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By One Cordillera. How did Cordillerans show their self-determination during the Spanish colonial period? Spanish records made it clear that the highland mountain-dwellers they called Igorots resisted invasion for almost all of three centuries.

In the late 1590s, the Spaniards were yet to conquer the Igorots despite using tactics such as reduccion (convincing natives to settle in new towns) that was largely effective in other parts of the country.

“The fact is that the Igorots are content, and it costs the missionaries much battling, strife, and diligence to get them out of their lands and make them live among Christians. They give many reasons for not coming down. The towns of the Christians are very hot, there is much smallpox and many epidemics,  there are crimes, robberies, and conflicts between people, and that there are many to give orders and make the poor people work. Much less are the tribute, monopoly, and government officials hidden from them…

In short, they do not envy the products and conveniences of the Christians, and only seek free trade in blankets, G-strings and animals for their gold. And with this alone they keep themselves perfectly happy in their mountains.” Father Francisco Antolin, Dominican friar who studied Igorots and their way of life, wrote in 1789.

The mountains of the Cordillera were rich in gold, however, and this temptation was too much for the Spanish to ignore. Their major attempt at conquering the Igorots through religious crusade in 1601 failed terribly, leading to the death of friar Esteban Marin. This led Spain to send Lieutenant Aranda and an army of indios to capture and enslave every Igorot they could find.  What they did not expect was 3,000 Igorot warriors, with proficient military tactics, to descend on them out of nowhere, decimating the Spanish and indio forces. It was a humiliating defeat.

Though branded as banditry or savagery by Spanish propaganda, it cannot be denied that 𝗜𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱. It was a successful defense too. As renowned historian William Henry Scott writes, by the end of the Spanish regime in the 1890s, their last census listed one-third of the estimated mountain population as 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. #BeInformed #BeEngaged #YesToAutonomy #CordilleraMonth
 
References:
Scott, W. (1972). The Defense of Igorot Independence. Quezon City: Malaya Books Inc.
Limos, M. (2020). The Untold Story of the Igorots' Revolt. The Igorots taught Spain a lesson it would never forget. Esquiremag.ph.

Archival photo by Barton, RF. (1906-1913). Hearst Museum.

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