KAS 1 Dates

16th and 17th Centuries: Spanish Contact and Religious Transition

  • 1521: Ferdinand Magellan arrives in the archipelago, naming the islands Islas de San Lazaro.

  • April 1521: Magellan’s chaplain gives an image of the Christ child (Santo Niño) to the wife of Rajah Humabon after her baptism, where she is given the Christian name Johanna.

  • April 27, 1521: The Battle of Mactan occurs after Lapu Lapu refuses to surrender; Ferdinand Magellan is killed by a poisoned arrow during the retreat.

  • 1521–1565: A 44-year period of syncretism follows Magellan's departure, during which the local population in Cebu returns to traditional beliefs while continuing to venerate the Santo Niño as an "anito" or "taotao".

  • 1565: Miguel López de Legazpi arrives, initiating formal colonization; his soldiers "rediscover" the Santo Niño image in a Cebuano house.

  • 1570: The Battle of Manila takes place, marking one of the four "true" battles between Filipinos and Spaniards during this era.

  • 1571: The Battle of Bancusay Bay is fought.

  • 1587: The Vicariate of Bataan is founded as part of the Spanish religious administrative structure.

  • 1597: Spanish authorities begin the banishment of babaylans to the countryside to suppress indigenous religious practices.

  • 1604: Pedro Chirino records that the Santo Niño image is being referred to as el partero ("man-midwife") due to its attributed miracles in childbirth.

  • 1604: Missionaries in Tinagon, Visayas, explicitly forbid baylans from performing manganitos (animist rituals) during childbirth.

  • 1676: Historical records document the missionary activities of Domingo Peréz.

18th and 19th Centuries: Economic Shifts and The Rise of Nationalism

  • 1688: Johannes Hofer publishes early studies on "nostalgia" or homesickness, later used by propagandists to describe their displacement in Europe.

  • 1765–1815: The era of the Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco.

  • 1810: The Mexican Revolution begins.

  • 1815: Birth of Apolinario Dela Cruz (Hermano Pule), who later founded the Cofradia de San Jose.

  • 1834: The port of Manila is officially opened to world trade.

  • 1841: Hermano Pule is executed and his body is chopped into pieces by authorities as a warning to his followers.

  • 1850: Birth of Marcelo H. del Pilar in Bulacan.

  • 1855: The port of Sual, Pangasinan is opened to international trade.

  • 1856: Birth of Graciano Lopez Jaena in Iloilo.

  • 1860: The port of Cebu is opened.

  • June 19, 1861: Birth of Jose Rizal in Calamba, Laguna.

  • 1863: Birth of Andres Bonifacio in Tondo.

  • 1863: The Educational Decree of 1863 is introduced, requiring at least one primary school in every town.

  • 1869: The Suez Canal opens, significantly shortening travel time between Spain and the Philippines.

  • 1872: The Cavite Mutiny leads to the execution of the three priests known as Gomburza, serving as a major turning point for Philippine nationalism.

  • 1873: The ports of Iloilo and Legazpi are opened.

  • 1880–1895: The active years of the Propaganda Movement.

  • 1888: Marcelo H. del Pilar flees to Spain to avoid arrest and becomes the editor of La Solidaridad.

  • 1890: While in Belgium, Rizal learns that his relatives and other tenants were dispossessed of their lands in the Hacienda de Calamba case.

  • January 1892: Andres Bonifacio begins formulating the initial ideas for a revolutionary organization.

  • July 1892: Jose Rizal returns to the Philippines and founds La Liga Filipina.

  • July 1892: Shortly after Rizal's arrival, the Katipunan (KKK) is formally organized in the house of Diodata Arellano.

  • 1894: Andres Bonifacio marries Gregoria de Jesus, who becomes a vital member and soldier of the revolution.

  • March 1896: Membership in the Katipunan increases significantly following the release of the newspaper Kalayaan.

  • August 1896: The Philippine Revolution breaks out, marked by the tearing of cedulas.

  • December 30, 1896: The execution of Jose Rizal at Bagumbayan.

  • 1897: The death of Andres Bonifacio