The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 3]

RELATION OF THE CONQUEST OF THE
ISLAND OF LUZON
An account of the discovery and conquest of the
islands of Luz6n and Mindoro, together with the
most important events which took place therein,
being a brief and summarized relation of the conquest and reduction of all that has been conquered
and subdued in these islands up to the present time.
Likewise is contained herein a description of the
civilization of the people and their mode of living;
the weapons which they possess and use; and the forts
which they build to defend themselves against their
enemies. I have ventured to write this relation because I have been informed that many things concerning events in this land have been written, and
sent to Nueva Espafia, which are the merest fable
and conjecture. For instance, they say that there are
in this country Moors like those of Barberia [Barbary], and that their strength in arms is quite equal
to that of those people; and that they fight and defend
themselves like the Turks. Those who have so
written are in error. Much to the contrary, it is quite
certain that the natives of this island of Luz6n, whom
we Spaniards commonly call Moros, are not so; for
the truth is that they do not know or understand the
law of Mahoma - only in some of the villages on the