ABOUT THE WORK

The first Western map to show the Philippines as a separate area—and which used the term “Philippines” as its title— was the Insulae Philippinae of Langenes (1598), which is taken directly from the Linschoten map of 1595. It features a peculiar east-west orientation of the archipelago and strange angle for Palawan. This map represents the first tolerably accurate depiction of the archipelago’s complicated shores, including Luzon, whose fine port of Manila had quickly become the center of the Spanish empire in the Indies. The only major error in the general outline of Luzon is in the winding peninsular region to the southeast, which should extend much further than is, in fact, presented. Samar is accurately shown for the first time, labeling it on the map as both Achan, a name which is sometimes applied to the island’s northern half, and Tandola (or Tandaya), which was the name of a ruler of a region in the island. When the Spanish expedition under Legazpi reached Samar in 1565, they asked for the island’s name, but their source—who was the nephew of the chief— simply gave the name of his uncle. The maze of islands in between Luzon and Mindanao are still only crudely represented, though the major islands are nonetheless depicted Mindara (Mindoro), Panama (Panay), Cabu (Cebu), Sabunra (Leyte), Negoes (Negros), and Masbate (unnamed). On the west, as with many Iberian charts of the time, Palawan has been confused with Calamianes, a group of small islands situated between Mindoro and Paragua or Palawan. A few place names found on this map: off Samar (Tandola) lie the Ylhas del Primeiro Surgidero (islands of the first anchorage), which was where Legazpi first dropped anchor in the Philippines. Above it is Francisco Gomes, the name being that of a Spaniard who was murdered there while performing a blood ceremony. At the southern end of the island is Abo camucho primeiro, a corruption of Aboca mucho Primeiro, which in turn was probably originally notated as Abocamiento Primero, the first mouth of the channel used by the early Spanish explorers to enter the archipelago. On the east coast of Luzon is G. de Matalahambre, the “gulf of killing the hunger” where a good feast must have been had. More descriptive names follow to the north: Ancon triste (sad cove), Pintados (painted), Moro Hermoso (beautiful Moor), and C. de Engano (cape of deceit), this last term being used not infrequently by Spanish mariners. A stellar very first map to show the Philippines alone—424 years ago! Pieter van den Keere, better known by his Latin name Petrus Kaerius (1571 - c. 1646), was a master copperplate engraver, globe publisher and bookseller, born in Ghent, today’s Belgium. Thomas Suarez, Early Mapping of Southeast Asia (1991)