Teatro de Binondo (1847)

A theater company of natives and mestizos has  been organized, and the company performs Spanish dramas and comedies. The plays are not good enough to catch the attention of the Europeans. Neither are they so bad to cause endless laughter. Thus, one can experience more hours of entertainment here that  in the old one at Arroceros. One can be convinced that the company is achieving more than can be expected from people who have not seen real plays and have no script  to guide them. Especially if one notices the huge difference between a native and a comedian, or the bad Spanish they speak as their intonation is naturally languid, especially the women who have a high-pitched voices. They also dance Spanish national dances, and they are superior to the dancers of India and China, who, undoubtedly, can also attract a lot of attention.

José Honrato Lozano

Álbum Vistas de las Yslas Filipinas

1847

Like to Spanish Original

India de Manila (1847)

The costume that is depicted in this drawing is exactly that of an elegant native woman of Manila. The peineta; the hair pin and the gold rings; the necklace or the gold and coral rosary with a medal of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico hanging from one end; the payo or umbrella; the crepe  shawl; the shirt or the blouse of piña or jusi; the saya of silk or cambaya; the short tapis worn by the more elegant women, made of silk from Baliuag; and the embroidered slippers, constitute the true costume of the wealthy native women of Manila. To these they add an embroidered piña handkerchief, which they hold in their hands. When they go to church, they place the handkerchief on their heads, gathering the ends under their chin.

The Spanish that they speak is charming and has been given the name “Kitchen Spanish” due to the tone and the absolute languidness with which they speak it. Duele conmigo este mi cabeza means “I have a headache” but the way they say it can be literally translated as “This my head hurts with me”. Dale usté con de aquél su pañuelo, meaning “Give him his handkerchief”, literally translates as “Give you with him his handkerchief.  ¿Como no? meaning “why not?” literally translates as “how not?” Más que! Which does not mean anything in Spanish, can be literally translated as “even though”. But most charming of all is their use of the sentence: Usté cuidao. All of these are expressions that give one an idea of the Spanish spoken by the mestizos and the natives. They do not use the gender forms of Spanish words or the plural of adjectives and pronouns, as these are also absent in Tagalog.  Thus, they say Este Tijeras,  and un punda for una funda, as they also always interchange the “f” and the “p”, or other letters such as Pilifino for Filipino, cape for café, cabayo for caballo, buerta for vuelta.

The yo cuidao, el cuidao or usté cuidao, which is applied to all and used to answer various questions, is very expressive. ¿Harás esto? Yo cuidao, which can be translated as: “Will you do this? I’ll take care of it”.  ¿Cuánto vale esto? Usté cuidao meaning “How much is this? Make an offer or whatever you can afford”. Procura que no se vaya fulano. El cuidao, meaning “Make sure he does not leave. He should fend for himself or he is old enough to take care of himself”. Hence the short phrase uste cuidao expresses completely different concepts, depending on how it is said and the tone in which it is said. It also answers questions in such a manner that it does not compromise the speaker. 

José Honrato Lozano

Álbum de las Yslas Filipinas

1847

Link to Spanish Translation

Magellan’s Monument (1847)

To perpetuate the memory of the famous sailor Ferdinand Magellan, who in 1520 discovered the Philippine Archipelago, a project to erect the monument depicted in this page was conceived. It serves as a reminder of the glory of this illustrious mariner and the era in which, with the power of the cross rather than arms, Spain conquered these domains, bringing to its inhabitants the welfare and happiness that they have enjoyed since.

The necessary funds were collected from voluntary donations. In the beginning, it was thought that the monument should be built in Cebu, which was where Magellan first landed and where he also died, unfortunately. However, due to overriding reasons, it was decided that the monument should be built in the capital of the islands. It has been proposed to be placed in front of the Puerta de Isabel II, in an area near the river between Santo Domingo and the Fortin, where there is spacious land. Here, it would not be difficult to make a walkway with trees and seats, which could serve as decoration for the monument. It will also be useful to those who wants to take a paseo, a recreation that Manila lacks.

Until now only the foundations and some steps are finished, which will server as the base of the monument. At present, they are constructing the pedestal and the fluted column. The portions that will be brought from Europe – where they have been commissioned – are the spherical globe that crowns it and the dolphins that will adorn it. Like the circular balustrade, these will have to be made of bronze.

The drawing depicts only a proposed project. However, it would not be surprising if some changes or alterations get made before it is finished.

José Honrato Lozano 1847

Album Vistas de las Yslas Filipinas


English translation from the book Filipinas 1847 by José María A. Cariño.


Link to Spanish Version