The passionate love of Juliana de Morga

ANTONIO de Morga wrote the first civil — not ecclesiastical — history of the Philippines. Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events of the Philippine Islands) was printed in Mexico in 1609. The book is extremely appreciated among scholars of colonial history and “Filipinistas.” Chapter 8 has the utmost interest for Filipinos since its description of the native inhabitants of the archipelago seems to be quite detailed and, generally speaking, very positive. For example: “Men and women, and especially the great people, are very clean and elegant in their persons and dress, and of a goodly mien and grace; they take great care of their hair in its being very black; they wash it with the boiled rind of a tree, which they call gogo, and they anoint it with oil of sesame prepared with musk and other perfumes. All take much care of their teeth [...] The women have for their employment and occupation needlework, in which they excel very much, as in all kinds of sewing…” It seems to be evident why this detailed chapter hooked José Rizal, who carried out a famous annotated edition of the text.

Morga’s views of Filipinos were not exceptional. Most of the early Spanish chronicles of the Philippines expressed positive views on Filipino people; the friars, as expected, just worried about their “diabolic beliefs,” as they used to say. Morga’s book was intended to gain merit as an official of the king and also to excuse himself for his pyrrhic management of the fleet that fought against the first Dutch attack led by the pirate Van Noort. The Spaniards were able to defend Manila, but the cost was really high in human life and Morga, as the person in command, needed to present himself as an irreproachable public servant.