NOTES

[1] This document is published in Cartas de Indias (pp. 637-652), under the title, “Letter of petition from the bishop of Manila to the president of the Council of the Indias, giving information of the religious condition and needs of the Filipinas Islands; December, 1585.”  This date is incorrect, as shown by the internal evidence of the document itself, and probably arises from some error in the transcription from the original; the cabildo’s letter was dated Dec. 31, 1586, and the bishop’s on June 25, 1588 (incorrectly printed 1585 in Cartas de Indias).  The allusions in this letter indicate that it was addressed to the king, rather than to the president of the council.

[2] Span., ynsigne e siempre leal ciudad de Manilla; see the royal decree conferring this title, in Vol.  III, pp. 250, 251.

[3] Span., naguatatos, originally a Mexican word.

[4] The alcaiceria (silk-market) for the Chinese, where their trade was exclusively carried on, was at first located on the Pasig River, opposite Manila, and was established by Penalosa (1581?).  In 1583 it was brought within the city (Vol.  V, p. 237) by his temporary successor, Diego Ronquillo, and was generally styled “the Parian.”  An interesting description of it is given by Salazar in a document, dated 1590, which appears in the present volume, post.  The Parian was long the property of the city; it was destroyed under Governor Basco y Vargas (1778-87), to make room for other edifices, but was rebuilt by him in another location; it was finally destroyed in 1860.  See Buzeta and Bravo’s Diccionario, ii, p. 229; and Los Chinos en Filipinas (Manila, 1886).

[5] Lake Bombon, or Taal (Vol.  III, p. 82).

[6] We here follow the text as given in Cartas de Indias (dos mill); but this number, if all the Indians in this province were allotted, and the number of those in the royal encomienda is correctly given, should be seven thousand four hundred.

[7] In 1579 Gabriel de Ribera, who had been one of Legazpi’s officers, was sent to conquer Mindanao—­an undertaking, however, which was unsuccessful.  Later, he explored the coasts of Borneo and Patan, and was afterward sent by Penalosa to Spain, to render an account of the conquests thus far made in the Indian archipelago.  As a reward for Ribera’s services, Felipe II conferred upon him the title of Mariscal de Bonbon; it is he who is referred to in our text.

[8] According to U.S.  Philippine Gazetteer (pp. 9, 10, 286), there are now in the province of Ambos Camarines no active volcanoes, although its mountains form a volcanic chain.  The peaks of Labo, Colasi, Isarog, and Iriga are extinct volcanoes, their height ranging from 4,000 to 6,450 feet.

[9] This town was founded by Penalosa (Vol.  V, p. 26), and named for his native town, Arevalo in Castilla.  The former is located a few miles west of Iloilo.