This document, Tomo II of El Archipiélago Filipino. Colección de datos..., is a monumental collection of geographical, statistical, chronological, and scientific data pertaining to the Philippine Archipelago. Compiled by members of the Mission of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in the islands, and likely edited by Father José Algué, the director of the Manila Observatory, it was published in Washington by the Government Printing Office in 1900. Its creation occurred during a crucial transition period in Philippine history, immediately following the Spanish-American War (1898) and the start of the American colonial period. The publication of such a detailed compendium by the U.S. government suggests its purpose was to provide the new American administration with extensive, authoritative information about the newly acquired territory. For institutions like Silliman University, which operates in the Visayas region of the Philippines, this volume holds significant historical and local relevance as it offers a contemporaneous, expert Jesuit perspective—drawn from observation and prior works—on the country's physical, social, and cultural state at the dawn of the 20th century. It stands as an essential primary source for researchers studying the Philippines' colonial history, particularly the shift from Spanish to American rule.
El archipiélago Filipino: colección de datos geográficos, estadísticos, cronológicos y científicos, relativos al mismo, entresacados de anteriores obras ú obtenidos con la propia observación y estudio por algunos Padres de la Misión de la Compañía de Jesús en estas Islas (Tomo II)