In 1596 Capt. Esteban Rodriguez led an expedition into Mindanao, for
its conquest and pacification.
It is maintained that he proceeded up the Mindanao River as far as
Bwayan, the capital of the upper Mindanao Valley.
Don Esteban Rodriguez prepared men and ships, and what else was necessary
for the enterprise, and with some galleys, galleots, frigates, vircys,^ barangays;'
and lapisy^ set out with two hundred and fourteen Spaniards for the Island of
Mindanao, in February of the same year, of 1596. He took Capt. Juan de
la Xara as his master -of -camp, and some religious of the Society of Jesus to
give instruction, as well as many natives for the service of the camp and fleet.
He reached Mindanao River after a good voyage, where the first settlements,
named Tampakan and Lumakan, both hostile to the people of Bwayan, received
him peacefully and in a friendly manner, and joined his fleet. They were alto-
gether about six thousand men. Without delay they advanced about 8 leagues
farther up the river against Bwayan, the principal settlement of the island,
where its greatest chief had fortified himself on many sides. Arrived at the
settlement, the fleet cast anchor and immediately landed a large proportion of
the troops with their arms. But before reaching the houses and fort, and while
going through some thickets [cacatal] ^ neAr the shore, they encountered some
of the men of Bwayan, who were coming to meet them with their kampilany*^
cara^saSy^ and other weapons, and who attacked them on various sides. The
latter [i. e., the Spaniards and their allies], on account of the swampiness of
the place and the denseness of the thickets [cacutal], could not act unitedly as
the occasion demanded, although the mas ter-of -camp and the captains that led
them exerted themselves to keep the troops together and to encourage them to
face the natives. Meanwhile Governor Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa was watch-
ing events from his flagship, but not being able to endure the confusion of his
men, seized his weapons and hastened ashore with three or four companions and
a servant who carried his helmet in order that he might be less impeded in his
movements. But as he was crossing a part of the thickets [cacatal] where the
fight was waging, a hostile Indian stepped out unseen from one side and dealt
the governor a blow on the head with his kampilan that stretched him on the
ground badly wounded.* The governor's followers cut the Mindanao to pieces
and carried the governor back to the camp. Shortly after the master-of-camp,
Juan de la Xara, withdrew his troops to the fleet, leaving behind several Span-
iards who had fallen in the encounter. The governor did not regain conscious-
ness, for the wound was very severe, and died next day. The fleet after that
loss and failure left that place, and descended the river to Tampakan, where it
anchored among the friendly inhabitants and their settlements.
The master-of-camp, Juan de la Xara, had himself chosen by the fleet as
successor in the government and enterprise. He built a fort with arigues^ and
palms near Tampakan, and founded a Spanish settlement to which he gave the
name of Murcia. He began to make what arrangements he deemed best, in
order to establish himself and run things independently of, and without acknowl-
edging the governor of Manila, without whose intervention and assistance this
enterprise could not be continued.'
Bwayan was 30 miles up the river and 25 miles above Magindanao or
Kotabato where Bwisan, the Sultan of Magindanao, was strongly fortified.
It is difficult to believe that Rodriguez could advance so- far even with
a small scouting party. A careful review of the Spanish reports referring
to these early campaigns in Mindanao indicates that Bwayan has been
erroneously used in place of Magindanao, the ancient capital of the
sultanate of Magindanao.
Bent on the conquest of Mindanao, Governor Tello prepared another
expedition under Gen. Juan Ronquillo ^ and dispatched it by the way of
Cebu. At Caldera, it was joined by the fleet of Mindanao and the whole
force proceeded east in the direction of the Mindanao River, on the 6th
of February, 1597. Captain Chaves arrived with his frigates at the
river on the 8th of January. In a battle fought at Simway to capture
Moro vessels going to seek aid from Ternate he had a leg cut off and
received a shot in the helmet above the ear. Ronquillo arrived at the
mouth of the river on February 21, and on the 17th of April he engaged
a Moro fleet with 40 arquebusiers and defeated them, killing a number
of their brave men and some Ternatans without losing any of his men
except 5 Bisayans. Leaving a guard of 34 men under Chaves at the fort
of Tampakan he advanced up the river with a force of 230 sailors and
gunners. The enemy retired behind some parapets as soon as the artil-
lery opened upon them, and brought some artillery to bear on the flagship
(one of the galleys), but could not retard the Spanish advance.
Reinforced by the chief of the hill tribes, Lumakan, with 500 natives, Ronquillo
resumed the fighting after the delay of a few days. "Finally," continued Ron-
quillo, "I planted my battery of eight pieces somewhat over 100 paces from the
fort. Although I battered the fort hotly, I could not effect a breach through
which to make an assault. AH the damage that I did them by day, they repaired
by night. • * ♦
"1 was very short of ammunition, for 1 had only 3,000 arquebus bullets left,
and very few cannon balls; and both would be spent in one day's fighting, during
which, should we not gain the fort, we would be lost — and with no power to
defend ourselves while withdrawing our artillery and camp. » ♦ •
**I reconnoitered the fort and its situation, for it is located at the entrance
of a lagoon, thus having only water at the back, and swampy and marshy ground
at the sides. It has a frontage of more than 1,000 paces, is furnished with
very good transversals, and is well supplied with artillery and arquebuses.
Moreover it has a ditch of water mor.e than 4 brazas * wide and 2 deep, and
thus there was a space of dry ground of only 15 paces where it was possible
to attack; and this space was bravely defended, and with the greatest force of
the enemy. The inner parts were water, where they sailed in vessels, while we
had no footing at all."
"Again, I reflected that those who had awaited us so long, had waited with
the determination to die in defense of the fort; and if they should see the
contest ending unfavorably for them, no one would prevent their flight. Further,
if they awaited the assault it would cost me the greater part of my remaining
ammunition, and my best men; while, if the enemy fled, nothing would be ac-
complished, but on the contrary a long, tedious, and costly war would be entered
upon. Hence, with the opinion and advice of the captains, I negotiated for
peace, and told them that I would admit them to friendship under the following
conditions:
"First, that first and foremost they must offer homage to his Majesty, and
pay something as recognition" (a gold chain). Second, "that all the natives who
had been taken from the Pintados Islands [Bisayan.Islandsl last year, must be
restored." Third, "that they must break the peace and confederation made with
the people of Ternate, and must not admit the latter into their country." Fourth,
"that they must be friends with Danganlibor and Lumakan, ♦ * • and must
not make war on their vassals." Fifth, "that all the chiefs must go to live in their
old villages." *
Konquillo later reported the place indefensible and was authorized to
retire to Caldera.
Ronquillo must have advanced as far as the settlement of Kalangnan
or possibly Magindanao (Kotabato), the capital of Sultan Bwisan. The
report he rendered relative to the country, its people and chiefs, is very
interesting and an excerpt of the same is herewith quoted because of its
bearing on conditions throughout Moroland:
The leading chiefs collect tribute from their vassals. • • • These Indians
are not like those in Luzon, but are accustomed to power and sovereignty. Some
collect five or six thousand tributes. • • •
Hitherto it has not been possible to tell your lordship anything certain of
this country except that it will be of but little advantage to his Majesty, but
a source of great expense. It has far fewer inhabitants than was reported, and
all are very poor, so that their breakfast consists only in cleaning their arms,
and their work in using them, and not in cultivating the land, which is low and
swampy in this river. There is no chief who can raise 20 taes of gold. Rice
is very scarce; in the hills is found a small amount, which is used for food by
the chiefs only. There are some swine, and a few fowls that are very cunning,
and less fruit.*
These early expeditions of the Spaniards against the Moros undoubtedly
aroused in the latter a great desire for vengeance. The forces the
Spaniards sent to conquer Mindanao and Sulu were very small. Such
•forces would have been strong enough to reduce any island of the Bisa-
yan group, or even Luzon, but against the Moros they proved insufficient
and inadequate. They however succeeded in provoking bitter hostilities
and marked the beginning of a long period of terror and bloodshed.
