10/20/2024
Do you know the significance of Oct. 18 to Filipino American history? The first documented presence of Filipinos in what is now the continental United States occurred some 33 years before Pilgrims from England arrived at Plymouth Rock. ⠀⠀
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On October 18, 1587, the Filipinos — called “Luzones Indios” — were indentured servants and sailors who arrived aboard the Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza, which had sailed as part of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade. They landed in the area known as , California today.⠀⠀
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From : “Upon arrival, two Luzones Indios were first sent to shore to scout the land. In spite of observing several local indigenous people (the Chumash people), the landing party (now led by 2 Spaniards) climbed atop a hill and claimed the new land as theirs. The Chumash retaliated - resulting in the deaths of one Spaniard (Felipe de Contreras) and one unnamed Luzon Indio. The galleon retreated and continued onto Acapulco, Mexico.⠀
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For decades, Filipinos continued to work aboard these Spanish galleons, enduring poor working conditions and violence. In the mid 1700s, Filipino sailors escaped these ships and formed settlements in Louisiana. The earliest documented settlement of Filipinos was in St. Malo, Louisiana in 1763; it was also the first documented presence of any Asian group in what would later become the United States.” ⠀
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October marks to commemorate the landing of these first Filipinos.
CTO: Asian Journal
