The Colonial Department
A narrative nonfiction podcast that unearths forgotten stories from Philippine history. Written, produced, and engineered by Lio Mangubat, the show presents compelling historical narratives in an audio format. A book version of the project has been published by Faction Press. Each episode delves into lesser-known events and figures, bringing lost chapters of the country's past to light.
Episodes
S8E13 The Philippines-India Express
The threads that connect the Indian subcontinent to the Philippine archipelago stretch back centuries. Some have been lost to time, survived only by goldwork and the testimonies of Spanish missions. Some survive as actual threads—as textiles that captured the fancy of Philippine residents. Some are remembered as painful history; an invasion engineered by empires, followed by a brutal and fruitless
S8E12 Borderline Bureaucrats: An Early History of La Union
As La Union historian Adriel Obar Meimban writes, La Union fits neatly into its geography: bound by rivers on the north and south, by the Cordillera mountain range on the east, and then, on its west side, the pounding surf that has made San Juan one of the country’s most popular tourist spots. But even in its earliest days, the borders of La Union were drawn and redrawn in bureaucratic squabbles.
INTERVIEW: Mapping a life on time—the making of a historian
In 2018, I first encountered The Sulu Zone and Iranun & Balangingi—two important books by James Francis Warren that opened my eyes to the rich, roiling history of the seafaring cultures of the Sulu Sea. His groundbreaking work laid out a way of looking at the past that was neither stoic nor static—a historiography that truly widened horizons.At the launch of his newest book, Valentina Mendoza
S8E11: We're Off to the 1924 Paris Olympics!
More than a century ago, the Philippine flag was unfurled for the first time on the biggest sports stage in the world. It was—and is—a matter of great pride to our nation. But it was also an event that was bizarrely marked with mystery and controversy. From disappearing athletes to extra flags, let’s head to Paris in 1924, as we join two sports legends in their journey to the Olympics!The thumbnai
S8E10 In Paracale, the Faintest Gleam of Gold
According to historian Linda Newson, Bicol did not bow down easily to the Spanish occupation. For their resistance, they paid a dear price. Population showed Camarines lost almost half of its population from 1591 to 1649. With no major plagues or Moro raids recorded, Newson could only conclude that it must have been because of brutal conflict with the Spaniards. Either the Bicolanos were killed, o
S8E9 White-Hot Heat: Climate and Culture in the Late 1800s
Writing in June 1889, the Manila-based correspondent for La Solidaridad listed down the calamities afflicting the archipelago: cholera, fires, earthquakes, and economic ruin. In those days, even the sky seemed to be on fire. Our reporter told his ilustrado readers in faraway Europe that standing in the shade in Manila would give you no comfort, because the temperature was 39 degrees. 39 degrees! H
INTERVIEW: What was it like to commute in Manila 100 years ago?
Just the thought of commuting around Manila is enough to set one’s teeth on edge. But do our current-day problems of congestion and overcrowding have their roots in decisions and policies made a century ago?There’s no one better to answer this question than our podcast guest today. For more than ten years, Michael Pante, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, has been re
S8E8 Pacific Sick Ships: Medicine Aboard the Galleons
In the long journeys from Manila to Acapulco, disease was the clingy passenger no one wanted around. But it wandered around the decks, knocked on every cabin, stalked everyone on board—until one day, you woke up, and disease was just everywhere. How could it not be? There was food rotting inside the barrels, slick and moldy woodwork, crew and passengers and officers packed into tight spaces, pests
S8E7 The Fractured Plateau: Bukidnon in World War II
The word Bukidnon means “people of the mountains”, but historian Ronald K. Edgerton also gives another name for them: the people of the middle ground. As he writes in his book of the same name, “Many Bukidnons mastered the art of borrowing from the new without losing touch with the old. [...] And over time they developed a capacity to envision themselves [...] as negotiators between worlds, skille
INTERVIEW: Making a Magellan Comedy Manga
In the offbeat manga Ferdie!, Ferdinand Magellan and Antonio Pigafetta are caught up in a storm right before they arrive in the Philippines…and find themselves transported five hundred years into the future into a place that’s beyond anything they could have imagined. So what is an explorer and colonizer to do in 2020s Philippines? Why, become a content creator, of course!In this Interview episode
S8E6: After the Black Ships Departed
The island of Balangingi stands halfway between Borneo and Mindanao. Surrounding Balangingi were sharp reefs and surging cross-currents that would be lethal to any boatman… except for the Balangingi Samal, of course. Surrounding the main landmass were little islets that would wink in and out with the tides. On the coast were thick snarls of mangrove; in the parched interior were swaying groves of
S8E5: Rajio Taisō; Or, How to Get Fit in a Time of War
At seven o’clock on the dot, a high-pitched Japanese voice blared out from speakers and switched-on radios all across the archipelago. The program came on like clockwork, chirping in immediately after every station signed on for the day—a cheery signal of a brand-new day under Imperial rule. In wartime Philippines, Rajio Taisō was everywhere—schools, private companies, government offices, military
INTERVIEW: Restoring historical markers with Project Panandito
You pass by them every day: plaques of metal set onto walls and plinths, heavy with text and history. You may have wondered—how do you maintain these historical markers?A group of students in the University of the Philippines Diliman wondered the same thing. So, for their required NSTP initiative, they formed Project Panandito, a student-led project that, during the sweltering summer months of 202
S8E4: Edison’s Cameras, Manila’s Trenches
Yes, Edison as in Thomas Edison, the light bulb guy. At the turn of his century, the tech wizard of Menlo Park produced thousands of movies as a showcase for his company’s vitascopes. Among those movies are five films about the Philippine-American War, produced in a flurry all throughout June of 1899. It turns out that the boom of cinema dovetailed neatly with America’s growing imperial ambitions.
S8E3: Nobody Expects the Philippine Inquisition!
When you pulled up to the dock, they were there waiting for you, those holy men of God.But beyond inspecting ships that docked in the ports of Manila and Cavite for blasphemers and banned items, the Inquisition in the Philippines also investigated Protestants. Jews. Masons. Muslims. Non-Catholic Christian sects, like Armenian Christians or Jansenists. Its investigators monitored cases of heresy, b
S8E2: Riding a Tram in 1911 Manila
What kind of city was waiting for Dutch scholar Gerret Pieter Rouffaer when he got to Manila?After more than a decade of occupation, the Americans had given the colonial capital some thorough nips and tucks. Aside from the glimmering roads and shady plazas, the Americans also laid down more tramways. Trams were already up and running during the latter part of the Spanish occupation, but in 1905, t
INTERVIEW: Exploring the food history of the Philippines
“There’s a message to it: It’s our responsibility to keep Filipino food popular!”At the launch for her book What Recipes Don’t Tell: Philippine Food History in Fifty Words, author and historian Felice Prudente Sta. Maria talked to a rapt audience at the Philippine Book Festival about a long career of writing about food. What new things can food tell us about our own history? How did we adapt techn
S8E1: The Philippine Sour-chipelago
Sourness, according to Doreen Fernandez, “is a favored Philippine flavor.” Just how sour is sour? “Sour enough to savor, to make the lips pucker and the eyes squint slightly, and yet not too sour—just at the point of perfection.”In the spectrum of sensation, sourness can be both sharp and sudden, an acetic shudder down the spine. Asim, the Tagalogs call it. From the earliest written records about
An important announcement about the future of The Colonial Dept.
Before we start Season 8, I have an important announcement about this little podcast. For more info, check out this Instagram post.
INTERVIEW: Twin timelines, entangled histories
“What does it take for a culture that has caused a lot of pain and suffering to have any chance at redemption… or any sense of justice?”Tom Sykes’ riotous new book—a collision of a neon-powered 1980s Manila and a disaster-stricken barangay in the 1570s—attempts to answer the question… with many seedy side quests in between. How did he attempt to write his wild, genre-bending vision of the Philippi
INTERVIEW: Sungka as a wargame?
What a folk game can tell us about how a datu waged war. An interview with Micah Perez of the UP Diliman Department of History. The Colonial Dept. Interview is a bonus show where I talk to researchers and authors shining a light on our past. Know a historian or author I should talk to? Email me at thecolonialdept@gmail.com.Thumbnail image: Usernameko/Wikimedia Commons
S7E13: The War and the Weatherpriests
Ever since its founding in the 1860s, the Manila Observatory had stood watch against the typhoons and hurricanes that threatened to strike the Philippines. But decades later, they were unprepared for a different kind of approaching storm: the Second World War!Cover photo from the Illustrated London News.Additional audio from British Pathe. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @the
S7E12: Turbulent Times at Manila Bay
In the late 1500s, sultans, kings, and outlaws alike all wanted a little slice of Manila. And over two turbulent decades, everyone from faraway Spain to neighboring Brunei asserted their claims over the rajahs and datus that lived there. This is the turbulent origin story of the city that we know today.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@
S7E11: Paint Me By Your Name
The nineteenth century—steamships, family names, world trade, foreign firms, liberal ideas. Great tides of change are roiling Manila. In the middle of the chaos, a new art trend captures the imagination of local elites. How are these letras y figuras holding a mirror to Philippine society?Cover Photo from the Ayala Corporation Collection.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @theco
S7E10: Abaca World War
It was the Great War, the War to End All the Wars… and Philippine abaca merchants were raking in sky-high profits. The world’s most powerful navies relied on this plant—which is native to the Philippines—to keep their warships in battle-ready shape. But what the First World War giveth, the First World War also taketh away.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail
S7E9: Running of the Bulls, Part Two
In the second part of our look at the lost sport of Philippine bullfighting, we go deep into its heyday in the 1800s, with social clubs, provincial arenas, and matadors with nicknames like “Fatiguitas.”Then, we look at how and why bullfighting faded away in our archipelago.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Vibal, Gas
S7E8: Running of the Bulls, Part One
In fiestas in a bygone age, the corrida de toros—the coursing of the bulls—would always be part of the festivities and celebrations in town plazas across the Philippines. Why did this tradition disappear from our shores?In this two-part episode, we examine the history of bullfighting in the Philippines. In Part One, join Antonio Luna as he watches his first bullfight… and then travel back in time
S7E7: Extramuros
For centuries, Spain ruled the Philippines from within the closed, claustrophobic walls of Intramuros—the walled city of Manila. But right outside these walls, Manila, too, grew and developed, following the contours of migration, enterprise, and yes, even conflict. Let’s track the evolution of the districts and arrabales outside the walls, or extramuros.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us o
S7E6: Shisōsen—A Japanese Propagandist Confronts the Filipino Psyche
Beyond the bullets, the tanks, the planes, the bombs, the Japanese also brought other weapons to bear against the Filipinos: Typewriters. Radio waves. Movie theaters.Here is one story from the frontlines of shisōsen, or "the thought war."Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Campoamor II, Gonzalo (2017). “Re-Examining Ja
S7E5: Inside Tom’s Dixie Kitchen, Prewar Manila’s Hottest Restaurant
Governors and gangsters, spies and socialites—it seemed that all of Manila dined out at the two-floor restaurant that rose above the bustle of Plaza Goiti. Inside, waiters handed you menus with more than three hundred dishes on offer, and, for special guests, directed you to special themed dining rooms upstairs. But there was enough entertainment on the first floor. There was a jazz band playing l
S7E4: The Plague Years
Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases known to man—and not even the Philippines was immune to its virulent dangers! But how did the dreaded disease arrive on our shores? And what devastating effects did it have during the long centuries of our occupation?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comThe thumbnail image, which dates fr
S7E3: A Short Philippine History of Beverages
Coffee. Tea. Cocoa. The three have a surprisingly rich, complex, and layered history in the Philippines. How did they arrive here, and what effect did they have in the archipelago’s colonial period?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comThanks to Beach Reads Book Club (based in The Beach House cafe in Kapitolyo) for hosting the live
S7E2: An Ottoman Emissary in Mindanao
As the United States moves to take over Mindanao, both the Americans and the Moros invoke the name of the Ottoman Empire—seat of the Caliph—to support their campaigns. But in 1914, an actual Ottoman emissary arrives in Zamboanga. How will the American occupiers react to his visit?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Dwi
S7E1: Foreign Piano Devils
It’s the late 1800s, and all across the Pacific seaboard, in places like Singapore and Yokohama, Medan and Selangor, the music of town bands drifts across the esplanades. Many of these groups proudly hail from one port of call: Manila. This is their story.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comAudio of “Wiener Schwalben Marsch” is f
S6E13: If Not Shipwrecks, Scurvy
The route of a Spanish galleon from Manila to Acapulco was littered with the wrecks of ships that sailed before—hit by storms, hammered by tides, preyed on by pirates. Meanwhile, on the filthy decks, hunger and disease stalked the ranks of the sailors, slaves, and passengers. Spanning thousands of kilometers, every voyage of the Galleon Trade was grueling and lethal… but for the investors who bet
S6E12: The Skull Photographers
When the Americans arrive to take over the Philippines, amateur photographers take pictures of every possible inch of their new possession. Snapshots soon emerge from inside the cemeteries of towns and cities, showcasing an eerie and macabre trend. It seems that not even the most private places of the dead would be spared from the camera’s roving, ravenous, pinhole eye. Follow us on IG: @thecoloni
S6E11: Robinson Crusoe Captures a Manila Galleon
In 1719, a book appeared on London shelves—and became an instant bestseller. Its cover featured the now-iconic image of a man, trapped in a deserted island, dressed only in goat skins. Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, never confirmed nor denied that his massive hit was based on the life of Alexander Selkirk, a Scotsman marooned for years on a tropical island… but the parallels were undenia
S6E10: A Guerilla’s Torment
When the Japanese invaded the Philippines, young military cadet Gustavo Ingles tried to hitch a ride with the upperclassmen to the front lines in Bataan. But officers told him to go home. Undeterred, he founded a guerilla group called the Hunters ROTC to continue the fight against the new occupiers. Then, in 1943, Ingles was caught by the secret police. Follow us on IG:@thecolonialdeptFollow us on
S6E9: Francisco Goya and the Royal Philippine Dead End
In Francisco Goya’s painting Junta de Filipinas, sinister, shadowy figures preside over a stockholders’ meeting of the Royal Philippine Company. What was this Royal Philippine Company—and what was so important about it that Goya made a painting of one of its meetings? And more than that, what was Goya trying to say about this tumultuous period in Spanish and Philippine history?Follow us on IG: @th
S6E8: The Lost War Boats of Lake Lanao
As Spain departed the Philippines, it abandoned four gunboats to a watery grave. For years, they slumbered at the bottom of Lake Lanao, their existence only a rumor back up on the surface. But when the Americans arrive in Marawi, they are determined to bring these ghost ships back to life. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comRefe
Special: The Colonial Dept. 2024 Year in Review
Show highlights. Favorite episodes. Behind-the-scenes bits. Think of this as The Colonial Dept. Wrapped.2024 has been an amazing year for the podcast. I released a book version of the podcast, I've grown to more than 2,000 subscribers, and I've heard from fans from as far away as Spain, Singapore, and France. Thanks for sharing in my love for Philippine history, and for embarking on this project w
S6E7: Manila, Meet the Automobile
Soon after the American takeover of the Philippines, Manila witnesses the coming of its first-ever car—a three-and-a-half horsepower, single-cylinder, wire-wheel Richard-Brasier. From then on, it’s full speed ahead for the wide-scale adoption of the automobile in the capital city and beyond. Packards and Studebakers roar through newly constructed Manila streets, while Stanleys chug up the Benguet
S6E6: A Saint, a Samurai, and a Shipwreck
In a time when both God and gold define the tense relations between Japan and Manila, the galleon San Felipe gets stranded in the land of the rising sun. There, the fate of its passengers now lies in the hands of the most powerful warlord in Japan: Toyotomi Hideyoshi! Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comImage: Mural from Cuernava
S6E5: Who Murdered Señor Villegas?
When the guardia civil forced the Intramuros house of Victor Villegas open, they found a trail of blood that led all the way to a bathroom. Inside was the bloody corpse of the señor, his head smashed in, his body stripped to his underclothes. The police’s immediate suspects? The houseboys.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comThumb
S6E4: When Giants Walked the Philippines
In the 1600s, a friar chronicled wild stories of titans who carried spears the size of tree trunks, waded all the way to Surigao, got slain by small warriors, or even traveled to Manila. Where did this titanic fascination come from—and what do stories of giants tell us about the world of our colonizers and our ancestors?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us
S6E3: Rada's Dilemma
One of the most low-key and long-lived eateries in Makati’s central business district is the humble ‘jolly jeep’ known as SisigSaRada, which, as you can tell from the name, is located inside Rada Street. But who is this “Rada” the road is named after? To answer that, we travel four and a half centuries back in time. What can the story of Fray Martin de Rada tell us about the early history of Chris
Bonus: The Philippine book launch... LIVE!
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to give you this audio recording, straight from the Philippine launch of Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lost Tales from the Philippine Colonial Period, which is the book version of this podcast!This event was a long time coming, and I'm happy we finally got to make it happen this August 31. Much love to everyone who took the time out of their Saturda
S6E2: The Last Cavalry Charge
One month after Pearl Harbor, the Philippine army is in tatters after the relentless Japanese assault. The 26th Cavalry Regiment—one of the few cavalry units left in the US army that still hadn’t traded in their horses for tanks or halftracks—had the thankless task of guarding the defensive lines against Imperial flank attacks. In the town of Morong, Lt. Edwin Price Ramsey and the rest of E Troop
S6E1: The Dudes and Dandies of Colonial Manila
Cravats. Top hats. Barongs. Striped pants. Wide, wide waistbands. Well-dressed men are on the prowl in Luneta, turning heads and inciting whispers. Let’s meet these fashionable fops, shall we?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comAudio from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me from New Line Cinema.References: Coo, Stephanie (
Trailer: What is the Colonial Dept.?
Are you ready to plunge into the archives of Philippine history?
Special: The book launch... live!
Last weekend, the book version of this podcast, 'Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves', was launched in a small event at Book Bar SG along Duxton Road in Singapore. Of course, I got into a funny little accident right before it happened. Listen to scenes from the Singapore book launch here! My publisher and I talk about how the book came into being, how The Colonial Dept. tries to teach history, and what m
Special: All about the book 'Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves'
Special episodes take you behind the scenes at The Colonial Dept.! In this bonus bit, I walk you through the book version of this podcast, which is entitled Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lost Tales from the Philippine Colonial Period, 1565-1946. What's inside? How did I make it? How can you get it? Hopefully, I get to answer all your questions here.P.S. Tap here to read Peter Gordon's review on th
Special: The book version of this podcast is now live… and so are the remastered eps!
Special episodes take you behind the scenes at The Colonial Dept.! In this bonus bit, we talk a bit about my book Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves (order here). I also announce our new remastered episode initiative—take a listen at the teaser inside!Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comFind out more about the book on Faction Press.
S5E13: Union Jack & Union Jade
From 1762 to 1764, the British invaded and occupied Manila. When they left and returned the capital to Spain, the Castilians turned their wrath on the Chinese community, calling them traitors, apostates, and collaborators. But what was the real score? Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comThe book version of this podcast is called
S5E12: Who Can Mister Filipino Marry?
In the early decades of the 20th century, scores of young Filipino men began migrating to the United States to work. In their spare time, they dressed in their best suits and nattiest shoes, then hit the clubs. But when these dance-hall romances blossomed into marriages with white women, the law stepped in to stop them. Central to the plaintiffs’ legal arguments was a dazzling trick question of pu
S5E11: Sweet Carolines
Sea snakes and scientists, popes and Pacific islands all star in this wide-ranging episode. As Germany and Spain threaten to go to war over a chain of islands, the Spaniards feared that the diplomatic ruckus kicked up by the Caroline Crisis would also swallow up their colony next door: the Philippines!Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@g
S5E10: Off With Their Heads
When the conquistadors arrive in the Philippines, the takers of gold come face to face with the takers of heads.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comThe book version of this podcast is called Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lost Tales from the Philippine Colonial Period, 1565-1946. Purchase here. (An ebook version is also avai
S5E9: Manila Starves!
Sisid rice. “Star” meat. Loads and loads of kamote. Inside Japanese-occupied Manila, residents of the capital city must do what they can to fend off starvation.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comThe book version of this podcast is called Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lost Tales from the Philippine Colonial Period, 1565-1946. P
S5E8: Defending Against the Slave Raids
The panicked cries of a watchman, the desperate tolling of church bells, the cloud of masts appearing on the horizon. In the coastal towns of colonial Philippines, these can only mean one thing: the slavers have arrived.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comThe book version of this podcast is called Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lo
S5E7: Climbing Banahaw in the Name of Science
The “scientifics” of the so-called Ex Ex summit Mt. Banahaw in 1842, as part of their quest to survey the Philippine archipelago! What does this American scientific expedition find in our islands?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comThe book version of this podcast is called Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lost Tales from the Philip
S5E6: The Spanish Ore-cuppation
Through extortion, occupation, and “tribute”, the Spanish conquistadors in the Philippines get to work looting and plundering that most precious of all metals: gold. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Sitoy, T. Valentino, Jr. (1985). A History of Christianity in the Philippines: The Initial Encounter, Vol. 1. New Day
S5E5: The Death March Down South
The Bataan Death March is rightly remembered as one of the worst atrocities in the Philippine theater of World War II. But it wasn’t the only death march.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Frederick Marion Fullerton Collection (AFC/2001/001/15785), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congres
S5E4: Assembling a Colonial Breakfast
In the 1890s, a wealthy Filipino family sits down to eat a “full Filipino breakfast.” Let’s run down the history of everything on their menu, shall we?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Doeppers, Daniel (2016). Feeding Manila in Peace and War, 1850-1945. Ateneo de Manila University Press.Legarda, Benito J. (1999). Aft
S5E3: An Awkward Armada
Kapampangan warriors! Japanese mercs! Spanish soldiers! Portuguese promises! Let’s set sail with the grand fleet of Governor-General Juan de Silva as they face down the Dutch.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Borschberg, Peter (2010). “Luso-Spanish Naval Intervention.” In The Singapore and Malaka Straits: Violence, S
S5E2: Hattie the Headhunter
From princess to flapper to schoolteacher to rebel, this is the extraordinary story of Tarhata Kiram.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comCharbonneau, Oliver (2021). Civilizational Imperatives: Americans, Moros, and the Colonial World. Ateneo de Manila University Press.Leetaru, Kaleev (2004-2011). “Woman’s Building/Bevier Hall/Eng
S5E1: The Governor-General’s Love Affair
A tantalizing wind was blowing into the Philippines from Madrid. In its wake was Carlos Maria de la Torre, who seemed determined to shock the entrenched colonial establishment.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @the.colonial.dept.Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Simpson, Renate (1980). “Higher Education in the Philippines under the Spanish.” Journal of Asian History
S4E13: Tour de Tojo
Prime minister, general, and future convicted war criminal Hideki Tojo drops by the Philippines to see for himself if their colony is ready for independence. So how does his surprise visit go?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Dery, Luis C. (1984) “Japan’s New Order in the Philippines, 1942-1945: A Blueprint for Asia Under Japan.” Philippine Social Scien
S4E12: A Muscular Christianity
Civilize? Christianize? As the Americans move into their new colony, they pack an unlikely weapon in their mission to take over the Philippines: sports!Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Gems, Gerald R. (2016). Sport and the American Occupation of the Philippines: Bats, Balls, and Bayonets. Lexington Books.Putz, Paul (31 January 2022). “Muscular Christia
S4E11: When a Romanov Visited Pampanga
Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich Romanov, uncle to the last tsar of Russia, makes an unexpected pitstop at a sprawling estate along the banks of the Pampanga River.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Kowner, Rotem (15 June 2022). “Time to Remember, Time to Forget: The Battle of Tsushima in Japanese Collective Memory since 1905.” The Asia-Pacific Journal 20
S4E10: A Flash Flood of Fast Fashion
It’s an intercontinental textile trade war, as Spain throws open its colony’s ports to the world, and imported cotton from Britain muscles its way into Philippine markets.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Coo, Stephanie (2019). Clothing the Colony: Nineteenth Century Philippine Sartorial Culture, 1820-1896. Ateneo de Manila University Press. Ladrido, R.
S4E9: The Lethal Cost of Building the Galleons
Native wood. Native workers. These are the foundations that made the prosperous Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco possible. But at what price?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Peterson, Andrew Christian (August 2014). Making the First Global Trade Route: The Southeast Asian Foundations of the Acapulco-Manila Galleon Trade, 1519-1650. [Doctoral d
S4E8: British East India Co., Manila Branch
Beginning in the 1670s, the biggest, most rapacious company on earth set its sights on the great trading port of the Pacific.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Dalrymple, Alexander (4 March 2015). “The East India Company: The original corporate raiders.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/04/east-india-company-original-corporate-rai
S4E7: Upon This Rock
Prisoners from the Philippines get sent to the slammer—serving their sentences inside the military prison of Alcatraz! But what crimes earned them time on The Rock?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Thompson, Erwin S. (2000). The Rock: A History of Alcatraz Island, 1847-1972. U.S. National Park Service.Reed, John S. (1995) "External Discipline during Cou
S4E6: The Big Book of Family Names
The governor-general of the Philippines just conquered an island in Mindanao. Now, he’s about to do the same to each and every name in the archipelago.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comCheck out the Catalogo alfabetico de apellidos at issuu.com/filipinasheritagelibrary/docs/catalogo_alfabetico_de_apellidosReferences:Cojuangco, Tingting (1993). Kris of Valor: The S
S4E5: Shadow of the Fatherland
With war looming against the Axis powers, the Nazi party tries to exert its influence on the small community of Germans and Jews who lived in the Philippines. How did we fight back against the antisemitism?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Weston, Nathaniel Parker (2021). Specters of Germany: Colonial Rivalry and Scholarship in the Philippine Reform Mov
S4E4: The Bicycle in Peace and War
From Rizal in Dapitan to Japanese troops on a blitzkrieg, this is a short history of biking in the Philippines.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Severino, Howie (22 June 2020). “Rizal’s Wish for a Second-Hand Bicycle.” GMA News Online. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/specials/content/160/howie-severino-rizal-s-wish-for-a-second-hand-bicycle/Herlihy, Dav
S4E3: Magellan at the Edge of the World
Before Magellan crossed the Pacific, headed to the Philippines, and met his end at a Cebu beach, he was tasked with the impossible: sail to the end of their known world. What would he find there?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReference:Fernández-Armesto, Felipe (2022). Straits: Beyond the Myth of Magellan. Bloomsbury Publishing.Columbus Day audio from Mel-O-Too
S4E2: What Happened at Hanapēpē
As Filipino immigrants call for better pay and better treatment in the sugar cane plantations, the histories of Hawaii and the Philippines are about to intersect in a bloody way.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Jung, Moon-Kie (2004). “Symbolic and Physical Violence: Legitimate State Coercion of Filipino Workers in Prewar Hawai'i.” American Studies 45(3
S4E1: Spies for the Shogun
It’s the beginning of the Spanish reign, and Manila is prime real estate in the eyes of the sea-going empires, including Japan. In the Edo court, the Japanese plan the invasion of the Philippines—three hundred years early.Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:Ka Yin Chan, Caspar (2022). “Revisiting the Battle of Macau in 1622: A Polyphonic Narrative.” The N
S3E13: The Friar Who Loved the Flowers and the Trees
It was one of the most important scientific texts to emerge from the Spanish colonial period. But who was Father Manuel Blanco, and how did this priest-scientist amass his botanical knowledge?Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: thecolonialdept@gmail.comReferences:“Manuel Maria Blanco Ramos,” in Real Academia dela Historia, Diccionario Biografico. https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/14559/manuel-
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