History of the Bisayan People in the Philippine Islands. Evangelization and Culture at the Contact Period : Historia de las Islas e indios de Bisayas... 1668
- Editors:
- Translator:
- Format:
- Book
- Year:
- 2002
- Publisher:
- University of Santo Tomás
- Place published:
- Manila, Philippines
- Volume:
- Part 1, book 1, vol. 1
- Language:
- Abstract:
When researching the pre-colonial history, culture, beliefs, and traditions of the early Bisayans prior to Spanish colonization and during its early onset, one must look into reading probably the most important historical account on the Bisayans. Written in 9 volumes starting in 1667 and completed in 1668, this monumental piece of work is the reason why today we know so much about the pre-colonial culture and beliefs of the Bisayans, in particular that of Samar and Leyte. In fact, it is probably the most extensive written account amongst all the historical written accounts on pre-colonial culture and one I highly recommend reading in full.
The Historia de las islas e indios de Bisayas was written by Friar Francisco Ignacio Alcina, a Spanish Jesuit missionary who resided in the Bisayas for thirty-six years. He spent most of his life learning about the people of the Bisayas, in particular of Samar and Leyte where he lived. From his years living amongst the people of Samar and Leyte, he learned about their pre-colonial beliefs, practices, myths, poems, epics, and culture. In the year 1670, he left Samar and moved to Manila where he intended to formerly publish his writings on the Bisayans. Unfortunately, it was never published as he died in 1674 before it could be. His written work would then be forgotten for about 112 years.
It wasn’t until the year 1784 when they were rediscovered by a man name Juan Bautista Muñoz. He was a Spanish historian and philosopher who was the brains behind the idea of creating the Archive General de Indias, or simply the Archive of the Indies. This archive, currently in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, holds many of the documents and historical texts on the colonies of Spain, including the Americas and the Philippines.
Muñoz, while looking in the Real Sociedad Médica de Sevilla, discovered the first four books of Part 1 of Francisco Alcina’s works and made copies of them. Part 2 was also found and rescued as it was being used as wrappings for powders and ointments. While Muñoz made copies, it was still never printed.
It wasn’t until fairly recently in 2000 when the first part of Francisco Alcina’s writings were published, both in Spanish and English, by Fr Cantius J. Kobak, a Polish-American priest and historian. He gained copies of Alcina’s writings through the Central Jesuit Archives in Rome after contacting them in 1965 and then through the archives in the Biblioteca de la Palacio in Madrid, Spain in 1967, which currently has the copies made by Muñoz. As for the original copies of Alcina’s writings, it is no longer found and has been currently lost in history. Part 2 of Alcina’s work is currently located in the Real Academia de la Historia in Madrid. Together with Fr Lucio Peña Gutierrez, a Spanish priest of the Dominican Order and a historian, they translated, edited, and annotated all of Francisco Alcina’s works. (Ligaya Caballes, 2024)
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- Number of Pages:
- 758
- ISBN:
- 9715063349978971506334097150633819789715063388