A 1790 visit to Batangas
A 1790 visit to Batangas
Posted 03:02am (Mla time) Feb 26, 2005
By Bambi Harper
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the February 26, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE FIRST and oldest inhabitants of Batangas were the negritos of the mountains called Aetas. Then came the Burnayes or Borneans who came to trade but, seeing that the land was rich, commenced their conquest with firearms, causing the Aetas to flee to the far reaches of the mountains.
The Borneans brought their wives and started families while others intermarried with the local Aeta women that they had captured and called their children Malaya Dayhagan. There were also Muslims from Mindanao, Joloanos, Chinese and Malabars who married natives and usurped or took possession of the land with arms, driving the Aetas away. They lived without any authority over them and according to whatever law they wished.
The oldest family names, according to Franciscans and the Jesuit friar chronicles, were Caponpon, Gatdula, Hianta or Nianta, but they did not enjoy the privileges of the Lacandulas of Manila.
In 1570, Legaspi arrived in the South with six vessels and four Augustinian friars. The following year, they took Manila and established the government and metropolis of the Philippine colony. From Intramuros, they branched out to conquer the rest of Luzon, starting with Laguna, Cavite and Batangas. Taal was conquered by Juan de Salcedo who was wounded by an arrow in the leg in one of the encounters.
In Taal, the Church of St. Martin (said to be the special devotion of Fr. Martin de Rada) was built in 1572. Its first prior was the venerable Fr. Agustin de Albuquerque, first apostle of the Kumintang. Some say that the word "taal" signified a tree, but others claimed that it referred to sugar cane, which was abundant in the area.
The first town or settlement of Taal was Balangon where the walls were still preserved at the time of Andres de Castro's visit in 1790. There were ruins of the town that the Moros burnt and destroyed in the 17th century. For security reasons, the town had been transferred to the banks of Bombon Lake.
This second Taal remained until 1754, when the volcano erupted for the fourth time and destroyed it. But the church's walls of lime and stone still stood and became objects of religious veneration where many Christians lay buried.
The third Taal is where it is located now, half a quarter league from the sea in a high place, dry and healthy, with a good view but with winds that assaulted you. It was the prior, Fr. Martin de Aguirre, and Alcalde Mayor D. Jose Ayuso who went to live in Batangas and established the Cabecera and Casa Real.
De Castro visited for nine days and observed that since there were many houses in the town, when he went for his afternoon walks the dogs did not bark or disturb him at night, which was not the case in other towns. Nor were there any mosquitoes, bats in the temple and cockroaches. He believed it was the strong odor of sulfur that drove them away. It was however true that thunderbolts and earthquakes were frequent and more terrible because of the proximity of the volcano, which was only an hour by horseback.
The new Taal stood on high stony ground as though presiding over the whole cove of Balayan. It had many crevices and ravines with a beautiful view.
Balayan had more than 2,000 tributes and some 9,000 souls. It had a small fort on the beach with cannons and another in Casasay, where there were many houses of good wood but with roofs of straw. Three were also many mestizo Sangleys, owners of stores selling clothes and drugs.
Taal once had jurisdiction over the towns of Balayan, Lian, Nasugbu, San Jose, Bauang and others that were once mere visitas. Taal was their origin -- they came from her and were the children of Taal.
Balayan was a very rich town situated in a cove of the same name, observed De Castro. It was 16 leagues from Manila to the southeast and was run by the same priors of Taal who built a church of lime and stone, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
In 1580, Balayan was turned over to the regular clergy together with the parishes of Mindoro, according to Fr. Gaspar de S. Agustin. The Moros burnt and razed the town thrice, but despite that, it still had 2,000 tributes. They produced gold in powder form, salt, sugar, wine and coconut oil, white and colored cotton that was made into much sought-after fabrics.
The cows, horses and carabaos were many and of good stock, especially in the ranches of Lian and Nasugbu. The people planted a lot of rice and wheat and from these alone earned 30,000 pesos annually for the town. Aside from tobacco, anil, sibuacal and other produce such as beeswax, tar (for caulking), cabonegro, and coconuts were brought to Sunday market for sale.
The second town of Taal was Bauang. It served as its visita from the year 1600, when it separated and obtained its own minister. It was first situated on the banks of Bombon Lake where the old walls could still be seen. For different reasons, it was relocated to two other sites and finally planted near the sea not very far from Punta de Azufre and the islet of Maricaban. There a church of lime and stone , 80 varas (1 vara was equivalent to .84 meters) long and 15 wide, was built by Fr. Blas Vidal with the help of many local master builders. The church and convent were surrounded by a wall with four bulwarks and cannons, following Fr. Miguel Oraña's plans.
(From an account by Pedro Andres de Castro y Amadeo)
Posted 03:02am (Mla time) Feb 26, 2005
By Bambi Harper
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the February 26, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE FIRST and oldest inhabitants of Batangas were the negritos of the mountains called Aetas. Then came the Burnayes or Borneans who came to trade but, seeing that the land was rich, commenced their conquest with firearms, causing the Aetas to flee to the far reaches of the mountains.
The Borneans brought their wives and started families while others intermarried with the local Aeta women that they had captured and called their children Malaya Dayhagan. There were also Muslims from Mindanao, Joloanos, Chinese and Malabars who married natives and usurped or took possession of the land with arms, driving the Aetas away. They lived without any authority over them and according to whatever law they wished.
The oldest family names, according to Franciscans and the Jesuit friar chronicles, were Caponpon, Gatdula, Hianta or Nianta, but they did not enjoy the privileges of the Lacandulas of Manila.
In 1570, Legaspi arrived in the South with six vessels and four Augustinian friars. The following year, they took Manila and established the government and metropolis of the Philippine colony. From Intramuros, they branched out to conquer the rest of Luzon, starting with Laguna, Cavite and Batangas. Taal was conquered by Juan de Salcedo who was wounded by an arrow in the leg in one of the encounters.
In Taal, the Church of St. Martin (said to be the special devotion of Fr. Martin de Rada) was built in 1572. Its first prior was the venerable Fr. Agustin de Albuquerque, first apostle of the Kumintang. Some say that the word "taal" signified a tree, but others claimed that it referred to sugar cane, which was abundant in the area.
The first town or settlement of Taal was Balangon where the walls were still preserved at the time of Andres de Castro's visit in 1790. There were ruins of the town that the Moros burnt and destroyed in the 17th century. For security reasons, the town had been transferred to the banks of Bombon Lake.
This second Taal remained until 1754, when the volcano erupted for the fourth time and destroyed it. But the church's walls of lime and stone still stood and became objects of religious veneration where many Christians lay buried.
The third Taal is where it is located now, half a quarter league from the sea in a high place, dry and healthy, with a good view but with winds that assaulted you. It was the prior, Fr. Martin de Aguirre, and Alcalde Mayor D. Jose Ayuso who went to live in Batangas and established the Cabecera and Casa Real.
De Castro visited for nine days and observed that since there were many houses in the town, when he went for his afternoon walks the dogs did not bark or disturb him at night, which was not the case in other towns. Nor were there any mosquitoes, bats in the temple and cockroaches. He believed it was the strong odor of sulfur that drove them away. It was however true that thunderbolts and earthquakes were frequent and more terrible because of the proximity of the volcano, which was only an hour by horseback.
The new Taal stood on high stony ground as though presiding over the whole cove of Balayan. It had many crevices and ravines with a beautiful view.
Balayan had more than 2,000 tributes and some 9,000 souls. It had a small fort on the beach with cannons and another in Casasay, where there were many houses of good wood but with roofs of straw. Three were also many mestizo Sangleys, owners of stores selling clothes and drugs.
Taal once had jurisdiction over the towns of Balayan, Lian, Nasugbu, San Jose, Bauang and others that were once mere visitas. Taal was their origin -- they came from her and were the children of Taal.
Balayan was a very rich town situated in a cove of the same name, observed De Castro. It was 16 leagues from Manila to the southeast and was run by the same priors of Taal who built a church of lime and stone, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
In 1580, Balayan was turned over to the regular clergy together with the parishes of Mindoro, according to Fr. Gaspar de S. Agustin. The Moros burnt and razed the town thrice, but despite that, it still had 2,000 tributes. They produced gold in powder form, salt, sugar, wine and coconut oil, white and colored cotton that was made into much sought-after fabrics.
The cows, horses and carabaos were many and of good stock, especially in the ranches of Lian and Nasugbu. The people planted a lot of rice and wheat and from these alone earned 30,000 pesos annually for the town. Aside from tobacco, anil, sibuacal and other produce such as beeswax, tar (for caulking), cabonegro, and coconuts were brought to Sunday market for sale.
The second town of Taal was Bauang. It served as its visita from the year 1600, when it separated and obtained its own minister. It was first situated on the banks of Bombon Lake where the old walls could still be seen. For different reasons, it was relocated to two other sites and finally planted near the sea not very far from Punta de Azufre and the islet of Maricaban. There a church of lime and stone , 80 varas (1 vara was equivalent to .84 meters) long and 15 wide, was built by Fr. Blas Vidal with the help of many local master builders. The church and convent were surrounded by a wall with four bulwarks and cannons, following Fr. Miguel Oraña's plans.
(From an account by Pedro Andres de Castro y Amadeo)
posted by Dante at 7:00 PM
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