Philippine E-Journals

Using Franciscan Missionaries’ Writings in Writing Local History

Grace Liza Y. Concepcion

 

Abstract:

This paper attempts to highlight the significance of Franciscan accounts for Philippine historiography, particularly local history. This work is part of the preliminary research for a dissertation, which will aim to map the emergence of Tagalog pueblos from the 16th to the 17th centuries. The paper focuses on three works: the Historia de las Islas del Archipielago y Reynos de la Gran China, Tartaria, Cochinchina, Malaca, Sian, Camboya y Japon by Fray Marcelo de Ribadeneira (1601); the Crónica de la Provincia de San Gregorio Magno by Fray Francisco de Santa Inés (1676, 1892); and the threevolume Crónicas de la Apóstolica Provincia de San Gregorio by Fray Juan Francisco de San Antonio (1736, 1741, 1744). The paper includes a summary of the contents of the work, highlighting especially those parts that are relevant to local history. It also seeks to understand the nature of early friar accounts by drawing from previous scholarly studies about the broader category of Spanish chronicles called Crónicas de Indias. It then discusses the place these chronicles occupy in the volumes of Blair and Robertson, and in the bibliographies of documentary sources for Philippine history. Finally, it tackles some problems that arise from these works and offers some reflection on the place of these works in local history and historiography.