Filipinos ‘Discovered’ California 432 Years Ago Today

Filipinos ‘Discovered’ California 432 Years Ago Today
Ryan General·October 18, 2019 https://nextshark.com/filipinos-discovered-california-american-history/

Filipinos were among the first to arrive in America, landing on what is now known as Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.

The historic landing, which is 33 years ahead of the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock, is commemorated via a special rock in Morro Bay.

The Filipinos were reportedly seamen who served as deckhands for Pedro De Unamuno, who was then sailing for Spain. While among the New World explorers, Unamuno and, more significantly, his Filipino crew, were obscured in history.

According to Filipino American journalist Emil Guillermo, no one would have even learned of the Filipino part of the story without the original research by Eloisa Gomez Borah on Unamuno’s logs.

Borah, a librarian and a trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), made the case for the presence of the Filipinos in her report published in UCLA’s Amerasia Journal in 1996. Through her efforts, it was finally revealed that Unamuno was not some random explorer, but served under Captain Francisco Gali as part of a Spanish expedition in 1584.

Following Gali’s eventual death, Unamuno reportedly lost command of the two ships he inherited after taking a side trip to Macau.

Unamuno was momentarily stranded in Asia but was finally able to buy a “single-deck three-masted vessel” known as Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza. The hired help who joined him on his journey were mostly from the Philippines.

According to Unamuno’s logs, he sailed with the Franciscan Father Martin Ignacio de Loyola, nephew of the founder of the Jesuit order, a few priests, soldiers and at least eight Filipinos who were then identified as “Yndios Luzones,” or Luzon Indians from the northern Philippines island of Luzon.

Unamuno and his crew began their journey on July 12, 1587 and were at sea until the end of his voyage on November 22, 1587 in Acapulco, Mexico. But before they reached their destination, they spent a three-day land excursion between October 18-20 on California’s central coast.

Borah noted how Filipinos, who were then known as capable seamen, are often left off many of the voyages logs on these early explorations and trade ships. Borah particularly chose Captain Unamuno’s logs, in which “Yndios” appeared 42 times in total. In 23 times, they referenced the native inhabitants of California that they encountered, and 19 times it described the crew.