Pre-Colonial Art in the Philippines
1. Three of the 14 cannons on board San Diego
A cannon (plural: cannon or cannons) is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile, which may or may not be explosive. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees, depending on their intended use on the battlefield.
They were among the earliest forms of gunpowder artillery use on the battlefield.
2. . San Diego Galleon
The galleon San Diego was built as the trading ship San Antonio before hastily being converted into a warship. On December 14, 1600, the fully laden San Diego was engaged by the Dutch warship Mauritius under the command of Admiral Olivier van Noort a short distance away from Fortune Island, Nasugbu, Philippines. Since San Diego couldn’t handle the extra weight of her cannons, which led to a permanent list and put the cannon portholes below sea level, she was sunk without firing a single shot in response. The Dutch were later reported firing upon and hurling lances at the survivors attempting to climb aboard the Mauritius.
Nearly 400 years later, in 1992, the wreck was discovered by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and a total of 34,407 artifacts and ecofacts were recovered from the shipwreck, including Chinese porcelain, Japanese katanas, Portuguese cannon and Mexican coin. The San Diego exhibition has been on tour around the globe before it started to permanently be displayed at the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila. There is also a display at the Naval Museum in Madrid.
3. Japanese Katanas
The artifacts above belonged to the Japanese mercenaries recruited by the Spaniards to supplement the fighting contingent on board the San Diego.
In Japanese, “katana” means a long sword and it represents a blade, which is a little curved, with a single edge and a very sharp point.
A katana is a Japanese long sword used by samurai warriors. It is the most important sword of the three swords worn by samurai: katana, wakizashi, and tanto. The katana was popular from 1400 A.D. until 1876, when the samurai were abolished as a social class.
4. Morions Copper Alloy
A Spanish conquistador comb morion (c. 17th century)
A morion is a type of open helmet used from the middle 16th to early 17th centuries, usually having a flat brim and a crest from front to back. Its introduction was contemporaneous with the exploration of North, Central, and South America. Explorers like Hernando de Soto and Coronado may have supplied them to their foot soldiers in the 1540s. Thirty to forty years later, it was widely used by the Spanish, but also common among foot soldiers of many European nationalities, including the English. The morion’s shape is derived from that of an older helmet, the Chapel de Fer, or “Kettle Hat. Other sources suggest it was based on Moorish armor and its name is derived from Moro, the Spanish word for Moor. The New Oxford American Dictionary, however, derives it from Spanish morrión, from morro ‘round object’.The Dictionary of the Spanish Language published by the Royal Spanish Academy indicates that the Spanish term for the helmet, morrión, derives from the noun morra, which means “the upper part of the head”.
The crest or comb on the top of the helmet was designed to strengthen it. It provided protection during the push of pike maneuvers known for their high casualty rates. Used by soldiers troops to protect their head in battles and officers identity.
5. Nautical Astrolabe
This nautical astrolabe is thought to be among the earliest surviving nautical astrolabes and dates from about 1500−1520. Most nautical astrolabes had a carved mater (graduated circular element.
The purpose of nautical astrolabes was to measure the altitude of the sun or a star above the horizon. Navigators could determine a ship’s latitude by knowing the distance from the celestial equator of the sun, the polestar, or other star. This instrument is made of thick heavy bronze. Its weight would have kept it vertical despite a ship’s motion in rough seas and heavy weather when it was hung from a tripod or using a plummet hanging from the axis. The graduated marks helped to hold it steady and the mobile guide on its face was pointed to the body whose height was to be measured, with the zero degree mark matching the horizon.