The general guidelines for the anti-aging diet are: keep your calorie consumption and saturated fat intake down; eat plenty of wholegrain, oily fish and fresh fruit and vegetables; and cut down on salt and sugar. In addition to these general guidelines, there are specific foods that have a roll in anti-aging and that you should regularly include in your diet.
1. Avocado:
This fruit, which is usually eaten as a vegetable, is a good source of healthy monounsaturated fat that may help to reduce level of a bad type of cholesterol in body. Avocado is a good source of vitamin E and can help to maintain healthy skin and prevent skin aging (vitamin E may also help alleviate menopausal hot flushes). It is rich in potassium which helps prevent fluid retention and high blood pressure.
2. Ginger:
This spicy root can boost the digestive and circulatory systems, which can be useful for older people. Ginger may also help to alleviate rheumatic aches and pains.
3. Cruciferous vegetables:
The family of Cruciferous vegetables includes cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, turnip, brussels sprouts, radish and watercress. Cruciferous vegetables assist the body in its fight against toxins and cancer. You should try to consume at least 115g/40z(of any one or a combination) of these vegetables on a daily basis. If possible, eat them row or very lightly cooked so that the important enzymes remain intact.
4. Whole meal pasta and rice:
Complex carbohydrates provide a consistent supply of energy throughout the day and should make up the bulk of your diet. Wholemeal pasta is an excellent complex carbohydrate. It is high in fibre and contains twice the amount of iron as normal pasta. Brown rice is another recommended complex carbohydrate, which is high in fibre and B vitamins.
5. Soya:
Menopausal women might find that soya helps to maintain oestrogen levels. Soya may alleviate menopausal hot flush and protect against Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis and heart disease. Look out for fermented soya products, which are more easily digested, therefore more nutritional, and do not generally cause food intolerances. You may want to check that soya products have not been genetically modified. Soya should not be confused with soya sauce, which is full of salt and should be used sparingly, if at all.
6. Garlic:
Eating a clove of garlic a day (row or cooked) helps to protect the body against cancer and heart disease. The cardioprotective effects of garlic are well recorded. One 1994 study in Iowa, USA, of 41,837 women between the age of 55 and 69 suggested that women who ate a clove of garlic at least once a week were 50 percent less likely to develop colon cancer. Another study at Tasgore Medical college in India suggested that garlic reduced cholesterol levels and assisted blood thinning more effectively than aspirin, thus helping to reduce the risk of heart disease.
7. Nuts:
Most varieties of nuts are good sources of minerals, particularly walnuts and brazi nuts. Walnuts, although high in calories, are rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and selenium. Adding nuts to your diet (sprinkle them on salads and desserts) can enhance the functioning of your digestive and immune systems, improve your skin help control prevent cancer. Nuts may also help control cholesterol levels. Never eat rancid nuts, however, as they have been linked to a high incidence of free radicals.
8. Berries:
All black and blue berries such as blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and black grapes contain phytochemicals known as flavonoids-powerful antioxidants which help to protect the body against damage caused by free radicals and aging.
9. Water:
Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day in order to remain healthy. Water helps us to get rid of the toxins and unwanted waste materials from your body.
Don't rely on thirst; this sensation diminishes with age. Drink often and choose from nutritious liquids, including 100% fruit and vegetable juices, skim or low fat milk, broths, sparkling water, and teas. You can also get fluids from foods, especially those that are liquid at room temperature. Try gelatin, frozen yogurt, soups, watermelon, pickles, oranges, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.
10. Watermelon:
Both the flesh and seeds of the watermelon are nutritious so try blending them together in a food processor and drinking as a juice. The flesh contain vitamin A, B and C ; the seeds contain selenium, essential fats, zinc and vitamin E, all of which help against free radical damage and aging.
Ibn Khurradadhbih gives an
estimate of the size of the Indian Ocean: “The length of this sea, from
Qulzum [at the head of the Red Sea] to Waqwaq, is 4500 farsakhs.”
He also states that the distance from Qulzum to the Mediterranean port
of Farama is 25 farsakhs. The latter distance, he writes, corresponds to
the length of one degree on the meridian; thus, the 4500-farsakh
distance to Waqwaq corresponds to 180 degrees. Therefore Waqwaq lies
exactly halfway around the world from Qulzum. With its outlandish name
and incredible distance eastward, Waqwaq seems to belong to legend
rather than commercial geography.
Yet Ibn Khurradadhbih clearly thought Waqwaq was a
real place. He mentions it twice more: “East of China are the lands of
Waqwaq, which are so rich in gold that the inhabitants make the chains
for their dogs and the collars for their monkeys of this metal. They
manufacture tunics woven with gold. Excellent ebony wood is found
there.” And again: “Gold and ebony are exported from Waqwaq.”
So where was Waqwaq?
Ibn Khurradadhbih’s first European editor, the
Dutch scholar Michael Jan de Goeje, noted that one of the Chinese names
for Japan was wo-kuo, “the country of Wo.” In the Cantonese dialect, which Arab merchants would have heard, this is pronounced wo-kwok. The mystery was solved: “Waqwaq” was an almost perfect rendering of a Chinese name for Japan.
This solution was doubly
satisfying, for it solved the mystery of Waqwaq and proved, for the
first time, that the Arabs knew of Japan. The trouble with de Goeje’s
identification, however, is that nothing Ibn Khurradadhbih says about
Waqwaq seems to have anything to do with Japan. Although “tunics woven
with gold” are barely possible, it is difficult to imagine monkeys and
dogs with golden collars in the sophisticated, austere society of
ninth-century Japan. Nor does Japan export ebony.
“Waqwaq” was also the name of an unusual tree. The
earliest reference to it (though without the name) occurs in a Chinese
source, the T’ung-tien of Ta Huan, written before 801. Ta Huan
was told the story by his father, who had lived in Baghdad for 11 years
as a prisoner of war after the Battle of Talas. He claimed to have heard
the following story from Arab sailors:
The king of the Arabs had dispatched men who
boarded a ship, taking with them their clothes and food, and went to
sea. They sailed for eight years without coming to the far shore of the
ocean. In the middle of the sea, they saw a square rock; on this rock
was a tree with red branches and green leaves. On the tree had grown a
number of little children; they were six or seven thumbs in length. When
they saw the men, they did not speak, but they could all laugh and
move. Their hands, feet and heads were fixed to the branches of the
trees.
The same story occurs repeatedly in Arabic sources,
where the tree is identified as “the waqwaq tree,” and is later
embellished by turning the little children into beautiful young women,
suspended from the branches by their hair. The classic account, written
in 12th- century al-Andalus, says the women “are more beautiful than
words can describe, but are without life or soul…. This is a wonder of
the land of China. The island is at the end of the inhabited world….”
Two accounts, however, do not fit with the others.
One describes a fairly advanced culture: “I have been told by some
people that they met a man who had traveled to Waqwaq and traded there.
He described the large size of their towns and their islands. I do not
mean by this their area, but the size of their population. They look
like Turks. They are very industrious in their arts and everywhere in
their country they try to improve their ability.”
The other is much more intriguing:
In the year 945 the people of Waqwaq sailed
with 1000 ships to attack Qanbaluh [on the coast of East Africa,
opposite Zanzibar]…. When asked why they attacked them, rather than some
other city, they answered that it had things needed in their own
country and also in China, such as ivory, tortoiseshell, panther skins
and ambergris; besides, they wanted to capture men of Zanj, who are
strong and able to stand hard labor. They said their voyage lasted a
year…. If these men were telling the truth when they said they had
sailed for a year, then Ibn Lakis was right when he says the islands of
Waqwaq are opposite China.
De Goeje, who knew this text and was still
convinced that Waqwaq was Japan, tried without success to find
historical evidence of a Japanese naval assault on East Africa in 945.
The French scholar Gabriel Ferrand, who first identified Waqwaq with
Madagascar, then with Sumatra, wondered with more reason if this were
not an account of an Indonesian attack on Madagascar and the East
African coast, or even a memory of the aggressive migration of speakers
of Austronesian languages from the Indonesian archipelago to Madagascar.
(See page 16, “The Question of Madagascar.”)
Al-Biruni, who wrote his wonderful book Kitab al-Hind (The Book of India)
in AD 1000 based largely on Sanskrit sources, mentions a country where
people are born from trees and hang suspended from the branches by their
navels. Perhaps the waqwaq tree too goes back to a Sanskrit source, and
the Arab tales of Waqwaq are themselves a faint memory of a time when
the Indonesian archipelago was in the cultural orbit of Hindu–Buddhist
culture.
The story of the waqwaq tree traveled westward,
like many other oriental stories, appearing in at least one of the
surviving manuscripts of the 14th-century traveler Friar Odoric and in
one of the many medieval French romances of Alexander the Great. Its
final appearance dates from 1685, when all the mysteries of the Indian
Ocean had long faded in the light of pragmatic European accounts. It
occurs in the Safinat Sulayman (The Ship of Solomon), an
account of a Persian embassy to Siam (now Thailand) written by a scribe
who accompanied the mission. He says he heard it from a Dutch captain:
Once on our way to China we dropped anchor in
the bay of an island to avoid a heavy storm. There was a strange
collection of people inhabiting the island who only barely resembled
human beings. Their feet were three cubits long and just as wide and
they were completely nude and had very long hair. At night they all
climbed to the top of their own trees in the jungle, even the women, who
bore their children with them under their arms. Once up in the tree
they would tie their hair to a branch and hang there all night resting.
Nothing shows the medley of cultures of the Indian
Ocean so well as the story of the waqwaq tree: It probably originated in
a Sanskrit Hindu text, was told in the eighth century to a Chinese
envoy by an Arab sailor, was brought to Europe by a Franciscan friar and
was retold by a Dutch sea captain to a Persian envoy to the king of
Siam.
http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/mysteries/reports/ceylon-cosmography.html
Sinbad the Sailor
Some splendid applications of these cosmographic
principles are found in the , great compendium of traditional Arabic
storytelling, the Alf Laylah Wa Laylah or 'Thousand and One Nights'. In it, the unanimity (Sanskrit: mahasammata) of
traditional thought clearly expresses itself for those who hold the
metaphorical key to the Kingdom, while those who do not are both
entertained, and elevated merely by hearing and appreciating. Because of
the simplicity, beauty and elegance of its treatment of Lanka or
Serendib and because of its usual dismissal at the hands of 'serious'
modern people, it is worthwhile here to have a second look at the case
of Sinbad the Sailor.
Sinbad, the narrator and protagonist of his own
strange and wonderful adventures, is reputed to have been a
highly-successful merchant-seafarer during the caliphate of Harun er-Rashid.
A native of Baghdad, he once agreed to narrate the story of his life
'so that all might know his strange adventures and conjecture no longer
as to the source of his marvelous wealth' (my italics).
Sinbad proceeds to relate the story of his Seven
Marvelous Voyages of profit and adventure of which, he tells us, each
one was more marvelous than the one before it. The first five journeys
are truly bizarre storybook adventures in mythical lands and oceans
teeming with wonders.
But his most wonderful journey of all, Sinbad claims,
were those to Serendib, the sixth and seventh voyages. And yet these
greatest of marvels, unlike his earlier escapades, together form an
entirely plausible scenario of two successive visits to Serendib from
Baghdad. For the high point of all the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor
was his service and friendship to the King of Serendib, 'whose name and
power and learning are known through all the earth',
Serendib, Sinbad the Sailor informs us, is a kingdom
of unrivalled splendor and magnificence. There the day and night are
equally divided the whole year round and, when the sun rises, its light
bursts suddenly upon the earth. There the fragrance of spices fills the
air and rare jewels glitter in the streams of a lofty mountain (i.e. Adam's Peak).
But when Sinbad and his seafaring companions first
land in Serendib, they find 'themselves shipwrecked and hemmed in by
impassable mountains. One by one his shipmates die of tropical fever
until Sinbad alone remains literally to dig his own grave and wait for
the end to come. But Sinbad's kismat or destiny is
otherwise. Driven to the brink of madness, he relates how at that very
point he discovers a river that he had not seen before, one that comes
gushing forth from out of one mountain and into another .
With little to lose but his own life, Sinbad builds a
raft for himself and his precious goods. Lashed to the raft, he boldly
enters the torrent and is hurtled wildly into the dark mountain depths
until he passes out from sheer terror.
When Sinbad awakes, he finds himself still lying upon
the raft. But the sun is shining upon him, tropical birds are singing,
and there are trees on all sides. He is floating upon a lake and
dark-skinned, long-haired inhabitants are gathering on the shore. They
speak in a language strange to Sinbad, but one of them steps forward and
welcomes him in his native Arabic. He is soon plied with island
hospitality and asked to relate his story. Filled with wonder at
Sinbad's adventures, they urge him to meet the King of Serendib and
relate such wonders to His Majesty.
Sinbad does encounter the world-renowned monarch, and
from his grace and magnificence he knows that he is in the presence of
.the King of Serendib himself. Marveling at Sinbad's story, the King
addressed him in Arabic, saying "Thou art greatly favored by destiny;
wherefore I join my happiness with thine at thy deliverance and safety".
Sinbad further relates that: "The delights of this realm herd me
enthralled for a long time, so that I forgot my own country... But, on a
day when I ascended the high mountain and looked far out across the
sea, I seemed to hear the voice of my own land calling to me. Then, with
that far call still in my ears, I went to the King and asked him to let
me go. At first he demurred... but when I pressed for his permission,
he relented and gave me a large sum of money for my journey, and also
many gifts." (my italics)
The King's gifts to Sinbad are fabulous indeed, but
most fabulous of all, we are told, is the gift of a jeweled goblet or
grail that Sinbad is to deliver to the Caliph of Baghdad together with a
message of friendship and goodwill. He returns home to a warm welcome
from the Caliph Harun-er-Rashid, who is himself the protagonist of many
stories of wisdom and who later dispatches Sinbad back to see the King
of Serendib for his seventh and ultimate voyage.
Apart from revealing an actual familiarity with the
geographical Lanka or Serendib, the story of Sinbad the Sailor also
betrays an intimate knowledge on the storyteller's part of the
principles applicable to Lankan cosmography down the ages. Particularly,
the metaphorical dimensions of Sinbad's meeting and befriending the
legendary King of Serendib to become his messenger and ambassador to the
Caliph of Baghdad and all the Arab world deserve deep reflection. Like
another gem of middle eastern lore, 'Attar's poem 'The Conference of the
Birds', the marvelous journey to meet the King of Paradise is also an
allegory mapping the yearning soul's journey to meet its Lord.
Sinbad the Sailor's fabulous story is of special
interest to students of cosmography, for within it he confides to
listeners a description not only of what (or who) is to be found in this
enchanted Serendib, but more importantly how to arrive there and find
it, i.e. 'the source of his marvelous wealth'. He tells, for example,
how he had to survive many adventures only to reach the point of despair
and certain death before plunging into the magical living waters that
would whirl him deep beneath the surface to emerge into an entirely
different world of staggering wealth and felicity.
In this fashion, Sinbad's account of Serendib is
fully in agreement with the principles employed down the ages by ancient
cosmographers to paint an in-depth picture of Lanka. Simultaneously,
they sought to describe both the inner and outer journeys of adventure
and discovery for which this island is so famous the world over.
The same 'shining point' at the center of the outer
geographical world was clearly seen to be a functional analogue, and
therefore a magical gateway of sorts, to the much greater Lanka hidden
within the human heart. That Lanka, still very much alive and reachable,
is the real source of marvelous wealth, mystery and majesty
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"Where is Tarshish and Ophir"
During the early period of European colonization, the Biblical lands
of Tarshish and Ophir, or Tarsis and Ofir, as they were called, held
the imagination of European explorers. Not only was it believed that
the "lost tribes" of Israel were to be found in these lands, but also
untold wealth. To these kingdoms King Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre
sent ships for trade that "brought from Ophir great plenty of almug
trees, and precious stones," (I Kings 10:11). Concerning Tarshish it
is written: "Fro the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants
of Hiram: every three years once came the shop sof Tarshish bringing
gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacock." (II Chronicles 9:21)
In Samuel Purchas's well-known travel compendium Purchas His Pilgrim,
he devotes the entire first chapter to a discussion of Tarshish and
Ophir. In particular, he argues strenously that it is beloved Britain
and not Spain that deserved the title as the modern Tarshish and
Ophir. Curiously, in Careri's journal of his visit to the Philippines,
he mentions that he would not go into the argument raging in Europe at
that time over whether the Philippines was originally populated by the
descendants of Biblical Tarshish.
In modern times, scholars have attempted to relate Tarshish and Ophir
with a number of areas, none of which include the Philippines.
However, things were different in Europe prior to the discovery of the
Philippines. There, they believed that Tarsis and Ofir were some lands
far to the east of biblical Israel. Their reasoning was actually quite
logical. King Solomon built the port from which ships departed for
Tarsis and Ofir at Ezion-Geber on the coast of the Red Sea. The return
journey took about three years, so obviously the location must be
somewhere far to the East. In modern times, some scholars have tried
to suggest that Solomon's navy circumnavigated Africa to reach the
Mediterranean, but the seafaring Europeans of those times would not
consider such nonsense. Tarsis and Ofir were unknown lands beyond the
Golden Chersonese of Ptolemy. Their discovery would undoubtedly bring
untold wealth and great fame in the minds of the people of those
times.
But what, one may ask, has this to do with the Philippines? The truth
is that the search for Tarsis and Ofir was directly related to the
"discovery" of these islands by Magellan!
______________________________________
Magellan and the Search for Ophir
Magellan's contemporary, Duarte Barbosa, wrote that the people of
Malacca (in modern Malaysia) had described to him an island group
known as the Lequios whose people were as "rich and more eminent than
the Chins (Chinese)," and that traded "much gold, and sliver in bars,
silk, rich cloth, and much very good wheat, beautiful porcelains and
many other merchandises."
However, Barbosa was not the only one to mention the Lequios during
Magellan's time. About a decade after Magellan's voyage, Ferdinand
Pinto had wrote in his journal of the experience of his crew and
himself after being shipwrecked on the Lequios! Pinto was traveling
through the Malay Archipelago at the time and he describes the Lequios
islands as belonging to large group of islands many of which were rich
in gold and silver. He mentions that at that time the Portugese were
familiar with Japan and China, and also with the island of "Mindanaus"
or Mindanao, so the Lequois islands must have been somewhere between
these two areas. Furthermore, Pinto even goes as far as to give the
exact latitude of the main Lequios island. He states that is was
situated at 9N20 latitude and that the island was on a merdian similar
to that of Japan.
Now, in Magellan's time all exploration was done by latitude sailing
and dead reckoning, as no navigational clocks were in use. Latitude
sailing required fixing one's latitude precisely by means of an
astrolabe. Longitude could only be approximated roughly by using a
patent log to track the distance the ship has travelled in any
particular direction. When Magellan began to suspect he was nearing
the region of the Moluccas he deliberately steered on a north course
and then turned westward at a latitude of 13 degrees North according
to both Pigafetta and Albo. Pigafetta states that the reason was to
get near the port of "Gaticara" which was the Cattigara mentioned by
Ptolemy. In the book, Magellan's Voyage around the World, the author,
Charles E. Nowell, offers another possible reason for Magellan
steering so far to the north of the Moluccas. He notes that Magellan
himself had rewrote part of Barbosa's book referring to the Lequios,
and in his version Magellan substituted "Tarsis" and "Ofir" for the
world "Lequios."
Although these lands are not mentioned in Magellan's contract, less
than six years after his voyage, Sebastian Cabot signed a contract
with Spain which did have as one of its objectives the "lands of
Tarshish and Ophir." Magellan had been to Malacca himself, and
probably many have heard of the community of Filipino workers and
merchants that lived there under the protection of the king of
Malacca. Probably many of you already know of the theory that Black
Henry, the slave Magellan purchased at Malacca, may have belonged to
the Filipino community of Malacca as he was able to speak with the
natives at Limasawa. Whatever the case, we know from his own pen that
Magellan thought the Lequios islands might be the same as the Biblical
Tarsis and Ofir, and it may be that his idea of the position of the
Lequios was partly shaped by Barbosa's book, and partly by information
he may have received from Filipinos in Malacca. Was the fact that
Black Henry was able to converse with the people living at the
latitude given by Pinto (but not with the people of Samar or Leyte) a
coincidence, or something planned in advance from information gleaned
in Malacca?
Even after their discovery, many still regarded the Philippines, rich
in gold and silver, to be the same as ancient Tarsis and Ofir. Father
Colin, referred to them as such in the early 1600's and even at the
turn of the century, the Philippine historian Pedro Paterno, still
claimed that the Philippines were really Tarshish and Ophir! Whatever
one thinks of these claims though, the search for the Biblical El
Dorado appears to have played an important role in the European
discovery of the Philippines.
of Tarshish and Ophir, or Tarsis and Ofir, as they were called, held
the imagination of European explorers. Not only was it believed that
the "lost tribes" of Israel were to be found in these lands, but also
untold wealth. To these kingdoms King Solomon and King Hiram of Tyre
sent ships for trade that "brought from Ophir great plenty of almug
trees, and precious stones," (I Kings 10:11). Concerning Tarshish it
is written: "Fro the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants
of Hiram: every three years once came the shop sof Tarshish bringing
gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacock." (II Chronicles 9:21)
In Samuel Purchas's well-known travel compendium Purchas His Pilgrim,
he devotes the entire first chapter to a discussion of Tarshish and
Ophir. In particular, he argues strenously that it is beloved Britain
and not Spain that deserved the title as the modern Tarshish and
Ophir. Curiously, in Careri's journal of his visit to the Philippines,
he mentions that he would not go into the argument raging in Europe at
that time over whether the Philippines was originally populated by the
descendants of Biblical Tarshish.
In modern times, scholars have attempted to relate Tarshish and Ophir
with a number of areas, none of which include the Philippines.
However, things were different in Europe prior to the discovery of the
Philippines. There, they believed that Tarsis and Ofir were some lands
far to the east of biblical Israel. Their reasoning was actually quite
logical. King Solomon built the port from which ships departed for
Tarsis and Ofir at Ezion-Geber on the coast of the Red Sea. The return
journey took about three years, so obviously the location must be
somewhere far to the East. In modern times, some scholars have tried
to suggest that Solomon's navy circumnavigated Africa to reach the
Mediterranean, but the seafaring Europeans of those times would not
consider such nonsense. Tarsis and Ofir were unknown lands beyond the
Golden Chersonese of Ptolemy. Their discovery would undoubtedly bring
untold wealth and great fame in the minds of the people of those
times.
But what, one may ask, has this to do with the Philippines? The truth
is that the search for Tarsis and Ofir was directly related to the
"discovery" of these islands by Magellan!
______________________________________
Magellan and the Search for Ophir
Magellan's contemporary, Duarte Barbosa, wrote that the people of
Malacca (in modern Malaysia) had described to him an island group
known as the Lequios whose people were as "rich and more eminent than
the Chins (Chinese)," and that traded "much gold, and sliver in bars,
silk, rich cloth, and much very good wheat, beautiful porcelains and
many other merchandises."
However, Barbosa was not the only one to mention the Lequios during
Magellan's time. About a decade after Magellan's voyage, Ferdinand
Pinto had wrote in his journal of the experience of his crew and
himself after being shipwrecked on the Lequios! Pinto was traveling
through the Malay Archipelago at the time and he describes the Lequios
islands as belonging to large group of islands many of which were rich
in gold and silver. He mentions that at that time the Portugese were
familiar with Japan and China, and also with the island of "Mindanaus"
or Mindanao, so the Lequois islands must have been somewhere between
these two areas. Furthermore, Pinto even goes as far as to give the
exact latitude of the main Lequios island. He states that is was
situated at 9N20 latitude and that the island was on a merdian similar
to that of Japan.
Now, in Magellan's time all exploration was done by latitude sailing
and dead reckoning, as no navigational clocks were in use. Latitude
sailing required fixing one's latitude precisely by means of an
astrolabe. Longitude could only be approximated roughly by using a
patent log to track the distance the ship has travelled in any
particular direction. When Magellan began to suspect he was nearing
the region of the Moluccas he deliberately steered on a north course
and then turned westward at a latitude of 13 degrees North according
to both Pigafetta and Albo. Pigafetta states that the reason was to
get near the port of "Gaticara" which was the Cattigara mentioned by
Ptolemy. In the book, Magellan's Voyage around the World, the author,
Charles E. Nowell, offers another possible reason for Magellan
steering so far to the north of the Moluccas. He notes that Magellan
himself had rewrote part of Barbosa's book referring to the Lequios,
and in his version Magellan substituted "Tarsis" and "Ofir" for the
world "Lequios."
Although these lands are not mentioned in Magellan's contract, less
than six years after his voyage, Sebastian Cabot signed a contract
with Spain which did have as one of its objectives the "lands of
Tarshish and Ophir." Magellan had been to Malacca himself, and
probably many have heard of the community of Filipino workers and
merchants that lived there under the protection of the king of
Malacca. Probably many of you already know of the theory that Black
Henry, the slave Magellan purchased at Malacca, may have belonged to
the Filipino community of Malacca as he was able to speak with the
natives at Limasawa. Whatever the case, we know from his own pen that
Magellan thought the Lequios islands might be the same as the Biblical
Tarsis and Ofir, and it may be that his idea of the position of the
Lequios was partly shaped by Barbosa's book, and partly by information
he may have received from Filipinos in Malacca. Was the fact that
Black Henry was able to converse with the people living at the
latitude given by Pinto (but not with the people of Samar or Leyte) a
coincidence, or something planned in advance from information gleaned
in Malacca?
Even after their discovery, many still regarded the Philippines, rich
in gold and silver, to be the same as ancient Tarsis and Ofir. Father
Colin, referred to them as such in the early 1600's and even at the
turn of the century, the Philippine historian Pedro Paterno, still
claimed that the Philippines were really Tarshish and Ophir! Whatever
one thinks of these claims though, the search for the Biblical El
Dorado appears to have played an important role in the European
discovery of the Philippines.
Chryse, the "Golden One," is the name given by ancient Greek writers
to an island rich in gold to the east of India. Pomponius Mela,
Marinos of Tyre and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mention Chryse
in the first century CE. It is basically the equivalent of the Indian
Suvarnadvipa the "Island of Gold." Josephus calls it in Latin Aurea,
and equates the island with biblical Ophir, from where the ships of
Tyre and Solomon brought back gold and other trade items.
to an island rich in gold to the east of India. Pomponius Mela,
Marinos of Tyre and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mention Chryse
in the first century CE. It is basically the equivalent of the Indian
Suvarnadvipa the "Island of Gold." Josephus calls it in Latin Aurea,
and equates the island with biblical Ophir, from where the ships of
Tyre and Solomon brought back gold and other trade items.
Chryse is often coupled with another island Argyre the "Island of
Silver" and placed beyond the Ganges. Ptolemy locates both islands
east of the Khruses Kersonenson the "Golden Peninsula" i.e. the Malaya
Penisula. North of Chryse in the Periplus was Thin, which some
consider the first European reference to China.
Silver" and placed beyond the Ganges. Ptolemy locates both islands
east of the Khruses Kersonenson the "Golden Peninsula" i.e. the Malaya
Penisula. North of Chryse in the Periplus was Thin, which some
consider the first European reference to China.
In addition to gold, Chryse was also famed for having the finest
tortoise shell in the world according to the Periplus. Large ships
brought trade goods back and forth between Chryse and the markets at
the mouth of the Ganges.
tortoise shell in the world according to the Periplus. Large ships
brought trade goods back and forth between Chryse and the markets at
the mouth of the Ganges.
Chin-lin
In ancient Chinese literature, a mysterious region beyond their
southern border in Annam was known as Chin-lin "Golden Neighbor" and
the Southeast Asian border was also called the "Golden Frontier."
southern border in Annam was known as Chin-lin "Golden Neighbor" and
the Southeast Asian border was also called the "Golden Frontier."
When China invaded Annam (northern Vietnam) in the first century BCE,
the kingdom of Champa fortified villages along the old caravan trail.
This path became Route Colonial 9 during the French colonial period,
and it was used by the Americans to build the McNamara Line of
fortified bases during the Vietnam War.
the kingdom of Champa fortified villages along the old caravan trail.
This path became Route Colonial 9 during the French colonial period,
and it was used by the Americans to build the McNamara Line of
fortified bases during the Vietnam War.
With this fortified line, the rugged Central Highlands and a policy of
constant piracy, the Champa kingdom held the Chinese at bay for a
thousand years. After the fall of the Chin dynasty in the 5th century,
Cham raids on Tongking became so frequent that the governor appealed
to the emperor for assistance. A war of attrition between China and
Champa began that lasted until the rise of the T'ang dynasty.During
this time though, China was well aware of the golden lands far to the
south. The Buddhist pilgrim I-Tsing mentions Chin-Chou "Isle of Gold"
in the archipelago south of China on his way back from India.
constant piracy, the Champa kingdom held the Chinese at bay for a
thousand years. After the fall of the Chin dynasty in the 5th century,
Cham raids on Tongking became so frequent that the governor appealed
to the emperor for assistance. A war of attrition between China and
Champa began that lasted until the rise of the T'ang dynasty.During
this time though, China was well aware of the golden lands far to the
south. The Buddhist pilgrim I-Tsing mentions Chin-Chou "Isle of Gold"
in the archipelago south of China on his way back from India.
Zabag and Wakwak
The kingdoms of Zabag and Wakwak, famed among the medieval Muslims as
rich in gold, referred to the eastern islands of the Malay archipelago
i.e. the Philippines and Eastern Indonesia.
rich in gold, referred to the eastern islands of the Malay archipelago
i.e. the Philippines and Eastern Indonesia.
Zabag was based in what would later become the kingdom of Lusung. In
this sense, the Philippines fits the bill as a gold-rich realm. The
country has consistently ranked second in the world behind only South
Africa in gold deposits per land area. The Philippines has
historically been the largest producer of gold in Asia despite its
relatively small size and the fact that until 1980 most gold was
obtained only through small alluvial deposits.
this sense, the Philippines fits the bill as a gold-rich realm. The
country has consistently ranked second in the world behind only South
Africa in gold deposits per land area. The Philippines has
historically been the largest producer of gold in Asia despite its
relatively small size and the fact that until 1980 most gold was
obtained only through small alluvial deposits.
Although some ancient gold artifacts have been found in this region,
they don't match the age suggested by linguistic reconstruction. Gold
may have been mostly handed down from generation to generation rather
than being used as a burial good item.
they don't match the age suggested by linguistic reconstruction. Gold
may have been mostly handed down from generation to generation rather
than being used as a burial good item.
In about the second century CE, there arose a practice of using gold
eye covers, and then, gold facial orifice covers to adorn the dead
resulting in an increase of ancient gold finds. More than a millennium
later, the popularity of dental gold to decorate the teeth
significantly increased the amount of gold found at archaeological
sites.
eye covers, and then, gold facial orifice covers to adorn the dead
resulting in an increase of ancient gold finds. More than a millennium
later, the popularity of dental gold to decorate the teeth
significantly increased the amount of gold found at archaeological
sites.
When the Spanish came they discovered an abundance of gold used among
the people of the Philippine islands. Here are some relevant quotes:
the people of the Philippine islands. Here are some relevant quotes:
Pieces of gold, the size of walnuts and eggs are found by sifting the
earth in the island of that king who came to our ships. All the dishes
of that king are of gold and also some portion of his house as we were
told by that king himself...He had a covering of silk on his head, and
wore two large golden earrings fastened in his ears...At his side hung
a dagger, the haft of which was somewhat long and all of gold, and its
scabbard of carved wood. He had three spots of gold on every tooth,
and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold.
earth in the island of that king who came to our ships. All the dishes
of that king are of gold and also some portion of his house as we were
told by that king himself...He had a covering of silk on his head, and
wore two large golden earrings fastened in his ears...At his side hung
a dagger, the haft of which was somewhat long and all of gold, and its
scabbard of carved wood. He had three spots of gold on every tooth,
and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold.
--- Pigafetta on Raja Siaui of Butuan during Magellan's voyage
For brass, iron and other weighty articles, they gave us gold in
exchange...For 14 pounds of iron we received 10 pieces of gold, of the
value of a ducat and a half. The Captain General forbade too great an
anxiety for receiving gold, without which order every sailor would
have parted with all he had to obtain this metal, which would have
ruined our commerce forever.
--- Pigafetta on gold trade in Cebu
exchange...For 14 pounds of iron we received 10 pieces of gold, of the
value of a ducat and a half. The Captain General forbade too great an
anxiety for receiving gold, without which order every sailor would
have parted with all he had to obtain this metal, which would have
ruined our commerce forever.
--- Pigafetta on gold trade in Cebu
Sailing in this manner, for some time, in 16° of north latitude, they
were obliged by continual contrary winds, to bear up again for the
Philippine islands, and in their way back, had sight of six or seven
additional islands, but did not anchor at any of them. They found also
an archipelago, or numerous cluster of islands, in 15 or 16 degrees of
north latitude, well inhabited by a white people, with beautiful
well-proportioned women, and much better clothed than in any other of
the islands of these parts; and they had many golden ornaments, which
was a sure sign that there was some of that metal in their country.
were obliged by continual contrary winds, to bear up again for the
Philippine islands, and in their way back, had sight of six or seven
additional islands, but did not anchor at any of them. They found also
an archipelago, or numerous cluster of islands, in 15 or 16 degrees of
north latitude, well inhabited by a white people, with beautiful
well-proportioned women, and much better clothed than in any other of
the islands of these parts; and they had many golden ornaments, which
was a sure sign that there was some of that metal in their country.
--- Antonio Galvão in 1555 describing the journey of Bartholomew de la
Torre in 1548
"...the ore is so rich that I will not write any more about it, as I
might possibly come under a suspicion of exaggerating; but I swear by
Christ that there is more gold on this island than there is iron in
all Biscay."
Torre in 1548
"...the ore is so rich that I will not write any more about it, as I
might possibly come under a suspicion of exaggerating; but I swear by
Christ that there is more gold on this island than there is iron in
all Biscay."
--- Hernando Riquel et al., 1574
In this island, there are many gold mines, some of which have been
inspected by the Spaniards, who say that the natives work them as is
done in Nueva Espana with the mines of silver; and, as in these mines,
the vein of ore here is continous. Assays have been made, yielding so
great wealth that I shall not endeavor to describe them, lest I be
suspected of lying. Time will prove the truth.
In this island, there are many gold mines, some of which have been
inspected by the Spaniards, who say that the natives work them as is
done in Nueva Espana with the mines of silver; and, as in these mines,
the vein of ore here is continous. Assays have been made, yielding so
great wealth that I shall not endeavor to describe them, lest I be
suspected of lying. Time will prove the truth.
--- Hernando Riquel et al. on island of Luzon, 1574
There are some chiefs in this island who have on their persons ten or
twelve thousand ducats' worth of gold in jewels--to say nothing of the
lands, slaves, and mines that they own. There are so many of these
chiefs that they are innumerable. Likewise the individual subjects of
these chiefs have a great quantity of the said jewels of gold, which
they wear on their persons--bracelets, chains, and earrings of solid
gold, daggers of gold, and other very rich trinkets. These are
generally seen among them, and not only the chiefs and freemen have
plenty of these jewels, but even slaves possess and wear golden
trinkets upon their persons, openly and freely.
twelve thousand ducats' worth of gold in jewels--to say nothing of the
lands, slaves, and mines that they own. There are so many of these
chiefs that they are innumerable. Likewise the individual subjects of
these chiefs have a great quantity of the said jewels of gold, which
they wear on their persons--bracelets, chains, and earrings of solid
gold, daggers of gold, and other very rich trinkets. These are
generally seen among them, and not only the chiefs and freemen have
plenty of these jewels, but even slaves possess and wear golden
trinkets upon their persons, openly and freely.
--- Guido de Lavezaris at al., 1574
About their necks they wear gold necklaces, wrought like spun wax, and
with links in our fashion, some larger than others. On their arms they
wear armlets of wrought gold, which they call calombigas, and which
are very large and made in different patterns. Some wear strings of
precious stones--cornelians and agates; and other blue and white
stones, which they esteem highly. They wear around the legs some
strings of these stones, and certain cords, covered with black pitch
in many foldings, as garters.
with links in our fashion, some larger than others. On their arms they
wear armlets of wrought gold, which they call calombigas, and which
are very large and made in different patterns. Some wear strings of
precious stones--cornelians and agates; and other blue and white
stones, which they esteem highly. They wear around the legs some
strings of these stones, and certain cords, covered with black pitch
in many foldings, as garters.
-- Antonio de Morga, 1609
"... the natives proceed more slowly in this ,and content themselves
with what they already possess in jewels and gold ingots handed down
from antiquity and inherited from their ancestors. This is
considerable, for he must be poor and wrethced who has no gold chains,
calombigas, and earrings."
with what they already possess in jewels and gold ingots handed down
from antiquity and inherited from their ancestors. This is
considerable, for he must be poor and wrethced who has no gold chains,
calombigas, and earrings."
-- Antonio de Morga, 1609
The Portugese explorer Pedro Fidalgo in 1545 found gold so abundant on
Luzon the inhabitants were willing to trade two pezoes of gold for one
pezo of silver.
Luzon the inhabitants were willing to trade two pezoes of gold for one
pezo of silver.
When the Portuguese first arrived, most of the gold traded into Brunei
came from Luzon. That island was known as Lusung Dao or "Golden Luzon"
to the Chinese who also traded for gold in this region.
came from Luzon. That island was known as Lusung Dao or "Golden Luzon"
to the Chinese who also traded for gold in this region.
References:
Legeza, Laszlo. "Tantric Elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold
Art," Arts of Asia, July-Aug. 1988, pp.129-136. (Mentions gold jewelry
of Philippine origin in first century CE Egypt)
Peralta, J.T. "Prehistoric gold ornaments from the Central Bank of the
Philippines," Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54.Villegas, Ramon N. Ginto:
History Wrought in Gold, Manila: Bangko Central ng Pilipinas, 2004.
Mines Dating Back to at Least 1,000 B.C. Have Been Found in the Philippines Legeza, Laszlo. "Tantric Elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold
Art," Arts of Asia, July-Aug. 1988, pp.129-136. (Mentions gold jewelry
of Philippine origin in first century CE Egypt)
Peralta, J.T. "Prehistoric gold ornaments from the Central Bank of the
Philippines," Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54.Villegas, Ramon N. Ginto:
History Wrought in Gold, Manila: Bangko Central ng Pilipinas, 2004.
According to De Morga: (1,000 B.C. is when King Solomon's navy of
ships going to Ophir for gold)
Mines dating back to at least 1,000 B.C. have been found in the
Philippines. When the Spanish arrived the Filipinos worked various
mines of gold, silver, copper and iron. They also seemed to have
worked in brass using tin that was likely imported from the Malay
Peninsula. The iron work in particular was said to be of very high
quality in some cases, and occasionally in some areas, even better
than that found in Europe.
When the Spanish arrived, the Philippines was so gilded with gold that
most of the gold mines had been neglected. "... the natives proceed
more slowly in this, and content themselves with what they already
possess in jewels and gold ingots handed down from antiquity and
inherited from their ancestors. This is considerable, for he must be
poor and wrethced who has no gold chains, calombigas, and earrings."
As the missionary Francisco Colín wrote in 1663:
In the punishment of crimes of violence the social rank of the slayer
and slain made a great deal of difference. If the slain was a chief,
all his kinsfolk took the warpath against the slayer and his kinfolk,
and this state of war continued until arbiters were able to determine
the amount of gold which had to be paid for the killing… The death
penalty was not imposed by public authority save in cases where both
the slayer and slain were commoners, and the slayer could not pay the
blood price.
Blair and Robertson, Vol. II, p. 116.
Legazpi describes one of the "Moro" pilots captured from Butuan:
"...a most experienced man who had much knowledge, not only of matters
concerning these Filipinas Islands, but those of Maluco, Borney,
Malaca, Jaba, India, and China, where he had had much experience in
navigation and trade."
According to Pigafetta:
However, things seem to already diminished from Pigafetta's time:
"On the island [Butuan] where the king came to the ship, pieces of
gold as large as walnuts or eggs are to be found, by sifting the
earth. All the dishes of the king are of gold, and his whole house is
very well set up."
Pigafetta goes on to describe the huge gold ornaments, gold dagger
handles, tooth plating and even gold that was used to decorate the
outside of houses! On the gold work of the Filipinos is this
description of the people of Mindoro: ( copied by Israel recorded in
1Chronicles 29:4 Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of
Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the
walls of the houses withal)
"...they possess great skill in mixing it [gold] with other metals.
They give it an outside appearance so natural and perfect, and so fine
a ring, that unless it is melted they can deceive all men, even the
best of silversmiths."
Arts of Asia, Jul-Aug 1988, p. 131
Arts of Asia 1981, no.4, p.54
Apparently, even foreigners desired Filipino gold products. Recent
discoveries show that gold jewelry of Philippine origin was found in
Egypt near the beginning of the era. These finds are mentioned in
Laszlo Legeza's "Tantric elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold
Art," (Arts of Asia, Jul-Aug 1988, p. 131) along a discussion of
Philippine Tantric art. Some outstanding examples of Philippine
jewelry, which included necklaces, belts, armlets and rings placed
around the waist, are showcased in J. T. Peralta's "Prehistoric gold
ornaments from the Central Bank of the Philippines," Arts of Asia
1981, no.4, p.54.
Luzon Empire
LUCOES or LEQUIOS ISLANDS
Luzon Empire according to Chinese historians
Luzon Empire (1279-1571 AD) was an ancient empire once located around
Manila bay region of the Philippines. Its capital was Tondo, its
territories covered most of what is now Central Luzon, extending from
delta region that surrounds Manila Bay, all the way into the interior
along head waters of the surrounding rivers in the province of
Pampanga, Bulakan (covered part now Rizal).
The history of Song Dynasty was compiled under Mongol Prime Minister
Toktoghan in 1345 AD. In it the Mongols recount tha final and complete
destruction of Nan song (southern song Empire) (1127-1279 AD), where
in 1279 AD the Mongol Fleet crushed the Nan Song Navy at the Naval
battle of Yamen. The loyal Minister of the Left Liu Xiufu committed
suicide with last Na Song Emperor, the children Songdi Bing rather
than be captured by the Mongols.
The Grand Admiral Zhang Shijie escaped with his grand armada but were
later annihilated by a typhoon while crossing the seas.
Alternative source refute the accounts of the destruction of Zhang
Shijie's grand armada as nothing more than Mongol propaganda since
there were no eyewitness accounts of its destruction nor were there
traces left of its remains. For most historians, the fate of Zhang
shijie and his grand armada remains a mystery.
Contemporary Chinese historians in Guangdong are now even questioning
the Mongolian accounts regarding Emperor Bing's death. Even though
Mongol sources claimed that the corpse of the last emperor has been
found washed ashore along the coast of Shenzen, his actual grave is
yet to be found. Cantonese folklore expressed in the ttraditional
Cantonese opera narrates an alternative account where the loyal
Minister Liu Xiufu tricked the Mongols by committing suicide with his
own son disguised as the young emperor. The real emperor was said to
have been smuggled out of the scene of battle by Grand Admiral Zhang
Shijie, who will eventually return to redeem the empire from the
invaders. The Travel of Marco Polo also recounts the escape of the
last song emperor across the ocean. Zhang Shijie's fleet and the last
song emperor may have escaped to pre-colonial Philippines and
established the Luzon Empire or the 'Lesser Song Empire".
Despite the conjectures regarding its origins, the Ming Annals are
clear on the actual existence of the Luzon Empire. It records that in
1373 AD, the Luzon Empire sent its first among the many succeeding
diplomat mission to the Great Ming Empire (1368-1644 AD), accompanied
by the embassies of India's Chola Empire.
The Ming chroniclers added the character for "kingdom"of "empire"
(pinyin: GuU) after Luzon (Lusong), indicating that it was once an
independent and sovereign kingdom. Her rulers were acknowledged as
king and not mere chieftains. The Ming empire treated the Luzon Empire
more favorably than Japan by allowing it to trade with china once
verey two years, while Japan was only allowed to trade once every 11
years.
Luzon empire flourished during the latter half of the Ming Dynasty
when China closed its doors to foreign trade. Foreigners were
forbidden to send trade missions to China. Chinese merchants were
likewise forbidden to trade beyond the borders of the Ming Empire. Yet
clandestinely, merchants from Guangzhou and Quanzhou regularly
delivered trade goods to Tondo. Luzon merchants then traded them all
across Southeast Asia and were considered "Chinese" by the people they
encountered.
The Portuguese who came to Asia much earlier than the Spaniards
recorded their encounter with the inhabitants of the Luzon empire and
called them 'Lucoes'. The Portuguese records that the Luzon Empire
played an active role in the politics and economy of the 16th century
Southeast Asia, especially in controlling the trade traffic at the
Straits of Malacca.
The Luzon Empire's powerful presence in the trade of Chinese goods in
16th century East asia was felt strongly by Japan, whose merchants had
to resort to piracy in order to obtain much sought after Chinese
products such as silk and porcelain. Famous 16th century Japanese
merchants and tea connoisseurs like Shimai Soushitsu and Kamiya Soutan
established their branches here. One famous Japanese merchant, Luzon
Sukezaemon, went as far as to change his name from Naya to Luzon.
Tondo (Tungdu in Cantonese) or the 'Eastern Capital' has always been
the traditional capital of the Luzon Empire. Its traditional rulers
were the lakandula (Kapampangan: 'Lord of the Palace'). During the
reign of Paduka Sri Baginda Rajah dan yang di Pertuan Bulkiah
(1485-1521) the Kingdom of Brunai decided to break the Luzon Empire's
monolpoly in the China trade by attacking Tondo and establishing the
city state of Mainl'l, as a Burneian satellite. Anew dynasty under tha
Salalila was established in Manila to challenge the House of Lakand'l,
in Tondo.
When the Spaniards arrived in 1571 AD, the unity of the Luzon Empire
was already threatened by the uneasy alliance of the Three Kings of
Luzon: the Rajah matanda of Sapa, the Lakandula of Tondo and Rajah
Suliman III, the 'rajah muda' or "crown prince" of Mainl'l and
'laxamana' or "grand admiral" of the Macabebe Armada. Powerful states
like Lubao, Betis and Macabebe become bold enough to challenge the
traditional leadership of Tondo and Mainl'l. the Spaniards took
advantage of the chaos, played favourites with one ruler and pitted
them against the other.
Rumor has it that the Spaniards had poisoned the Rajah Matanda of
Mainl'l, so as to win the support of Lakandula of Tondo. Disregarding
the legitimacy of Rajah Suliman III as 'rajah muda', the Spaniards
installed the child Rajah Bago as the new king of Mainl'l.
In 1571, Rajah Suliman III, the 'rajah muda' of mainl'l and laxamana
of the Macabebe armada, challenged the Spaniards to a naval battle at
the estuary of bangkusay. The Spaniards were able to crush Rajah
Suliman III and his Macabebe armada due to the lack of support from
the other rulers of the empire. The Luzon Empire was quickly overtaken
by the Spaniards. Its territories were carved out and distributed as
spoils among themselves. The province of Pampanga was the first
Spanish colonial province carved out of the Luzon Empire and the
people who spoke one language from Tondo to the rest of Pampanga are
now called Kapampangan.
After the collapse of the Luzon empire, the Spaniards were finally
able to create their first colony in Asia, the Philippines, named in
honor of Spanish King Philip II of Spain. The name Luzon was given to
the entire northern Philippine island, in memory of the former Luzon
empire.
The Luzon Empire was said to have finally ended in 1571 AD according
to Spanish records.Yet the fortified cities of Lubao and Betis
continued to thrive as independent principalities of the Luzon Empire
till 1572 AD.
In 1575 AD,the Spaniards executed the child king Rajah Bago and his
cousin Lumanlan. The Lakandula of Tondo also died in the same year.
In 1586 AD, the Spaniards crushed the revolt of former nobles of the
Luzon Empire, in the province of Pampanga. The revolt was based in
Candaba under the leadership of Don Nicolas Mananquete and Don Juan de
Manila.
In 1588 AD, the Spaniards crushed the revolt of the nobles of the
Luzon Empire in Tondo. It was led by the descendants of the Lakandula
and their kinsmen with the assistance of Japanese merchants. Many of
them executed or exiled and their properties confiscated.
In 1590 AD, the King Sattha of Cambodia sent two elephants to the
"King of Luzon" through his Portuguese ambassador and requested the
Luzon Empire's assistance in their battle against Siam. In the same
year the "lords" of the Luzon Empire were said to have been
corresponding with theTaikou-sama of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
begging for assistance to help liberate the Luzon Empire from
Spaniards. Hideyoshi responded by sending a letter to the Spanish
Governor of Manila, demanding that the Spaniards leave Luzon quietly
or else face a full scale invasion that would force them out. I'll
prepared for a Japanese invasion, the Spanish Governor of Manila
decided to appease Hideyoshi by sending gift from the Americas,
including the two elephants sent by the King of Cambodia. The rulers
of the old Luzon Empire who cooperated with the Spanish overlords
became the principalia of the new Spanish colony. To this day, their
descendants still play an influential role in Philippine society.
The study of Philippine history has for many years been Eurocentric,
most Philippine historians have gone as far back at the earliest
Spanish records but have failed to look into the archives of
neighboring countries, such as Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand,
Vietnam, Japan and China. Their dependence on the English language
limits the majority of Philippine historians from accessing volumes of
materials written in Chinese and other Asian languages. As a result,
the history of the Luzon empire remains mythical in their scholastic
psyche and still virtually non-existent in mainstream Philippine
History.
Reference:
(History of the Song) original Chinese text:
http://www.yifan.net/yihe/novels/history/songshiytt/sshi.html
(Ming Annals) original Chinese text:
http://www.yifan.net/yihe/novels/history/msqztyz/ms.html
(Shinsho Taiko-ki) by (Yoshikawa Eiji)
Giles, Herbert allen, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary (1898).
Reprinted by Cheng wen Publishing, Taipe, 1975
Henson, Mariano A. 1965. The Province of Pampanga and its Towns: A.D.
1300-1965, 4th edition revised. Angeles City
Licunan, Virginia Benitez & Jose Llavador Mira, The Philippines Under
Spain: Book IV (1583-1590), The National Trust for Historical and
Cultural Preservation of the Philippines, Quezon City, 1993.
Loarca, Miguel de, Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas, Blair and
Robertson vol.5 p.34-187.
Morga, Antonio de, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, obra publicada en
Mejico el aOo de 1609 nuevamente sacada a Luz y anotado por Jose Rizal
y precedida de un prologo del Prof. Fernando Blumentritt, Impresion al
offset de la Edicion Anatada por Rizal, Paris 1890. Manila: Historico
Nacional, 1991.
Miyamoto, Kazuo, Vikings of the Far East, new York: Vantage Press,
1975,p.88-89. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luzon_Sukezaemon
San Agustin, Gaspar de, Conquistas de las Islas Philipinas 1565-1615,
Translated by Luis Antonio MaOeru, published by Pedro Galende, OSA:
Intramurus, Manila, 1998.
Santiago, Luciano P.R.,The House of Lakandula, Matanda ang Soliman
(1571-1898)" Genealogy and Group Identity, Philippine Quarterly of
Culture and Society 18 (1990).
Scott, William Henry, Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture
and Society, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1994.
Tolentino, Aurelio. 1914. Kasulatang Ginto, Manila: Imprenta y
Litografia de Juan Fajardo.
Yule, Henry (ed), The Travel of Marco Polo, Dover Publications, New York, 1983.
Siuala ding Meangubie/Mike Pangilinan/Shugyousha-Bushido, Aikido,
Iaido Kapampangan National Liberation Advocate 10 ICAL Paper on
Kapampangan Orthography Essays on Kapampangan Nationalism Essays on
Kapampangan Spirituality Essays on Kapampangan Philosophy and Culture
Lusung Empire: Kapampangan & China.
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