The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
One of the missions which flourished with great fruit in this
province during that time was the mission of Palavig, which is the
mission now called Vangac. This is a mission on the coast of Cagayan
near the mountains of Paranàn which end at the cape called Engaño
[i.e., deceit]. The land of this island becomes more lofty as it
approaches nearer the north. That mission is composed of Visayan
Indians of the opposite coast of that province, who fleeing from the
village of Paranàn and from other villages, inhabit those inaccessible
mountains, where they are safe because of the inaccessibility of those
ridges. Among them are some Christian apostates and many heathens who
were born in the mountains. On the brow of those mountains that mission
was founded in the year 1653 by the earnest and laborious efforts of
the venerable father, Fray Juan Uguet, under the advocacy of St. Thomas
of Aquinas. And when the mission was in a good condition, and there
were many recently-baptized people in it, and others reconciled from
their apostasy, they were frightened by the Indians of the village of
Buguey, and they consequently returned immediately to the mountain, and
the mission was abandoned and destroyed, and all the toil of the father
came to nought through the persuasions of those bad citizens. It was
God's will to have them reunite at the same site of Palavig, through
the inducements of some zealous missionaries, but they afterward left
it again because of the annoyances which they suffered annually from
a commandant who goes to that district to watch for the ship from
Acapulco. Under that pretext he usually causes considerable vexation
to the Indians of the village of Buguey, and much more to those of
the mission as they are naturally a very pusillanimous race. Hence,
that mission has suffered its ups and its downs, for however much the
fathers labored in it, the inhabitants of Buguey by their persuasions,
and that commandant by his bad treatment, destroyed their labors. It
is now about twenty-five years since they returned to settle on a creek
called Bavag under the advocacy of St. Michael, who among other saints
fell to their lot. Thence they moved to Vangag, in order to draw those
people from the mountain whence they had gone. For the same reason,
they were moved on another occasion to a site called Dao, which is the
site where they still live, although still under the title of Vangag.
[Salazar relates the steadfastness of a native girl at the above
mission, who was of considerable use to the missionaries. Two fathers
while on an expedition concerned with the mission, are carried across
a river by Negritos, of which race Salazar says:]
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