MINIATURES

The modern circus of the 19th Century In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the modern circus—born from Europe’s equestrian shows and America’s traveling spectacles—sailed across oceans and found a home in the colonial port cities of Asia. Manila audiences embraced the circus as a popular form of entertainment, eager to see marvels that broke the routine of daily life. The first major circus to arrive in Manila was Giuseppe Chiarini’s Royal Spanish Circus. Chiarini, an Italian equestrian born in Rome in 1823, had built a global reputation as a horse trainer and impresario. By the mid-1850s, he managed his own shows and founded Chiarini’s Royal Spanish Circus, known for disciplined horsemanship. He toured the Caribbean and Latin America, famously building a 3,000-seat amphitheater in Mexico City and performing for Emperor Maximilian. Giuseppe Chiarini (1823-1897) In June 1882, Chiarini brought his circus to Manila, erecting his large tent in the Barrio de la Concepción, near tod...

        In an article from the Gaceta de Manila —the official newspaper of the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines—one can read a public announcement regarding a subasta pública (public bidding) for the construction of a river ferry crossing ( balsa ) along the shores of Malapad-na-Bato, leading to the opposite bank of the river. Here is my translation: “By order of the Director of the Provincial Government, a public auction will be held for the establishment of a ferry crossing in Malapad-na-Bato, town of Pasig, in this province. The project will be awarded to the bidder who submits the best offer. The starting amount for the auction is set at ₱1,250, and it will be gradually reduced in accordance with the terms and conditions stated. The auction will take place before the Board of Provincial Government Auctions, at their office on 29 Palacio Street, precisely at ten o’clock in the morning on the 7th of March. Anyone who wishes to participate ...

  (From the newspaper Münchner Neueste Nachrichten ) Last night, while reading articles on the diplomatic conflict between Spain and Germany in the Pacific islands that began in 1885—known today as the “Caroline Question”—I came across an article in the Münchner Neueste Nachrichten ( Munich Latest News ). The piece is particularly striking, for it contains subtle yet unmistakable criticism of Spain’s misrule in the Philippines. Such a tone is not surprising, given that in the same period the two European powers were engaged in sharp disputes over the Marianas, Caroline Islands, and other Micronesian territories—possessions that were then under Spanish authority administered from Manila, but which Germany began to claim in the mid-1880s. The article also highlighted complaints raised by both Spaniards and native Filipinos regarding the administration of Governor-General Despujol, particularly in matters involving the Catholic Church. In its latter portion, the article mentions José...

I have always associated Taiwan with its old colonial name, Formosa, and with the 17th-century Chinese general, Koxinga. In the early 1600s, Koxinga captured Formosa from the Dutch and used it as a base to challenge Spanish Manila. Meanwhile, the island is also known as the first settlement of Austronesian peoples, who began migrating southward around 3000 BC, eventually reaching the Philippines and spreading across the Pacific. These layers of history—military, colonial, and ancestral—have long shaped my imagination of Formosa, and they set the backdrop for my own journey there. I finally experienced the “Formosa” of my imagination when I was chosen to present my paper the IASPM-SEA - International Association for the Study of Popular Music conference, August 6 to 8, 2025, at National Taiwan University in Taipei, themed “Peripheries, Margins, and Ambiguities Across Borders in Southeast Asia.” My paper discusses on the social realities and struggles of Filipino musicians in the local g...

Prelude-The British Invasion of Manila during the Seven Years’ War Simón de Anda defense of the Philippines against British Indian attacks Alegoría de la defensa de Filipinas The Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) was a global conflict driven by colonial rivalries. In 1762, Spain joined the war on France’s side and attempted to invade Portugal, a British ally. In response, Britain ordered the British East India Company to attack Manila, a Spanish colony in Asia. A diverse British force—over 6,000 strong—led by Brigadier General William Draper and Vice Admiral Samuel Cornish, sailed from Madras, India, to Manila. Their troops included British regulars, Indian Sepoys, African Caffrees, Lascars, Portuguese Topazes, and even French prisoners of war conscripted into British service. At the time, Manila was under the weak leadership of Archbishop Manuel Rojo del Río y Vieyra, who lacked military experience. With no knowledge that war had already begun, the Spanish were caught off guard when the Br...