The fortieth volume of this extensive historical series focuses primarily on events occurring in Manila during the years sixteen ninety and sixteen ninety-one, alongside a comprehensive ethnological appendix. The opening historical document relates ongoing civil and ecclesiastical dissensions, detailing conflicts between the acting ruler of the archdiocese, Bishop Barrientos, and the secular powers represented by the royal Audiencia and the newly arrived governor, Domingo Zabálburu. These administrative struggles highlight the complex political tensions defining the colonial capital during the period.
The core of the volume consists of detailed observations by early missionary writers—specifically Jesuit, Augustinian, and Franciscan chroniclers who spent decades among the indigenous populations. Father Francisco Colin provides an extensive account of the Malayan origins of the civilized tribes, detailing their alphabets, languages, physical appearances, dress, religious observances, and social organization based on the barangay. He examines their legal customs, marriage practices, and economic activities, portraying a remarkably structured indigenous society prior to Spanish contact.
Expanding upon these observations, Father Francisco Combés focuses on the ethnology of Mindanao and the southern islands, categorizing the native populations into distinct groups such as the seafaring Lutaos, the river-dwelling Subanos, and the loyal inhabitants of Dapitan. Combés describes their modes of warfare, economic dominance, and prevailing belief systems, noting the strong presence of Mahometanism along the southern coasts alongside lingering pagan superstitions and sophisticated legal customs grounded in monetary restitution and ordeals.
The volume also includes a famous and controversial letter by the Augustinian friar Gaspar de San Agustín, written in seventeen twenty after forty years of residence in the islands. San Agustín offers a deeply critical analysis of the native character, describing the indigenous population as fickle, ungrateful, and indolent while exploring the psychological difficulties of governing them. This perspective is subsequently challenged by the Jesuit writer Delgado, who vigorously defends the native population, emphasizing their indispensable contributions to colonial agriculture, trade, and navigation while criticizing the arrogance of Spanish officials.
Finally, the Franciscan chronicler Juan Francisco de San Antonio contributes further ethnological analysis regarding the origins and physical traits of the various Filipino groups. He examines the racial mixtures, languages, superstitions, and social conditions of the Tagalogs, Pampangos, Visayans, and mountain tribes. Together, these contemporaneous documents preserve an invaluable record of native life, European contact, and the gradual transformation of the islands under colonial administration.
