The Linkage of Spain and Philippines

The Philippines was under the Spanish regime for 333 years, so there's no doubt that the Filipino populace would embrace Spanish ways of living. For years, our character, customs, traditions, and beliefs as a pre-colonial Filipino were slowly changed and become somewhat attached to Spain's culture, which also links people to the past to know what was the life before. What can you notice in your surname, isn't there an evident mark of Spain? The remains of Spain's influence have become embedded in the Filipino culture. The Filipinos are already accustomed to their adopted culture that it can't be changed anymore. However, it doesn't mean that the Filipinos do fully embraced Spain's culture, they just balance the new and the old; in a way that they are using Spain's culture to bring up Indigenous practices. Also, the presence of Spain is still evident when you see through the name of our country- the Philippines, which came from the "Las Islas Filipinas" of Spaniards. 

Here are the influences of Spain that contributed to the Philippines' culture up today:

    Language & Writings


         
              Photo from: Rappler.com
We already have a form of writing and communication before colonization; however, in 333 years, we were able to adopt some of the Spanish languages that were still evident until now. In everyday words we say, there's a touch of Spanish Language since there's an estimate of up to 20% of Tagalog words that were originated in Spain. To top it all, it seems like most Filipinos are more familiar with Spanish words rather than in deep Tagalog words. We really can't deny that Spain enriched the Filipino and also Visayan vocabularies up today and it is currently being used.

    Architecture and Cities

           
           Photo from: bluprint.com

The Philippines' architecture was dominated by Spanish influences. We can recognize the remains Spain had left, in terms of school, historical establishments and houses. The mix of Spanish and Filipino styles gives an intricate sense of character, which complements the overall look of the structure. Also, the positions of today's cities showed the system back then. The city's plaza is still situated in the middle of the city with churches and the municipal hall near it. We are also familiar that the prominent structures today that was known for tourism in the Philippines were influenced by Spain.

Catholicism & Culture

  Photo from: The Manila Times

Most Filipinos are Catholic by religion, in an estimate of 86%,  which are dominant in Asia. Catholicism influenced the culture of the Filipinos, as we observe, Catholic churches are practically situated everywhere in the Philippines. The Catholic church holds a powerful force in the country. Because of the Spanish voyage, there's a strong tradition and customs adopted in the Philippines. In relation to religion, Filipinos celebrated many events that involve Catholics. The indigenous practices and beliefs of the country were incorporated in the festivals happening in different parts of the country, which exhibits different traditions and practices. The festivals showcase the creativity of the Filipinos in celebrating in which some Spanish style of dancing is also present. Spain also brought their cuisines which inspired the Filipino cuisines and popular today.  We would never think that the food we like and lived up to the name of the Philippines came from Spain. There's also a touch of Spain in our national dresses but currently, there's a transition of baro't saya to minimalist fashion evident today. Also, our surnames was originated from Spain to be more organized and it is instilled up today.
" There might be Spanish in me, but I'm not Spanish. I'm a proud Filipino with culture and pride. "



References:
Ledesma, L (2017). Spain in the Philippines. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/spain-in-the-philippines
n.a(n.d).Spanish Influence in the Philippines. Retrieved October 7, 2019, from http://lifey.org/spanish-influence-on-the-philippines/

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