The Spanish colonial period began in the Philippines in 1521 when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed on the islands and claimed it as a colony of the Spanish Empire. The original goal of the Spanish was to find an alternative route to the East Indies, for the lucrative spice trade, and use the Philippines as a stepping stone. However, they ended up establishing a colony that would last for 333 years.
Although Magellan claimed the Philippines as a colony on this first trip, he met resistance from local populations. One chief, Lapulapu, rejected Spanish demands and in the battle that followed Magellan and many crew members lost their lives. Not until 1571, when the Spanish formed the city of Manila, did they gain a true foothold in the Philippines. Manila became the political, religious, and commercial center of the Philippines and remains the capital today.
In the early years of the colony, Spain relied heavily the support of certain Filipino and Chinese actors to gain economic and political stability. It was Filipino merchants who acted as the middlemen to establish trade links with China. What resulted was the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade which connected Mexican silver with Chinese silk and ceramics. For 250 years, this was the key to Spanish prosperity and control of the Philippines. It also established a growing Chinese community in the Philippines and the importance of Chinese merchants in the colony.
From the beginning, the Spanish made efforts to destroy local religions and convert Filipinos to Catholicism. The church’s goal was a complete Christianization and Hispanization of Filipinos. While the majority of Filipinos today are Catholic, some of their customs and beliefs were preserved through syncretism: the melding of beliefs from different religions. The Catholic Church gained incredible wealth and power; they held immense swaths of land and had complete control of education. Even with the start of public education in 1863, the Catholic Church was resistant to teaching Filipinos Spanish as a way of barring them from colonial power. The Catholic Church frequently vied for power with the governor-general and other governmental officials of the colony.
The completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 gave the Philippines easier access to foreign markets and new ideas. Sons of wealthy Filipinos began traveling to Europe to study and, there, ideas of reform and nationalism flourished. Filipino students overseas started the Propaganda Movement, publishing newspapers, magazines, and literature with a focus on reform and national consciousness. José Rizal was a key member of this movement. Growing ideas of reform and revolution continued until the Philippines finally gained independence from Spain in 1898.
