Filipinas - History Lab

Royal Decrees on trade and tonnage

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:11 +0000

Royal decree regulating trade in the Philippines. It summarises how it was ordered up to that time and establishes the new orders: the trade between the islands and New Spain is preserved; the merchandise will not exceed a value of 250,000 pesos, and the return of them will not exceed 500,000; only 4 ships of the King of no more than 200 tons are allowed; the crew they must carry and the necessary controls to avoid losses and fraud are regulated, both in Manila and in Acapulco. Printed. Royal Decree of 23rd May 1620 to Alonso Fajardo de Tenza, Governor of the Philippines, ordering him to observe the provisions of the distribution of tons of the ships in the trade of those islands.

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Dossier on establishing ironworks in the Philippines

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:51 +0000

This is a dossier containing several documents about forge masters and tools for their creation in the colony of the Philippines. The file contains different documents such as: Extracts, Letters, Decrees, Minutes of royal order…

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Dossier on the evangelisation of the Thieves Islands or Mariana Islands

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:51 +0000

The post Dossier on the evangelisation of the Thieves Islands or Mariana Islands first appeared on History Lab.

Jesuit Luis Pimentel’s request for more religious

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:51 +0000

Within the framework of the evangelisation process in the Indies and other Spanish colonies, the Spanish monarchy developed an intense evangelisation process in the Mariana Islands and, by extension, in the Pacific territories under its dominion. In the case of the Philippines, this evangelisation was carried out intensively by Jesuits. In the same way, from the Philippines, the idea of trying to evangelise eastern territories, such as China, was postulated, as requested by Luis Pimentel, procurator general of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines.

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The Venerable Mother Jerónima de la Fuente

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:26 +0000

Velázquez’s portrait of Jerónima de la Fuente was painted just prior to her departure on a long journey that would last a year and three months and take her to the farthest reaches of the Spanish empire to found the first convent of Poor Clares in Manila (Philippines). In the numerous convents in Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries, women of different aspirations and conditions coincided. Many of them were forced to profess because their families did not have the resources to provide them with sufficient dowries for marriage, but the convent could be an opportunity to develop a personal project outside marriage and motherhood, as well as to learn to read and write. Some of them, through their work, foundations and evangelisation, managed to become an active part of the culture of the time, such as Mother Jerónima de la Fuente. On her arrival in the Philippines, she fought to defend the admission of mestizas and women without dowry into the convents, gaining the appreciation of the people by putting the evangelising aim above all considerations of race, creed or economic resources.

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Imperial Relief System. The evolution of military expenditure in the Manila coffers, 1580-1660

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:41 +0000

Spain’s introduction of America into the world system gave birth to the Spanish Empire through the conquest of numerous territories. Parts of Asia also came under the umbrella of the Empire. The Imperial articulation had its enemies at the international level. In the case of the Philippines, between 1600 and 1624, the Dutch Armada carried out nine operations aimed at fragmenting Spain. Important actions such as the bombardment of Iloilo, the siege of Manila in 1616 and the blockade of the city in 1621 and 1624 caused the local economy to suffer considerably. The evolution of military spending showed exponential growth during the first half of the 17th century, a time of increased Dutch pressure. The Philippines, a Spanish sovereign territory that was self-financed by the revenue collected from the Islands, was financially supported by the Empire in what is known as “situados”. A situado was, in the author’s words, the transfer executed from a surplus to a fiscal deficit in the imperial tax pool. Aid to the Philippines from the Mexican viceroyalty was used to finance defence and troop costs. Increased military spending led to the pacification of hostilities by protecting Spanish and Philippine interests in the West Indies.

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Child vaccinators: the feat that brought the smallpox vaccine from Spain halfway around the world

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:06 +0000

Short 5.11 minute video produced by the Department of Microbiology of the University of Seville on the Philanthropic Vaccine Expedition that managed to bring the smallpox vaccine, transported by children, from Spain to different areas of America and Asia as part of the then Spanish empire. It was the first expedition of its kind in human history. The expedition, also known as the Balmis Expedition after the doctor from Alicante, Francisco Javier Balmis, who led it, took place between 1803 and 1806 under the auspices of King Charles IV with funds from the public treasury. In order to preserve the vaccine sample for the duration of the voyage, it was decided that it should be carried by children who were successively inoculated arm in arm during the course of the voyage. Thus, the protagonists of this story were 22 foundlings aged between 3 and 9 from the Foundling Homes in A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Madrid, all of them accompanied by Isabel Zendal Gómez, rector of the A Coruña home and mother of one of the children. With the aim of reaching the general public, the narration is particularly clear in its presentation, with visual resources very suitable for primary and secondary school pupils. In addition, this video aims to raise public awareness of the importance of vaccination, as well as to debunk the myth of ‘anti-vaccination’ and its lack of scientific rigour.

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The Balmis Expedition – RNE Documents

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:06 +0000

Audio documentary 55.45 minutes long, which deals with the Royal Philanthropic Smallpox Vaccine Expedition. Commonly known as the Balmis Expedition, it left the port of A Coruña on 30 November 1803 and lasted for three more years. The vaccine, developed by the Englishman Edward Jenner in 1796, proved to be an effective remedy to contain the spread of the virus. With the aim of eradicating the disease in the Empire and the overseas colonies, the Spanish monarchy, with Charles IV as king, sponsored this ambitious and pioneering scientific-medical project. At its head was Dr. Francisco Javier Balmis y Berenguer. The video provides a well-documented account of the expedition. Twenty-two foundlings and orphans travelled with the medical team, led by Isabel Zendal Gómez, the rector of the Casa de Expósitos in A Coruña. The children, aged between 3 and 9 years, carried the vaccine in their bodies and so would be preserved in good condition until their arrival in America. The method consisted of injecting the vaccine into one child and, when it matured, the pulp was extracted and inoculated into another; in this way, a chain was established that ensured the vaccine fluid. In Venezuela, the team split up: one group, led by Balmis himself, went to Cuba and Mexico, while the other, led by deputy director José Salvany, went to South America. The former reached the Philippines and returned to the Peninsula in 1806, while the latter died before their return. With a script by Elisabeth Norell, Documentos RNE rigorously exposes one of the main milestones in the history of medicine with the participation of prestigious historians and experts in public health and epidemiology.

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Isabel Zendal: the unsung heroine of the vaccine expedition

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:06 +0000

A 1 hour and 30 minute video in which, with the participation of different specialists and the contribution of period documents, the figure of Isabel Zendal Gómez is discussed in the context of the Royal Philanthropic Smallpox Vaccine Expedition. Commonly known as the Balmis Expedition, it left the port of A Coruña on 30 November 1803. With the aim of eradicating the disease in the Empire and the overseas colonies, the Spanish monarchy, with Charles IV as king, sponsored this ambitious and pioneering scientific and medical project. At its head was Dr Francisco Javier Balmis y Berenguer. Twenty-two foundlings and orphans travelled with the medical team, led by Isabel Zendal, the rector of the Casa de Expósitos in A Coruña. The children, aged between 3 and 9 years, carried the vaccine in their bodies and it was kept in good condition until their arrival in America. The method consisted of injecting the vaccine into one child and, when it matured, the pulp was extracted and inoculated into another; in this way, a chain was established that ensured the vaccine fluid. After the American phase, the expedition continued to the Philippines, also with 26 children. The World Health Organisation recognised Zendal as the first nurse in history on an international mission. Her professional activity in the philanthropic expedition lasted for the ten years it took to bring the smallpox vaccine to the Spanish overseas territories.

The post Isabel Zendal: the unsung heroine of the vaccine expedition first appeared on History Lab.

Isabel Zendal

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:06 +0000

2.12 minute video produced by the Mexican Society of Public Health on the figure of Isabel Zendal Gómez in the context of the Royal Philanthropic Smallpox Vaccine Expedition (1803). It is commonly known as the Balmis Expedition because it was led by Dr Francisco Javier Balmis y Berenguer. Twenty-two foundlings and orphans travelled with the medical team, led by Isabel Zendal, the rector of the Casa de Expósitos of the Hospital de la Caridad in A Coruña. They, aged between 3 and 9 years, were the ones who carried the vaccine in their bodies and so it could be preserved in good condition until its arrival in America. With the aim of being accessible to the general public, the narration is particularly clear in its presentation, with visual resources very suitable for primary and secondary school pupils. Isabel Zendal was recognised by the World Health Organisation as the first nurse in history on an international mission.

The post Isabel Zendal first appeared on History Lab.