Literature: Filipinas Heritage Library. The Moro to the Spanish Colonizers. Accessed January 24, 2020. https://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/articles/the-moro-to-the-spanish-colonizers/.

ABOUT THE WORK

This map features the areas of Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. During the period the map was made, the third continent consisting the Philippines, Mindanao was still regarded as “Mindanoo”. Despite this, it is often noted that the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors of Southeast Asia saw the eventual evangelization of the Moro inhabitants of the southern islands. Despite this, the Spaniards were never able to fully colonize the island of Mindanao and its constituents due to a number of factors such as geography, history and politics. Given that, scholars note the absence of a seemingly permanent colonial power in the region as one of the key factors towards the development of a distinct cultural and ethnic identity that is distinct to the majority of the archipelago.