The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 14 of 55 / 1606-1609 / 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

by Unknown

After the captain had provided some necessary things in the fort, he made another sally and remained away for two days. During that time he discovered certain very small villages among the mountains. On his return to the fort, he captured Ybarat, and sent him to Manila. Don Luis Dasmariñas had him feasted and delivered him to Don Dionizio Capolo. After some days Don Luis visited Ybarat and those who accompanied him, and then sent him back, well satisfied, to his own country, in charge of the same Don Dionisio.

The captain again made a trip, to look for some mines that were reported to be situated among those mountains, and a golden goat[4] which people said that a chief had abandoned. It was all found to be false. The captain requested permission from Don Luis to return, as he was sick, although the friars had first made the same request, notwithstanding that they had promised great perseverance at first.

In his place, Don Luis sent Captain Clavijo with orders to go on farther in order to discover the mines of the Ygolotes. Although that captain left the province of Tuy in search of the Ygolotes, he turned back on the way, because he was assaulted by more than one thousand Indians. The latter wounded his guide, Don Dionizio Capolo, very severely in the face; and it is reported that the captain was forced to return because he had no one to guide him. After his arrival at the fort, it was determined that the entire camp should return to Manila, as they had no provisions and the soldiers were sick, without making any further efforts for the discovery of the Tuy Ygolotes.

In the year 607, when the Audiencia was governing, two chiefs of that province [Tuy] came to the house of Don Dionisio. This man had been in all the above expeditions, where he had served with great fidelity. He took the two chiefs to the Audiencia and said that those chiefs were coming to render homage to his Majesty, and wished to pay tribute, and would make others come. This was regarded lightly, for the most part, although the Audiencia took care to make much of them and to feast them, in order to get news of their land from them. Finally permission was granted to Don Dionisio to return with the chiefs to their land, in order that they might bring in more Indians who might wish to come. He accomplished this so well, that he brought seventeen chiefs, whom he took to the Audiencia. These were received with the same coldness as the two chiefs, and no more was given them, nor any interest in them displayed. And inasmuch as a citizen encomendero came with the report that those chiefs were peaceful and belonged to his encomienda—which was a notorious falsehood, as they lived more than forty leguas from his encomienda, and were hostile, as appeared but a few days ago—this was sufficient completely to extinguish what little interest the Audiencia had displayed in the matter.

In order that the prevarication of the encomendero may be understood, it is to be noted that about one year ago, the inhabitants of the encomienda of this man and other fellow-citizens of his attempted to make an incursion into the land of these Tuy chiefs, under the leadership of three Spaniards; but the inhabitants of Tuy attacked them and killed more than one hundred, among whom were more than twenty chiefs and the Spaniards. From that occurrence the encomendero’s falsehood is manifest, as well as the coldness and neglect of the Audiencia, although not of all that body.

Don Dionizio attests that he has gone to the province of Tuy sometimes with seven or eight Indians; and as they were acquainted with him in the past, and knew that he had entertained Chief Ybarat, they have received him very hospitably and entertained him. They request him earnestly that some officer may go to protect them and receive their submission to his Majesty, and for fathers to teach them. They show by their deeds that they desire just what they say, for they begged a servant of this chief to teach them the prayers and Christian instruction. They learned these in the Tagal language and went to pray before a cross raised by the same chief. It is reported that their land is quite capable of sustaining the burden of the Ygolotes and the Spaniards who should go there to discover and work the mines; and would be of great service in the discovery of them and the pacification of the mountaineers, because of their communication with the latter, as the said province borders on the said Ygolotes. The land contains many settlements and many level plains, while its rice is the best that is grown in the Yndias.

The nature of that land is for the most part good. It is an upland situated between two mountains, and is covered with grass, like Castilla. There is abundance of water and trees; and there are many valleys and broad, pleasant plains. It has many deer and carabaos, or buffaloes. Sugarcane is grown, and produces abundantly, and it attains a much larger growth than in other regions; and even, where moisture is obtained, many trees grow. There are many bare mountains, thought to be composed of minerals. The highest mountains are very rugged. The region explored by those who have gone there hitherto has been only the valley of Tuy, and part of the headwaters of the river of the same name. This river becomes of great volume, and terminates at the city of Nueva Segovia, or Cagayan. It contains numerous fish, and the best ones that are found in the island of Luzon. This valley and province are said to be forty leguas long, and end at the mountains of the Ygolotes. Its width is unknown, except that it extends from the province of Pangasinan to the sea, from which one may infer that is a greater distance than the forty leguas.

Relation of what has been known from old times, in these districts, of the rich mines of the Ygolotes—both from seeing the great amount of gold that the Indians of those mountains have extracted without skill, and are still obtaining, and which they sell to the neighboring provinces, and trade for food; and by persons (Spaniards as well as Indians) who have been in the mines opened by those mountaineers.

First, it is to be taken for granted that they are located in the mountains and ridges called Ygolotes, at somewhat less than eighteen degrees of latitude; It is an upland situated between two mountains, and is covered with grass, like Castilla. There is abundance of water and trees; and there are many valleys and broad, pleasant plains. It has many deer and carabaos, or buffaloes. Sugarcane is grown, and produces abundantly, and it attains a much larger growth than in other regions; and even, where moisture is obtained, many trees grow. There are many bare mountains, thought to be composed of minerals. The highest mountains are very rugged. The region explored by those who have gone there hitherto has been only the valley of Tuy, and part of the headwaters of the river of the same name. This river becomes of great volume, and terminates at the city of Nueva Segovia, or Cagayan. It contains numerous fish, and the best ones that are found in the island of Luzon. This valley and province are said to be forty leguas long, and end at the mountains of the Ygolotes. Its width is unknown, except that it extends from the province of Pangasinan to the sea, from which one may infer that is a greater distance than the forty leguas.

Relation of what has been known from old times, in these districts, of the rich mines of the Ygolotes—both from seeing the great amount of gold that the Indians of those mountains have extracted without skill, and are still obtaining, and which they sell to the neighboring provinces, and trade for food; and by persons (Spaniards as well as Indians) who have been in the mines opened by those mountaineers.