang bayan ng Mamburao at Sablayan ay kilala sa paghuhuli ng malalaking tuna. At sa ibang bayan
naman kilala sa panghuhuli ng iba’t-ibang klase ng isda.

Ang Puerto Galera ay kilala bilang isa sa tourist destination sa buong Mindoro dahil sa ganda ng mga
baybaying dagat nito.
Calapan ang nagiisang siyudad sa Mindoro, naririto ang pinakamalaking daungang pandagat ng Oriental
Mindoro, ang Roxas ay mayroon ding daungang pandagat patungo naman sa Caticlan ang daungan ng
mga papunta sa kilalang Boracay, at ang bagong gawang pantalan sa Bulalacao. Sa Occidental ay
mayroong dalawang bayan na may daungang pandagat ito ay ang San Jose at Abra de Ilog.

Karamihan ng ibang bayan sa Oriental ay producer ng mga prutas tulad ng suha, dalandan, rambutan,
langka, marang, kalamansi at iba pang mga uri ng halamang namumunga, na dinadala sa iba’t ibang
panig ng Pilipinas.

Ang Magsaysay naman ang may pinakamaraming asinan sa buong Occidental. Samantalang sa Naujan
naman matatagpuan ang pinakamalaking lawa sa Mindoro.

At ang Sablayan maliban sa kilalang tourist destination sa Occidental dahil sa pinagmamalaking apo reef
ay isa din sa malaking nag-aani ng palay, mais, sibuyas, bawang at iba pang aning pansakahan kasama din
ng San Jose, Calintaan at Rizal.

Ang Intex Mining naman ay responsableng nagmimina ng Nikel sa brgy Villa Cerveza ng Victoria

3. Topograpiya at klima sa Mindoro

Nangingibabaw ang kabundukan sa kanlurang bahagi nito at sa silangan naman ay mga lambak at
kapatagan. Ang buong isla ay napapaikutan ng dagat, nagsisilbing natural na hangganan ng dalawang
probinsya ang bundok ng Halcon, ang pang-apat na pinakamataas na bundok sa Pilipinas.

Mainit ang klima sa malaking bahagi ng Mindoro, lalo na sa mga mabababang lugar nito, isa sa katangian
na kailangan sa pag-aasin. Mula mayo hanggang desyembre ay nakararanas dito ng mga pag-ulan,
subalit mas mahaba pa rin ang panahon na walang ulan. Bulubundukin ang malaking bahagi na
nakakasakop sa Mindoro, may mga ilang lawa sa iba’t ibang bayan, ilan dito ang Naujan Lake at libao lake
ng Sablayan.
4. Hanapbuhay at produkto sa Mindoro

Pagsasaka: niyog, palay, mais, gulay, bawang, sibuyas, tabako, pakwan, taniman ng iba't ibang uri ng
prutas gaya ng calamansi, rambutan, lansones at iba, ganon din ang pag-aalaga ng hayop

Pangingisda: Lamang tubig mula sa dagat at lawa, ganon di sa palaisdaan.

Pag-aasin

Paggawa: pawid, pamaypay, basket, banig, bag at mga palamuti mula sa shell at beads.

Pagmimina: marmol, ginto, bakal, nikel

Sustainable na Pagtotroso

Cottage industries

Tourism

5. Mga pagdiriwang sa Mindoro

Arawatan Festival -

Tuna Festival - March 18-21; Mamburao

Dugoy Festival - January 18; Sablayan

Indak Pandurucan (San Jose) Huling linggo ng abril

Calapan City

Kalap Festival - every 21 March

Sto. Niño de Calapan Festival - January 1. It is a month-long celebration

Harvest Festival

Sinkaw Festival “sining kalabaw" or carabao arts

Mardigras are held on many different occasions (fiesta, summer, Foundation Day, Halloween)
Pandanggitab Festival

MaHalTa Festival -

Bansudani Festival, January 17-19; Bansud, Mindoro Oriental

Feast of the Divine Savior, January 17 –19; Bansud, Mindoro Oriental

Feast of the Sacred Heart, February 14-15; Bansud, Mindoro Oriental

Banana Festival, March 18-19; Baco, Mindoro Oriental

Sulyog Festival, March 19; Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro

Bahag-hari Festival, April 24; Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

The Sabutan Festival and Mini- Trade Fair, April 25-29; Mabitac, Oriental Mindoro

Lechon Festival and Gabi ng Pakulo, June 24; Pola, Oriental Mindoro

Feast of St. John The Baptist / Lechon Festival, June 24; Pola, Oriental Mindoro

Biniray Festival, June 29; Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro

Pakapya-agtike Festival, July 25-27; Socorro, Oriental Mindoro

Sayaw Lahi Festival, September 10; Naujan, Oriental Mindoro

Kapakyanan Festival, October 14-15; Victoria, Oriental Mindoro

Pamugu-an Festival, 3rd week of October; Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro

Sanduguan Festival, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro

Feast of Santa Catalina, November 26; Mansalay. Oriental Mindoro

Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8; Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro

San Teodoro Founding Day and Immaculate Conception Feast, December 8; San Teodoro

Coco Festival, December 8; San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro

6. Magagandang tanawin sa Mindoro

Apo Reef National Marine Park - Sablayan

Mt. Iglit – Baco National Park Sablayan

Pandan Grande island – Sablayan

Mindoro Pines – Sablayan

Libao Lake – Sablayan

Malatung-tong falls – Sablayan

Presing Park (Parola) Historic Watchtower – Sablayan

Karung-Kaban Cave (agsuli) – Sablayan

Lumang Simbahan - Sablayan

Siburan Rain Forest – Sablayan

Sablayan Penal Farm - Sablayan

Cabacunga Falls – Sablayan

Mt. Halcon

Sabang Beach - Puerto Galera

Pebble Beach – Puerto Galera

Aninuan Beach - Puerto Galera

Aninuan Falls – Puerto Galera

Mt. Malasimbo – Puerto Galera

Tamaraw falls – Puerto Galera

Tamaraw Beach – Puerto Galera

Tukuran Hanging Bridge – Puerto Galera

Marble Quary – Puerto Galera

Muelle Cross – Puerto Galera

Baluarte Watch Tower – Puerto Galera

Ponderosa Golf Club – Puerto Galera

Punta Guarda Beach – Puerto Galera

Boquete Island – Sabang, Puerto Galera

Alibatan Island – Baco

Buyayao Island - Baco

Buktot White Beach – Mansalay

Pelipa Lodge & Hotel Resort - Bulalacao

Naujan Lake National Park – Naujan

300 Steps - Brgy. San Jose

Benilda Resort - Brgy. Bancuro

Big Rock Falls - Bgry. Montelago

Buhay na Tubig Beach - Brgy. Makapili

Buloc-buloc Cove - Brgy. Montemayor

Curva Landmark - Brgy. Curva

Hererra White Beach - Brgy. Hererra

Karacha Falls

Montelago Hot Spring - Brgy. Montelago

Montelago Islets - Brgy. Montelago

San Nicholas de Tolentino Church - Poblacion 2

Simbahang Bato - Brgy. Bancuro

Sta Cruz Beach Resorts - Brgy. Santa Cruz

Paitan falls - Brgy. Paitan

Kalong River – Abra de Ilog

Bisay Falls – Abra de Ilog

Onoda Cave – Lubang island

Onoda Trail – Lubang island

Calawagan falls and river - Paluan

Calaungan Lake – Calapan

Calapan City Zoological and Recreational Park - Calapan

Verde Islands - Calapan

Baco-Chico Islets - Calapan

Aganhao Islet - Calapan

Silonay Islet - Calapan

Harka Piloto Marine Sanctuary - Calapan

Bulusan Mountain Trail - Calapan

Baruyan River - Calapan

Pachoca-Balite Beach - Calapan

Lazareto-Suqui-Parang Beach - Calapan

Marayos Falls – Pinamalayan

Cawa-Cawa Falls – Pinamalayan

Tungkong Kalan Falls – Magsaysay

Magarang Falls – Magsaysay

Purnaga Cave – Magsaysay

Barrera Farm and Resort – Magsaysay

Labros Adventure Camp – Calintaan

Ragara Beach Resort – Calintaan

Mindoro Palm Resort - Calintaan

Makatiklas Falls – Calintaan

Salugsog Falls – Calintaan

Tayamaan Beach – Mamburao

Nueva Villa Farm Resort - Mamburao

Inasakan – San Jose

White Island – San Jose

Manadi Island - San Jose

Grace Island Resort – San Jose

Ambulong Island - San Jose

Aroma Beach – San Jose

Mangarin Watch Tower – San Jose

7. Mga kilalang tao mula sa Mindoro

Noli De Castro - Vice-President of the Philippines, Noted radio and television broadcaster

Maria Rosario Santos / Charo Santos-Concio / Charo Santos

Lito Camo - Singer, Songwriter/Composer

Ejay Falcon - Movie and television actor

Jason Francisco - Movie and television actor, commedian

Kimberly Anastacia Beltran Karlsson - Filipino-Swedish equestrienne / model / Miss Grand Philippines
2014

Karen Mae Reyes - Second Big Placer of Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition

Drian 'Gintong Kamao' Francisco – professional boxer

Antonio “Nikoy” Lining – Pool player

Carlos Loyzaga – PBA Player

Nelson Asaytono – PBA Player