MINIATURES

Even the candles that burned for long hours in the 17th-century Binondo church were, of course, products of Chinese alchemy. Newly arrived artisans from Amoy (Xiamen) struggled to replicate European faces in their religious statues. Their Madonnas, for instance, bore distinct Chinese features. The Spaniards, equally homesick, craved reminders of their homeland. In an effort to mimic the preserved meats they missed, like jamón, the Chinese adopted new curing techniques. The first bullfight held in Manila was a pale imitation of those held in the Americas. Yet, it wasn't long before enterprising Chinese supplied the event with bulls – a timid crossbreed between Chinese and Mexican stock, as described by Retana. From bookbinders to haberdashers, Chinese immigrants arrived in droves as the silver economy boomed. The lure of Potosi metal, the first truly global currency, doubled the number of Chinese seeking a new life just a two-week junk voyage away. Binondo Canal. Manila 1885 -- I...

Sinasabing sila ang nagkalat ng peste negra o "Black Death" sa Europa noong taong 1348. Isang uri ng kagimbal gimbal na pesteng kumitil sa buhay ng mahigit kumulang 100 milyong katao. Mga simpleng dagang bahay na nagdala ng pulgas na nagsilbing "vector" o tagapagsalin ng mikrobyo ng nasabing peste. Kapag nakagat ka ng pulgas at kumalat ang mikrobyo, hindi ka tatagal ng dalawang araw. Sa un a'y lalagnatin ka. Tutubuan ng bukol na parang pigsa. Babagsak ang katawan. Hindi magtatagal -- Tigok ka! Subalit sa mga Hindu, daga ang kasa kasama ng kanilang diyos na si Ganesha, ginagamit nyang kasangkapan upang sumuot sa kasuluksulukan at kaliit liitan lugar ng alinman daigdig o alin mang labirinto -- sinasabing karakter ng daga bilang hayop na may angking ibang talino. Si Ganesha ay diyos na lumulutas ng mga suliranin at balakid ng sangkatauhan. At sa kanyang papel na ito sa kosmolohiyang Hindu, daga ang kanyang "sidekick". Kay John Steinbeck, sa kanyang obra...

We might not often realize it, but one precious cargo of the Magellan Armada that survives up to now is none other than the Santo Niño of Cebu. In fact it is the only object -- a religious relic, from the great expedition that is still with us. Magellan and his men brought with them merchandise like mirrors, combs, other fancy objects like costumes and fe ather hats etc., obviously to attract the curiosities of the cultures and people they will encounter. Some of these objects were later sold or bartered by the crew for food supplies and also for precious spices. The image of the child Jesus dressed in a 16th century costume, a full regalia for a European child prince was a gift to Humabon's wife , said to be in honor or her baptism. After the horrific massacre of some of Magellan's men in Cebu and the subsequent escape of the armada, nothing was heard of again about the fate of the early Cebuano Christian converts. Until Legazpi arrived in Cebu, four decades later-- 1565 As...