Spanish Rule

Spain, anxious to participate in the East Indian spice trade, claimed the islands and named them after its crown prince (later Philip II). Several attempts to found a colony were thwarted by Portuguese attacks on Spanish ships and settlements, but in 1565 a Spanish expedition under Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from Mexico and established a post on Cebu. After defeating the local Muslim ruler in 1571, Legazpi founded Manila, establishing a trading post there. Manila remained the center of Spanish activity in the islands for more than three centuries.

The Filipinos were not as advanced in their civilization as some of the other peoples of the Far East. Although they used terracing and irrigation in their farming, and much of the population was literate, their political organization did not extend beyond the local level. There was no formal religion except in the south, where many had been converted to Islam. The Spanish called the Filipino Muslims Moros, after the Moors of Spain. Except for the Moros and some of the hill tribes, the Filipinos were easily conquered and converted to Christianity.

A governor general was appointed to govern the islands. Local power was held by the encomenderos, soldiers who had helped conquer the islands and been given huge estates known as encomiendas.

Under the Spanish, trade was established with Europe and with Latin America. Commercial opportunities were so great that the Chinese came in numbers that alarmed both the Spaniards and the Filipinos. During the 17th century, thousands of Chinese were massacred by Filipinos, and the Spanish authorities carried out periodic deportations. Meanwhile, the Dutch, bent on winning the East Indian trade, made a number of unsuccessful attacks on the Philippines.

During the Seven Years' War, Manila was occupied by the British, 1762–64. After the war, Spanish officials were able to resume their rule, but their administration was greatly weakened. Members of religious orders, known as friars, had become the ruling class in the islands and tended to dominate the government. Grown wealthy and autocratic, they tried to keep authority out of the hands of the Filipinos.