The Philippine Islands during the decade of 1640-1649 were marked by constant geopolitical friction and profound domestic crises. This volume captures a critical turning point in the Spanish colonial experience, defined primarily by the escalating conflict with the Dutch in the Eastern seas. The key military event was the loss of the Spanish foothold in Formosa (Taiwan) to the Dutch in 1642, an event attributed by some contemporaneous accounts to the poor leadership of Governor Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera. This defeat was followed by a successful, albeit temporary, defensive naval campaign by Spanish squadrons from Manila, which routed several Dutch fleets, safeguarding the main Philippine colony from invasion. Internally, the colony was destabilized by multiple disasters, including the catastrophic 1645 Manila earthquake, which destroyed most of the city's stone buildings, and a prolonged period of drought and famine that devastated the rice crop. The documents also reflect the efforts and struggles of the religious orders—the Dominicans, Recollects, and Franciscans—as they managed missions, hospitals, and dealt with internal schisms and native uprisings in provinces like Cagayán and Caraga. Furthermore, the records highlight the political and economic turmoil in Manila, including a controversial fiscal's report on the illegal increase of taxes imposed on Chinese traders to finance city fortifications, demonstrating the chronic issues of governance and revenue generation during this tumultuous era.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 (Vol. 35, 1640–1649)