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The Application of the Laws of the Indies in the Pacific: the Excavation of Two Old Stone-Based Houses in San Juan, Batangas, Philippines

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Abstract

During the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, the Laws of the Indies and ordinances determined where settlements should be established and how structures should be built. These laws radically changed indigeneous settlement patterns and created a hierarchy of space. In this paper, two stone ruins located in the old town of San Juan, Batangas, are investigated to trace the development of the town using the Laws of the Indies and ordinances as framework. The methods of study include integrating excavation results, interviews with local residents, and archival research. This research shows that the ruins were domestic units dating to the late 1800s. The architectural style of the houses and the artifacts recovered indicate that these structures belonged to local elites. These stone-based houses were the first to be archaeologically investigated in the Philippines. The results of the investigation show that the old town of San Juan was most likely a forced resettlement by the Spanish colonists.

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Acknowledgments

The University of the Philippines Diliman-Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development funded the 2009 and 2011 excavations through the PhD Incentive Awards and the Outright Research Grant Awards. UP Diliman Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs through the Research Dissemination Grant provided funds for air travel and accommodation during the First SEAMEO SPAFA International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology in Burapha University, Chonburi, Thailand where an earlier version of this paper was presented. Additional financial assistance for the excavations was received from Gaudencio Borbón Cardinal Rosales, Honorable Mark Llandro Mendoza, University of the Philippines-Archaeological Studies Program, Alfonso Yuchengco Foundation, Mick Atha and Kennis Yip, Engineer Eutiquio Teh and Family, Micheline Rama, Juan Miguel Lerma, Bunny Joaquin, Jim Libiran, Nathaniel Dela Cruz, Mr and Mrs Bernardo Garcia, Belinda Evanghelista, and Feet na Fit Marketing. Thank you to those who extended assistance to the project through their donations and services: 2009–2011 UP-ASP Field Schoolers and volunteers, Dr Zandro Villanueva, Peter Chua, Emilio S. del Carmen, Reynaldo Gabunda of Nestle Philippines, Oriental Ceramics Society of the Philippines, Del Monte Fit and Right, Danny Galang, Mrs Sabrina Kintanar, Mrs Evelyn Lim, Mr Kenny Tantuico, Mrs Elen Unay, Eliza Romualdez-Valtos, and Professor Jerry De Villa. All the photos used in this article were taken by Archie Tesoro unless otherwise stated. Iza Campos-Piper and Noel Amano prepared the map of Batangas and Pinagbayanan. Angel Sales drew the floor plans of the sites. Prof. Emilio Ozaeta of the UP College of Architecture was kind enough to answer our queries. Thank you to the National Museum of the Philippines, local government of San Juan and Barangay Pinagbayanan, Batangas Eastern Colleges, San Juan Parish Church, and Pinagbayanan Elementary School. Dr Edgardo De Villa Salud, Anghel Dimayugan, and Dionisio Dimayuga granted the team access to their properties. The local residents of Barangay Pinagbayanan warmly welcomed the excavation teams in their town. Ms Marivic Del Rosario, Mr William Cu Unjieng, and Mrs Agapita Tech patiently answered all our questions during our visit to their ancestral houses.

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  1. Archaeological Studies Program, Albert Hall, Lakandula St., University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, 1101

    Grace Barretto-Tesoro

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Barretto-Tesoro, G. The Application of the Laws of the Indies in the Pacific: the Excavation of Two Old Stone-Based Houses in San Juan, Batangas, Philippines. Int J Histor Archaeol 19, 433–463 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-015-0295-4

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