Miguel Lpez de Legazpi Miguel Lpez de Legazpi[1] (1502 August 20, 1572), also known as El Adelantadoand El Viejo (The

e Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who established one of the firs t European settlements in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands in 1565. He wa s the firstGovernor-General of Spanish East Indies (present day as Philippines). After obtaining peace with various indigenous tribes, Miguel Lpez de Legazpi mad e the Philippines the capital of the Spanish East Indies in 1571. Mexico In 1528, Hernn Corts established settlements in North America and Lpez de Legazpi t raveled to Mexico (New Spain) to start a new life. This was due to the death of his parents and his dissatisfaction with his eldest sibling, who inherited the f amily fortune. In Tlaxcala, he worked with Juan Garcs and Juan's sister, Isabel G arcs. Lpez de Legazpi would go on to marry Isabel and have nine children with her. Isabel died in the mid 1550s. Between 1528 and 1559 he worked as a leader of the financial department council and as the civil governor of Mexico City. Expedition to the Philippines In 1564, Lpez de Legazpi was commissioned by the viceroy, Luis de Velasco, to lea d an expedition in the Pacific Ocean, to find the Spice Islands where the earlie r explorersFerdinand Magellan and Ruy Lpez de Villalobos had landed in 1521 and 1 543, respectively. The expedition was ordered by King Philip II of Spain, after whom the Philippines had earlier been named by Ruy Lpez de Villalobos. The vicero y died in July 1564, but the Audienciaand Lpez de Legazpi completed the preparati ons for the expedition. Their expedition was to prove a success and they would succeed in establishing s ettlements in the Philippines

Departure from New Spain On November 21, 1564, five ships and 500 soldiers, sailed from the port of Barra de Navidad, New Spain, in what is now Jalisco state, Mexico [an earlier version of this article gave the date as November 1, 1564, and mentions 'four ships and 380 men']. Members of the expedition included six Augustinian missionaries, in addition to Fr. Andrs de Urdaneta, who served as navigator and spiritual adviser,[2] Melchor de Legazpi (son of Adelanto de Legazpi), Felipe de Salcedo (grandson of Miguel L opez de Legazpi), and Guido de Lavezarez (a survivor of the expedition of Ferdin and Magellan). [edit]Across the Pacific Following the route taken by Magellan, Lpez de Legazpi and his men sailed the Pac ific Ocean for 93 days. In 1565, they landed in the Mariana Islands, where they briefly anchored and rep lenished their supplies. There they fought with Chamorro tribes and burned sever al huts. [edit]Arrival on Cebu Lpez de Legazpi's troops arrived in the Philippines and landed in the shores of C ebu on February 13, 1565. After slaughtering the natives, in revenge for the mur der of Magellan a few decades back, and burning, raping and looting, they left t he island in search of food, water, supplies and other resources. [edit]Samar, Mazaua, Leyte and Bohol On February 22, 1565 they reached the island of Samar guided by Datu Urrao. TheS paniards and their native allies left the island for the nearby islands of Mazau a and Leyte, guided by Datu Bankaw. Their ships drifted to the coast of Bohol on March 16, 1565 where they befriended with Datu Sikatuna and Rajah Sigala. Lpez d e Legazpi made a blood compact with the native chieftain, Datu Sikatuna, as a si gn of friendship between the two people. There, the Spaniards obtained spices an d gold after convincing the natives that they were not Portuguese. [edit]Establishing a colony on Cebu

On April 27, 1565, the Spaniards and their native allies sailed back to Cebu and attacked the villages of Rajah Tupas, which led to the surrender of the settlem ents. There, the Spaniards established a colony, naming the settlements "Villa d el Santisimo Nombre de Jess" (Town of the Most Holy Name of Jesus), and "Villa de San Miguel" (Saint Michael's Town). In 1565 Lpez de Legazpi resolved to send Urdaneta back to New Spain, both to try and find an effective return route across the Pacific, and to try and obtain hel p for the new colony from New Spain. Between his departure from Cebu on 1 June 1 565, and his arrival in Acapulco, New Spain, on 8 October 1565, Urdaneta discove red the northern, eastbound, return route from the Philippines to New Spain whic h made possible the establishment of the Manilla galleon trade. Two years later, in 1567, about 2,100 Spaniards and Mexicans arrived in Cebu und er orders of the Spanish king. They built the Fuerza de San Pedro (Fortress of S aint Peter), which provided a haven for arriving Mexican ships and protection fr om hostile natives. In 1568, Lpez de Legazpi sent one of his men back to Spain to report on his progr ess. [edit]Exploring the northern Philippines Having heard of the rich resources in Luzon, Lpez de Legazpi resolved to dispatch two of his Lieutenant-commanders, Martn de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo, to explore the northern region. In late 1569, a force of 300 Spaniards and several of their native allies, left Cebu and began exploring the Northern regions of the Visayas. The Spaniards disc overed the islands ofPanay and Mindoro, where they encountered the Chinese merch ants in the area. After Goiti and Salcedo fought with the sea pirates on the eas tern coastline of Mindoro, and defeated them on the island, they began to establ ish their settlements in the region. On May 8, 1570, they arrived in Manila Bay. There, they were welcomed by the nat ives. Goiti's soldiers camped there for a few weeks, while forming an alliance w ith the Muslimtribal chief, Rajah Sulaiman III. On May 24, 1570, after disputes and hostility had erupted between the two groups, the Spaniards occupied the vil lages of Tondo and Manila using scores of Colonized Cebuanos as a bulk of the Sp anish army. again, they looted, raped, murdered, and burned the whole place to t he ground In the same year, more reinforcements arrived in the Philippines, prompting Lpez de Legazpi to leave Cebu. He recruited 250 Spanish soldiers and 600 native warri ors to explore the regions of Leyte and Panay. The following year he followed Go iti and Salcedo to Manila, after hearing the villages had been conquered. During the early phase of the exploration of the northern part of the Philippine s Lpez de Legazpi had remained in Cebu, and had not accompanied his men during th eir colonization of Manila, because of health problems and advanced age. [edit]Establishing a government in Manila In Manila, Lpez de Legazpi formed a peace pact with the native councils, Rajah Su laiman III, Rajah Sulaiman II and Rajah Lakan Dula. Both groups agreed to organi ze a city council, consisting of two mayors, twelve councilors and a secretary. Lpez de Legazpi established a settlement there on June 24, 1571 and he also order ed the construction of the walled city of Intramuros. He proclaimed the town as the island's capital, and the seat of the Spanish government in the East Indies. [1] With the help of Augustinian and Franciscan friars, he established a government on the islands, and went on to become the first Spanish governor of the Philippi nes. [edit]Last years Lpez de Legazpi governed the Philippines for a year before dying of heart failure in Manila in 1572. He died poor and bankrupt, leaving a few pesos behind, due t o having spent most of his personal fortune during the conquest. He was laid to rest in San Agustin Church, Intramuros. By the time of Lpez de Legazpi's death, the parts parts of the Visayas had passed to Spanish rule. the Spanish met strong resistance from scores of Mohammedan wa rrior states in the Island of Mindanao and pagan warrior natives of central and

northern Luzon. particularly, the Zambal and Igorot Tribes of Zambales and the M ountainous regions of the Cordilleras. Manila was honoured in 1574, when the city was given the title "Distinguished, a nd ever loyal city of Spain" (Insigne y Siempre Leal Ciudad de Espaa) by the king of Spain. [edit]Letters to the King of Spain During his last years, Lpez de Legazpi wrote several letters to Philip II of Spai n about his journey to the East Indies, and the conquest he had achieved. These were collectively known as the "Cartas al Rey Don Felipe II: sobre la expedicion , conquistas y progresos de las islas Felipinas" (Letters to the King Sir Philip II: on the expedition, conquests and progress of the Philippine Islands). The l etters are still preserved today at the General Archive of the Indies in Seville , Spain. [edit]Role of religion on the expedition The tribes of the Philippines practiced Mohammedan Religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Ancestor and Nature worship and part of the motivation of the Spaniards was to convert the natives to the Roman Catholic religion in order to subdue them witho ut a fight. the Spansish burnt over a thousand years of history, and looted Idol s in the images of Buddhist and Hindu Gods in Gold and made it a part of the Spa nish Treasury. the church tricked their new flock into giving their golden idols up by deeming them "sacrilegious" or, if met by resistance, brought the Inquisi tion's torture on those who are stubborn enough to resist the influence of the C atholic Church/Spain. Aside from baptizing the natives by force and giving them Christian names, the islands had also been renamed to "Filipinas" in honor of Ki ng Philip II (Felipe in Spanish). Thus, successfully eliminating a thousand year s worth of culture that even surpassed the Spanish's barbaric past as Vandals. With the Augustinian and Franciscan friars, who had helped him established a gov ernment on the islands, Lpez de Legazpi worked to convert the natives to the Chri stian religion. In 1609, Antonio de Morga, Alcalde of Criminal Causes, in the Ro yal Audiencia of New Spain wrote: "After the islands had been conquered by the sovereign light of the holy gospel which entered therein, the heathen were baptized, the darkness of their paganism was banished and they changed their own for Christian names. The islands also, losing their former name, tookwith the change of religion and the baptism of thei r inhabitantsthat of Filipinas Islands, in recognition of the great favors receiv ed at the hands of his Majesty Filipe the Second, our sovereign, in whose fortun ate time and reign they were conquered, protected and encouraged, as a work and achievement of his royal hands." Ruy Lpez de Villalobos Ruy Lpez de Villalobos (Malaga, Spain, 1500 Ambon Island , Moluccas Islands, Indo nesia, 1546) was a Spanish explorer who sailed the Pacific from Mexico to establ ish a permanent foothold for Spain in the East Indies, which was near the Line o f Demarcation between Spain and Portugal according to the Treaty of Saragossa in 1529. Villalobos gave the Philippines their name, after calling themIslas Filip inas in honor of the Infante of Asturias at the time, Philip II of Spain. Expedition to the Philippine Islands Lpez de Villalobos was commissioned in 1541 by the Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza, who was the first colonial administrator in the New World, to send a n expedition to the Islas del Poniente, meaning Island of the West, now known as thePhilippines. His fleet of six galleon ships, the Santiago, Jorge, San Antoni o, San Cristbal, San Martn, and San Juan, left Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, Mexico w ith 370 to 400 men on November 1, 1542. On December 25, the fleet headed towards Revilla Gigedo Islandsoff the west coast of Mexico. They sighted lvaro de Saaved ra's Los Reyes galleon ship. The following day they discovered a group of island s at 9 or 10N which they named Corrales, and anchored at one of these islands. On January 6, 1543, several small islands on the same latitude were seen, and named them Los Jardines (The Gardens). This was the island of Eniwetok, and Ulithi. Between January 6 to 23, 1543, the galleon San Cristbal piloted by Gines de Mafra , who was a member of the crew of the Magellan expedition in 1519-1522, was sepa rated from the fleet during a severe storm. This ship eventually reached the isl

and of Mazaua, a place were Magellan anchored in 1521. This was the second visit of de Mafra to the Philippines, which is identified today as Limasawa in the so uthern island of Leyte. The story of Limasawa was written in 1667 by a Jesuit pr iest, Friar Francisco Combs. His documents on"Limasawa" has been translated by hi storians.[1] On February 29, 1543, they entered Baganga Bay, which they named Malaga on the e astern coast of Mindanao. Lpez de Villalobos named Mindanao "Caesarea Karoli" aft er the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V of Spain. The fleet stayed there for 32 day s; the entire crew suffered extreme hunger. He ordered his men to plant corn but it failed. On March 31, 1543, the fleet left in search of Mazaua for food. Beca use of low-winds they could not sail on. After several days of struggle, they re ached Sarangani. The galleon San Cristbal, which had been driven ashore on Limasawa Island 2 month s before, appeared unexpectedly with a load of rice and other foodstuffs for the commander. On August 4, 1543, the San Juan, and San Cristbal were sent back to L eyte and Samar for more food, with the San Juan to stock up for the Pacific cros sing and to proceed to Mexico.[2] A Portuguese contingent arrived on August 7, a nd delivered a letter from Jorge de Castro, governor of the Moluccas, demanding an explanation for the presence of the fleet in Portuguese territory. Lpez de Vil lalobos responded, in a letter dated August 9, that they were not trespassing, a nd were within the Demarcation Line of the Crown of Castile. The San Juan left for Mexico on August 27, 1543, with Bernardo de la Torre as ca ptain. Another letter from Castro arrived in the first week of September with th e same protest, and Lpez de Villalobos wrote a reply dated September 12, 1543, wi th the same message as his first. He departed to Abuyog, Leyte with his remainin g ships, the San Juan, and the San Cristbal. The fleet could not make headway bec ause of unfavorable winds. In April 1544, he sailed for Island of Amboyna. He, a nd his crew members then made their way to the islands of Samar, and Leyte, whic h he named Las Islas Filipinas (The Philippine Islands) in honour of the Prince of Spain, Philip II. Driven away by hostile natives, hunger, and a shipwreck, Lpe z de Villalobos was forced to abandon his settlements in the islands, and the ex pedition. He, and his crew members sought refuge in the Moluccas, where they qua rrelled with the Portuguese, who imprisoned them. Lpez de Villalobos died on April 4, 1544, in his prison cell on the island of Amb oyna, of a tropical fever, or as the Portuguese said "of a broken heart".[3] Som e 117 remaining crew members survived, among them were de Mafra, and Guido de La vezaris. De Mafra produced one manuscript on the Magellan circumnavigation, and had this delivered to Spain by a friend on board. They sailed for Malacca, where the Portuguese put them on a ship bound for Lisbon. Thirty elected to remain, i ncluding de Mafra. His manuscript remained unrecognized for many centuries. It w as discovered in the 20th century, and published in 1920. Fernando de Magallanes(1480-1521) FERNANDO DE MAGALLANES (1480-1521). Best known for captaining the first European expedition across the Pacific Ocean . This was also the first successful attempt to circumnavigate the Earth, and th e first to navigate the strait in South America connecting the Atlantic and Paci ficic oceans. Fernando de Magallanes, portuguese navigator and explorer, was born in Oporto in to a noble family. He served from 1501 in expeditions to the East Indies under F rancisco de Almeida and later under Alfonso de Alburquerque. However, while he w as serving in Morocco, he was accused of financial irregularities, it made that he lost the favor of king Manuel I. In that moment, he decides to go to Spain, where he presents to king Carlos I the plan that would give the ships of the Cro wn of Castilla full access to the lands of the Moluccas (Spice Islands), because he thought that the Moluccas were close to South America, and he wanted to find a westward route. The main motive was economic, because Carlos I wanted to trade in the East Indie s, but he did not know that the Moluccas were in Portuguese hands. In 1519 five ships ( San Antonio,Trinidad,Concepcin,Victoria and Santiago) with about 265 men under Magallaness command sailed from Sanlucar de Barrameda. Magallanes and his

crew were the first Europeans to enter the Pacific through the Strait of Magalla nes, which he discovered. Only three of the original five ships entere The Pacif ic on Nov.28 (1520), because two of them were lost, one by shipwreck, the other by mutiny. Magallanes reached Sebu in The Philipines in April 1521, where he bec ame involved in a local war and was killed. Later, with the crew wasted from sic kness, the survivors had to destroy the Concepcin. The Victoria, was commanded by Juan Sebastin del Cano, who continued n to the Mol uccas, he picked up a small cargo of spices there, and then crossed the Indian O cean, travelling around the Cape of Good Hope from the East. Finally, with a re duced crew J.S. el Cano reached Sevilla on Sept. 1522, almost three years later they had departed. The benefit economic that this project brought to Spain was too small, although it was proved to be the greates of all the conquest undertaken by the gold, sla ves , and spice-seeking overseas adventurers of early modern Europe. Furthermore , the geographical impact of the circumnavigation was enormous, not only by the new geographical data that it produced, but also by the irrefutable proof of the sphericity of the Earth, as well as the preponderance of water over continental masses on the Earths surface.