Scribd
Upload
5 views15 pages

The Nineteenth Century Philippine Economy, Society and The Chinese Mestizos

The chapter discusses the economic and social transformations in the Philippines during the 19th century, particularly how these changes influenced the life of José Rizal. It highlights the shift to a cash crop economy, the role of Chinese mestizos, and the redefinition of social stratification amidst growing tensions. The impact of these developments led to increased state surveillance and the emergence of a more educated population, setting the stage for rising nationalism.

Uploaded by

yuangomez00
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views15 pages

The Nineteenth Century Philippine Economy, Society and The Chinese Mestizos

The chapter discusses the economic and social transformations in the Philippines during the 19th century, particularly how these changes influenced the life of José Rizal. It highlights the shift to a cash crop economy, the role of Chinese mestizos, and the redefinition of social stratification amidst growing tensions. The impact of these developments led to increased state surveillance and the emergence of a more educated population, setting the stage for rising nationalism.

Uploaded by

yuangomez00
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

The Nineteenth Century Philippine

Economy, Society and the Chinese


Mestizos
Introduction
In this chapter we will discuss how the
landscape of the Philippine economy changed
in the 19th century and how these
developments created an impact on Rizal’s
life. We will be discussing how he grew up,
become matured, and eventually was
matryred. We will begin by the economic
development that started in the late 18th
century and this chapter will map the effects
of the Spanish policies on education, social
life, and the people of the Philippines.
•Cash Crop
Vocabulary
-crops cultivated for exporting
•Degree
-order issued by legal authority
•Galleon Trade
-From 1565-1815, form of trade between Philippines and Mexico. The galleons
would sail to Mexico loaded with goods and return to the Philippines.
•Insulares
-pure-blooded Spanish born in the Philippines
Vocabulary
•Mestizo
- a person with mixed ancestry-one parent is Chinese or Spanish and the other is a native
•Merchant Houses
- firms established in Manila and other cities by foreign traders
•Pacto De Retroventa
- an agreement that allowed a landowner to sell his/her land with the guarantee that
he/she could buy the land back at the same price
•Parian
- Chinese enclave established in 1581 outside the walls of Intramuros.
•Peninsulares
- pure-blooded Spanish born in Spain
Vocabulary
•Principalia
- wealthy pure-blooded natives said to have descended from the kadatoan
class
•Sangley
- a term that proliferated in the Spanish Philippines to refer to people of pure
Chinese descent; came from the Hokkien word "seng-li" meaning business
•Social stratification
- a way by which people in a society are categorized based on socio-
economic as well as political standards
The Changing Landscape of Philippine
Economy and Society
The 19th century in the Philippines was marked by significant changes in the
country's economy, politics, society, and culture. The transition from the
Habsburgs to the Bourbons in the late 18th century led to the establishment of
the Royal Philippine Company in 1785 to finance agricultural projects and
manage new trade between the Philippines and Spain and other Asian markets.
However, these changes faced resistance from sectors like the Catholic Church
and traders who remained loyal to the Galleon Trade.
The Changing Landscape of Philippine
Economy and Society
The Philippines was further affected by international events, such as the Mexican War of
Independence in 1810, which ultimately resulted in the Royal Philippine Company's
collapse and Manila's openness to international trade by 1834. Foreign merchants and
traders took over the role of financing and facilitating the burgeoning agricultural cash
crop, export-oriented economy.

In the Philippines, cash crops took over as the main source of income, raising issues with
land ownership and management. Hacenderos exploited the circumstance, while farmers
felt the strain of the economy. Tensions and disputes persisted throughout the century as
a result of the changes in rural social stratification brought about by land grabs.
The Chinese Mestizos
During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, the sectors
that greatly benefited from the changing exonomy were the
Chinese and Chinese Mestizos. Despite the initial suspicion from
the Spaniards, the Chinese mestizos played an important role in
the economy through Galleon Trade influencing the development
of retail trade. Chinese Mestizos were born from intermarriages
with indios, which played an important part in the economy
throughout the Spanish colonial period in purchasing land,
accumulating wealth and influencing the changing economy.
The Chinese Mestizos
Keypoints:
Chinese mestizos, also known as "Mestizos de Sangley," are
individuals of mixed Chinese and native Filipino ancestry,
referring to descendants of intermarriages between Chinese
immigrants and indigenous Filipinos during the Spanish
colonial period.

Chinese Mestizos are sometimes referred to as "Tsinoy" (a


combination of "tsino" for Chinese and "Filipino").
Impact on life in the colony
Economic developments in the Philippines led to social, political, and cultural
changes. The new economy demanded a more literate population for a
professionalized workforce, prompting the establishment of primary schools and
the passage of education decrees. Manila became a trading center, attracting people
seeking better opportunities. However, increased internal migration raised
concerns about living quarters, sanitation, public health, and tax collection. To
address these issues, Governor-General Narciso Claveria implemented measures
like surname adoption and the catalog de apellidos, establishing a better
surveillance mechanism. The guardia civil was established to enforce these policies.
Renegotiating socialstratification
The Philippine economy's impact on society led to a redefinition of social relations
and a renegotiation of social stratification, particularly with the growing relevance
of the mestizo population. With the growing relevance of the mestizo population,
new lines were drawn with the following social strata:

•Peninsular >Pure-blooded Spaniard born in the lberian Peninsula (i.e., Spain)


•Insular >Pure-blooded Spaniard born in the Philippines.
•Mestizo >Born of mixed parentage, a mestizo can be:
-Spanish Mestizo - one parent is Spanish, the Mestizo other is a native; or
-Chinese Mestizo – one parent is Chinese, the other is a native.
Renegotiating socialstratification
•Principalia >Wealthy pure-blooded native supposedly descended from the kadatoan class.
•Indio >Pure-blooded native of the Philippines. Chino infiel;
•Chino Infiel >Non-Catholic pure blooded Chinese.

In the 19th century, Spaniards lost economic power and asserted race dominance,
causing conflicts with principalia and mestizo populations. They demanded social
recognition and amassed economic and cultural capital. Wealthy mestizos and
principalia members pursued higher education in the Philippines and Europe,
fostering nationalism and societal relevance.
Summary
This chapter aimed to explore Rizal's life in the 19th century focusing on the
economic and social developments that shaped the world in which Rizal lived.
The Philippines, being part of the wider Spanish empire, underwent changes
when the Spanish Crown’s dynastic shift in the 18th century that led to
Bourbon reforms, resulting in a boom in the cash crop economy and the
opening of Manila and other cities to world trade that brought new policies of
economic reorientation for the colonies.
Summary
This development also had a profound impact on the social and political
landscapes that increase the surveillance and regulatory mechanisms of the
state. Furthermore, the rise of the mestizo and principalia in the 19th century
also impacted society. Thus, it is not surprising that men like José Rizal, born
in the 1860’s, grew up in a transitional society, lived in the 19th century
wherein he realize the rising inequality and worsening conditions as he was
exposed to higher education.
Thank You For For listening

You might also like