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==Terminology==
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Revision as of 13:17, 22 October 2006
'Filipinas or the Spanish East Indies was a term to describe Spanish possessions in the East Indies. 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, following the Spanish-American War and its American occupation, the core of the Spanish East Indies, the Filipinas, was lost to the US, dismantling the whole. However, the kings of Spain (including the current monarch) still continued to use the title 'King of the Spanish East Indies' as part of their full style.
Terminology
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') for Mindanao island, Nueva Filipinas (New Philippines) for the Caroline Islands and Nueva Castilla (New Castile) for Luzon island.
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 the 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 yhe 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 ethnic 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 were 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 a province of Spain, (Filipinas), which technically included the Philippine Archipelago, Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, Palau and Caroline Islands. The province was governed from Manila, the citadel of the Spanish governor-general, while the religious orders were governed from Cebu.
Following Mexican independence and the declaration of provincial status, several parts of the Spanish East Indies were ceded to other countries. One example of such is the cession of the Caroline Islands to Germany.