Philippine Encomederos and Nobilities
Contact era Spanish and Mexican Encomenderos and the Nobilities in the Philippines
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This is an enumeration of known Philippine Nobilities and the Spanish and Mexican Born Encomenderos also granted by the Spanish Empire Nobiliary Status in the Philippine Context
The following is a reconstructed list of early encomenderos in the Philippines during the initial phase of Spanish colonization under Miguel López de Legazpi. The information is drawn primarily from early Spanish administrative reports (notably the 1576 report associated with Hernando Riquel) and later compilations such as the Blair and Robertson series.[1][2] Most of these knights that were awarded with encomiendas were Mexicans or Spaniards born in Mexico,[3] and they were rewarded by the crown with land and encomiendas for accompanying and co-investing with Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the risk and reward of incorporating the Philippines into the Spanish Empire.[4][5] These men who were soldiers and became Spanish knights that held land and labor in newly conquered Philippines made contact with homegrown native nobilities of the Animist Datus, Hindu Rajahs, and Islamic Sultans; that were already practicing rulers of their own small island principalities and polities.
Because of incomplete archival preservation, many entries include approximate or unspecified tribute figures.
Philippine Encomenderos of Spanish and Mexican Origin
Cebu and adjacent settlements
- Miguel López de Legazpi – Cebu and dependent settlements
Held a royal encomienda centered on Cebu, the first Spanish base in the archipelago. Tributary figures are not precisely recorded.[6]
- Jerónimo de Monzón – Cebu
Approximately 3,000 tributaries.[7]
- Cristóbal Sánchez – Cebu
Approximately 2,000 tributaries.[8]
- Francisco Carreño – Cebu
Approximately 1,000 tributaries.[9]
- Andrés de Mirandaola – Cebu region
Held an encomienda in early Cebu settlements; tribute data not specified.[10]
- Pedro de Arana – Cebu region
Early grant-holder; tributary figures not recorded.[11]
- Alonso de Alvarado – Visayas
Received an encomienda in the central islands; details unclear.[12]
Luzon and Mindoro
- Miguel López de Legazpi – Mindoro (port settlements)
Held a royal encomienda over coastal trade communities; tributary figures not recorded.[13]
- Felipe de Salcedo – Mindoro (remaining areas)
Granted the remainder of Mindoro; several thousand tributaries estimated.[14]
- Antonio de Carvajal – Luzon
Held an encomienda in early Luzon settlements; no exact figures preserved.[15]
- Juan de Morón – Luzon
Early encomendero; tributary numbers not specified.[16]
- Francisco de Herrera – Luzon
Received an encomienda; details incomplete.[17]
- Pedro de Chaves – Luzon
Encomienda holder; tribute count unknown.[18]
Manila, Cavite, and Laguna–Bombon region
- Miguel López de Legazpi – Cavite and adjacent coastal settlements
Held royal authority over Cavite and surrounding areas; no precise figures.[19]
- Martín de Goiti – Bombon (Laguna de Bay region)
Approximately 8,000 tributaries; one of the largest early encomiendas.[20]
- Esteban Rodríguez de Figueroa – Manila region
Held an encomienda near Manila; tribute figures not recorded.[21]
- Juan Maldonado – Manila region
Early encomendero; limited data survives.[22]
Northern Luzon
- Juan de Salcedo – Ilocos and Pangasinan
Received extensive regional encomiendas following expeditions; tributary counts not consistently recorded.[23]
- Juan de la Isla – Northern Luzon
Received encomienda following expeditions; figures not preserved.[24]
- Francisco de Saavedra – Northern Luzon
Early grant-holder; details fragmentary.[25]
- Alonso de Contreras – Northern Luzon
Held encomienda; tribute counts not specified.[26]
Panay and Western Visayas
- Gabriel de Ribera – Panay (riverine settlements)
Approximately 4,000 tributaries.[27]
- Luis de la Haya – Panay (Araut River region)
Large inland encomienda; figures not precisely recorded.[28]
- Pedro Sarmiento – Panay
Early encomendero; tribute data not specified.[29]
- Francisco de Rivera – Panay
Held an encomienda in the region; details incomplete.[30]
- Diego de Artieda – Visayas
Held administrative and encomienda authority; figures unclear.[31]