This document is Volume VII of the monumental 55-volume series, The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, compiled and edited by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson. This specific volume focuses on the pivotal years of Spanish colonial rule from 1588 to 1591. The period is marked by significant political changes, including the suppression of the Audiencia (royal court) and the establishment of a single royal governorship under Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas. The content reveals the intense friction between the secular government and the ecclesiastical authorities, particularly Bishop Domingo de Salazar, concerning governance and the oppressive collection of tributes from the native population. The volume chronicles the discovery and punishment of major indigenous conspiracies against Spanish rule and details the burgeoning, but problematic, trade with China and the subsequent influx of Chinese immigrants to Manila. Notably, it includes a crucial primary source: Friar Juan de Plasencia's "Customs of the Tagalogs," which is an essential record of pre-colonial Tagalog society, laws, and governance.
The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898 (Vol. 7, 1588-1591)