6. Don Luis Castilla Offers to Sell Land in Manila (1629)

Abstract

A series of documents from the Archives of the University of Santo Tomás in Manila tell of the attempt by one Luis Castilla, an indigenous Tagalog speaker and member of the local aristocracy or “principalía,” to sell various parcels of land. As one of the oldest surviving examples of legal process in the Philippines, the Castilla dossier speaks of the rapid implantation of Spanish legal culture in Luzon, and of its adaptation to colonial conditions. The documents combine Spanish with Romanized Tagalog and Tagalog written in the native baybayin script, as well as some Chinese characters. They also help us appreciate how the early principalía managed to acquire land in the face of opposition from powerful forces in the Church. Regalado Trota José provides context and comments on the material aspects of the manuscripts.