On our most recent trip to the Philippines, we visited Magellan’s cross in Cebu City. That’s my beautiful mother and daughters in front of the cross.
The Philippines is the only Christian majority country in SE Asia. The Spanish expedition led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu in 1521. He successfully converted King Humabon to Christianity, but was killed by Lapu Lapu’s tribe who refused to convert. But convert from what? Buddhism? Islam?
Upon visits and research, I believe Lapu Lapu was Muslim. Why? The Philippines wasn’t called the Philippines prior to the Spanish. Islam kingdoms in Brunei and China had trade with these islands later called the Philippines. Safe to say, history prior to the Spanish is hard to decipher.
My series The Bathala Series is a fictional series predicated on the history of the Philippines prior to Spanish colonization. The first book “Enlightenment” is told from the perspective of Dorothy and Adrian in modern-day Las Vegas. We start with the modern-day Filipino American and work back in time as Dorothy backtracks through Filipino history to answer questions about Adrian and her family.
“Enlightenment” to be released in 2018. #nohistorynoself #knowhistoryknowself #filipinoamericanmonth
Filed under: Filipino American, Writing