MINIATURES

Charles II of Spain by Juan Miranda Carreon) Believe it or not, this monarch once ruled a vast empire that includes the Philippines. This is Carlos II (reigned 1665-1700) also known as Carlos "el Hechizado" (the Hexed). A Hapsburg monarch. Scientists and historians of today believes his strange physical features was the result of excessive inbreeding,  since it w as a common practice among the monarchs like the Hapsburg to match cousins to cousins and even uncles to nieces. Carlos II was born physically and mentally disabled, and disfigured. He died without an heir, thereby ending the Hapsburg line and ushering in the reign of the house of Bourbon in Spain and its colonies.     

Ng marating ng mga Griyego sa pamumuno ni "Alexander the Great" ang Persia, Palestina, Arabia at India (ca. 300 BC). Namangha sila sa mga eksotikong pamamaraan ng paghahanda at pagpreserba ng mga lutuin at pagkain ng mga bansang nasakop nila gamit ang mga kilalang "Spices". Ang mga Romano  (Romans) naman ay pinilit alamin ang ruta o "trade routes" ng nasabing kalakal. Subalit noong pa man panahong iyon, kontrolado na ng mga Arabians o Arabo at ilang ilang nasyon sa silangan (East) ang pangangalakal ng mga eksotikong produkto tulad ng "Spices". Ang tanong ng mga Europeo..."Saan nanggaling ito?" Sa kadahilanang mahirap at tila malayo ang pinagkukunan, naging mahal ang presyo ng nasabing spices sa mercado ng Europa. Kadalasan mga hari at mga royalty o yung mga dugong bughaw lamang ang nakakabili at nakagagamit nito. Halimbawa, noong panahong medieval,  ang "Piper Nigrum" - black pepper o paminta ay tinawag na "black gold...

Victorian lamp The Plot Even before international terrorists adopted the horrific tactics of suicide bombers and bomb couriers in their campaigns of vengeance, Philippine national hero José Rizal conceived a plot in his novel El Filibusterismo that involved a catastrophic explosion to ignite a revolution. In Chapters 34 and 35, Simoun arrives at the wedding reception of Juanito Pelaez and Paulita Gomez bearing a seemingly innocuous gift – a lamp. However, concealed within it is a potent explosive: nitroglycerin. The reception takes place at the former residence of the deceased Captain Tiago, which Simoun has meticulously rigged with explosives beforehand. According to his plan, the lamp will remain lit for only twenty minutes before flickering. If anyone attempts to adjust the wick, a catastrophic explosion will ensue, claiming the lives of all those gathered – a significant portion of Manila's elite, including prominent figures from both civil society and the church hierarch...

The Pacific Ocean was once considered a Spanish lake, serving as the "camino real" or royal road for Spanish commercial activities between the Americas and Asia from the 16th to the 19th century. The Caroline Islands, Palau, the Mariana Islands, including Guam, were part of the Spanish East Indies, which were administered by Manila. These islands were also considered a remote outpost for Spaniards working for the Ministry of Overseas Territories (Ministerio de Ultramar). Filipino recruits in the Spanish colonial armies were noted to have served on some of these islands, with one particular account mentioning service on the island of Ponape. Additionally, Guam served as a place of exile for Filipino dissidents. Spanish Decline in the Pacific In the latter half of the 19th century, European powers began to take an interest in the Pacific, recognizing the weakening Spanish control. Germany started to assert its presence in the Western Carolines, which provoked a protest from Spa...

Camilo Polavieja y del Castillo, Marques de Polavieja  (1838–1914) Regarded as a villain in Philippine history for ordering the court-martial and subsequent execution of Jose Rizal, Governor-General Camilo de Polavieja had a brilliant career as a military man. He became Governor-General of the Philippines in a turbulent time, replacing Governor General Ramon Blanco y Arenas . He was known to be favored by the friars. It was said that when Dona Teodora pleaded for Rizal's life, she walked in bend knees in a stair in Malacanang and meeting Polavieja who coldly said to her; He cannot spare the life of this rebel while young Spanish men are dying in battlefields in the hills of Luzon". Another version says that Dona Teodora and a daughter were simply shooed away from the gates of the palace. Polavieja never won the war to pacify the Philippines. In fact,  parts of Cavite were still in rebels' hands when he resigned due to bad health (palusot?). He went home to Spain...

Illustration of the assassination of Canovas by J Passos, J. Cuchy and V. Gines     . It was in one mild summer in the  spa Santa Águeda, in Mondragón, Guipúzcoa, (the Basque region of Spain) when Prime Minister  Antonio Cánovas del Castillo met his brutal end.    The assassin,  Michele Angiolillo, an Italian anarchist, posing as a tourist and traveling with a false identity, was able to approach Canovas and shot the Prime Minister point-blank. Angiolillo was subsequ ently arrested and during the investigation claimed that he acted alone and that the killing was an act of vengeance for the execution and torture of the Montjuich prisoners involved in the Barcelona 1896 Corpus Christi procession bomb attack and for the execution of Filipino patriot Jose P. Rizal. Angiolillo was sentenced to die by "garrotte," which was carried out on August 20, 1897. During the execution, he  was calm and showed no remorse.  Canovas del Castillo would ...

 Manila 1938. Falange gathering with prominent Spanish-Filipinos (Soriano, Zobel, et al.) doing a "saluto romano." Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera (1903-1933) "Falange", the Spanish rightist group, was founded in 1933 by Antonio Primo de Rivera, son of Miguel Primo de Rivera (the Spani sh dictator who was at the Biak Na Bato -- who acted as the Governor General's representative). It was the leading party in Gen Francisco Franco's front in the Spanish Civil War. Many Falange members perished in that war. Falange reached the shores of the Philippines before WWII and recruited prominent names of Filipino of Spanish ancestry in its rank. Among the activities of the ultra-rightist group was to gather support for Gen Francisco Franco and the "nationalist."   In the Philippines, the role of the Falange has left unanswered questions. How much influence did its prominent members had in the government during the com...

The statue of Queen Ysabel II . Inaugurated in Manila on 14, July 1860 (Lithograph by Ramirez y Giraudier)  Ysabel II About 150 years ago, the Philippines had a woman as its ruler, and our forefathers might have indeed shouted, "Viva la Reina!" She reigned during a turbulent and pivotal period, not only for Spain but also for its colonies, including the Philippines. Queen Ysabel II was highly unpopular and was deposed in a revolution led by some of her generals in 1868. Following the queen's downfall and subsequent exile in France, Spain dispatched a liberal Governor-General named Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada to the Philippines. He implemented extensive reforms for the colony and gained the affection of the Filipinos. Regrettably, the Spanish Cortes reinstated the monarchy and selected an Italian nobleman, Amadeo I, as the new king in 1871. De la Torre was recalled, and a new Governor-General named Rafael de Izquierdo y Gutiérrez took his place. Perhaps one of...