Filipino people of Spanish ancestry

Spanish Filipino
	Notable Spanish Filipinos: ; Paulino Alcántara, Shaila Dúrcal, and Enrique Iglesias.
Total population
	Official population numbers are unknown.
Regions with significant populations
	Philippines, and Spain.
Languages
	Spanish, Filipino, other Philippine languages, and English.
Religion
	Christianity (Predominantly Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestants)
Related ethnic groups
	Other Filipino people, and Spanish people.

Spanish settlement in the Philippines first took place in the 16th century, during the Spanish colonial period of the islands. The conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi founded the first Spanish settlement in Cebu in 1565, and later established Manila as the capital of the Spanish East Indies in 1571. The Philippine Islands is named after King Philip II of Spain, and it became a territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain which were governed from Mexico City until the 19th century, when Mexico obtained independence. From 1821, the Philippine Islands were ruled directly from Madrid, Spain.

Spaniards are referred by Filipinos as "Kastila" (Castilian) named after the former Kingdom of Castile, now a region of Spain. The majority of the Filipinos of Spanish descent are of Andalusian origin, while a minority are Catalan or Basque descents. Another term "Hispano Filipinos" (Spanish Philippines)indicates they are of both ethnic, and cultural Spanish origin.

Ancestry

Filipino mestizos of Spanish ancestry

The Spanish conquest between 1521 to 1565, prompted the colonization of the Philippine Islands that lasted for about 377 years. The Philippines was a former territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain until the grant of independence to Mexico in 1821 necessitated the direct government from Spain of the Philippines from that year. Early Spanish settlers were mostly explorers, soldiers, government officials, religious missionaries, and among others, who were born in Spain, and Mexico called Peninsulares (Spanish migrant living in the colony) or Criollo (Spaniards of pure blood), who settled in the islands with their families to governed the colony, and the majority of the indigenous population. Some of these individuals married or inter-breed with the indigenous Malayo-Polynesian population to reinforce the colonization of the islands while some married only Spaniards of pure Spanish descent. Their suceeding generation called Insulares (Spaniards or Hispanics born from the islands), became town local officers, and were granted with haciendas (plantation estates) by the Spanish government. In some provinces like, Iloilo, Cebu, Pampanga, and Zamboanga, The Spanish government encouraged foreign merchants to trade with the indigenous population, but they were not given certain privileges such as ownership of land. From this contact, social intercourse between foreign merchants, and indigenous people resulted in a new ethnic group. These group were called Mestizos (mixed-race individuals), who were born from intermarriages of the Spaniards and merchants with the Malayo-Polynesian natives. Some of their descendants, emerged later as an influential part of the ruling class, such as the Principalía (Nobility).

Mexicans of European or mestizo heritage known as Américanos (Americans) also arrived in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. Between 1565, and 1815, Hispanics from Mexico, and Spain sailed to, and from the Philippines as government officials, soldiers, priests, settlers, traders, sailors, and adventurers in the Manila-Acapulco Galleon assisting Spain in its trade between Latin America, and the Philippine Islands. They also brought with them Amerindians, Negros, and Mullatos, as crews, servants, prisoners, and slaves. Some of these individuals married native Filipinos of different ethnic groups, and classes, and have integrated into Philippine society.

The official percentage of Filipinos with Spanish ancestry is unknown. However only those Filipinos who possess a clear mixed-race appearance are considered by most as actual mestizos. In the same way, mestizos who are less Spanish looking, and possess darker-complexioned skin could be considered more as a native Filipino than as an actual mestizo. Some offspring of Spanish men, and indigenous Filipino women may have adopted the culture of their fathers, and grand parents, however only a few mixed race families in the Philippines still speak Spanish among themselves.^[1]

The Philippine Statistics Department does not account for the racial background or ancestry of an indivdual. The official population of all types of Filipino mestizos that reside inside, and outside of the Philippines is also unknown.

Migration of Filipino-Spanish mestizos

A minority of Filipinos of Spanish descent have migrated to Spain, Latin America, Australia, or the United States, after the Spanish American War, and World War II.

Spanish Filipinos for the most part are found in both the upper, and upper middle socio-economic classes, with a relatively small percentage found among the lower socio-economic classes. Some are active in politics, commerce, entertainment industry, and professional sports.

Language and culture

Some Filipinos of Spanish descent speak their respective regional languages. They also use English in the public sphere, as well as Filipino, other Philippine languages, or Spanish.

Some Spanish Filipinos can still speak Spanish but not as their first language. Though a minority of the Philippines speaks Spanish; most Filipinos of Spanish families particularly those of older generations, and recent immigrants, have preserved Spanish as a spoken language. In addition, Chavacano (a creole language based largely on Spanish vocabulary) is spoken in the southern Philippines, and forms one of the majority languages of Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga del Norte. It is also spoken in some parts of northern Philippines.

Notable Filipinos of Spanish ancestry

External links

^ Emily Monroy, Race Mixing and Westernization in Latin America and the Philippines

[Race_Mixing_and_Westernization_in_Latin_America_and_the_Philippines-1] Emily Monroy, Race Mixing and Westernization in Latin America and the Philippines

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