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[[Category:Former Spanish colonies]]
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Revision as of 05:30, 26 September 2006
Spanish East Indies is a term to describe Spanish possessions in Asia and Oceania. Primarily, it is used to describe the Philippines and the latter's dependencies, Guam and the other islands of the Marianas, Palau, and Micronesia. On 1898, the Spanish East Indies (Filipinas), following the Spanish-American War and its American occupation, was dismantled. However, the kings of Spain (including the current monarch) still continue to use the name 'King of the Spanish East Indies'.
Terminologies Used
The Spanish gave several places in the Spanish East Indies names, some of which are never used. Examples of such are Gran Moluccas (Great Molluccas) to Mindanao, Nueva Filipinas (New Philippines) to Caroline Islands, and Nueva Castilla (New Castile) to Luzon.
Influence of Spain
Spain's influence to her former colonies in Asia and Oceania are undebatable, and to this day, the majority of the people of the Philippines, Guam, Marianas Islands, and Palau have remained Roman Catholics. Also, a minority, particularly in the Philippines, Guam, and Marianas Islands, have Mestizo (half-Spanish) lineage.
Influence of the Philippines
During the Spanish Colonial Era, political prisoners (primarily Filipino revolutionists) who were convicted of treason were deported to both Guam and Marianas Islands. In so doing this, the Spanish significantly influenced both the bloodline and the culture of its inhabitants. In Guam and Marianas Islands, the Philippine influence had been strong. The native people of Guam, the Chamorro, are of mixed Austronesian, Spanish, and Filipino blood, while due to the influx of immigrants from the Philippines, three in ten Guamanians have a direct Filipino ancestor. Chamorro's nearest language relatives are found in the Philippines, and many Filipinos and Chamorros have word cognates. In Palau, 16% of the population is composed of Filipinos, who are primarily descendants of exiled political prisoners. Also, Filipinos now constitute the majority in the Northern Mariana Islands, the second most numerous in both Guam and Palau, and a minority in the Caroline Islands.
Governance of the Spanish East Indies
The Spanish East Indies are governed from Mexico City in the Viceroyalty of New Spain (now called Mexico). During the 1800s, when Mexico obtained her independence from Spain, the Philippines was declared as a province of Spain. The said province (Filipinas) technically includes the Philippine Archipelago, Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, Palau, and Caroline Islands. The province was governed from Manila, which is the citadel of the Spanish governor-general, while the religious orders are governed from Cebu. Following Mexican independence and the declaration of provincial status, several parts of the Spanish East Indies were seceded to other countries. One example of such is the secession of the Caroline Islands to Germany.