Philippines — History and Culture by Marge Espineda via Flickr Creative Commons Despite a string of largely unsympathetic rulers, the turbulent history of the Philippines has nonetheless managed to produce a friendly, resilient, family-oriented, deeply religious and artistic population, most of whom are indigenous, Spanish or of mixed heritage. History People have lived in the Philippines since the dawn of human history. Originally, the various islands were populated by competing tribes, each with their own king or queen. In 1521, the explorer Magellan claimed the islands for Spain and colonisation began in 1565. Manila was established as the capital of what was then known was the Spanish East Indies in 1571. Spanish rule brought Catholicism to the area, with missionaries establishing churches, schools, hospitals, universities and largely displacing the previously entrenched Hindu, Islamic and Buddhist faiths. Free education was introduced in 1863, but did not take off until...
