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. 13]

I604-I605]

CHIRINO'S RELATION

9I

greater part of the people everywhere divided and
scattered in rural hamlets, in rugged, inaccessible,
and mountainous localities. Besides these, there
were houses at considerable distances from one another, without any order, or any trace of streets or
village, placed along the banks of the rivers, and
surrounded by their grain-fields and groves. On
account of these conditions, the first concern of
Father Cosme de Flores, upon entering the district
of Alangalang, was to gather all these settlements
into one village, which he did; and this policy has
been followed by those who have succeeded him in
the charge of that mission field. This measure has
been of no small advantage to those people; for in
the year one thousand six hundred alone, two villages
were established, containing each three hundred
houses, and a third one with five hundred-all
amounting to about four thousand five hundred souls,
of whom more than a hundred were baptized in that
year. During Lent all the Christians attended the
services with eagerness, especially in Holy Week,
when the people of the other villages joined them.
They attended the divine services which were celebrated in as fitting a manner as possible. On the
morning of Holy Thursday a sermon was preached
to them concerning the holy sacrament; and in the
afternoon the superior of that house washed the feet
of a dozen poor persons (explaining in a brief sermon the signification of that holy ceremony), by
which they were all greatly edified. Toward evening a well-ordered procession was formed containing
a large number of flagellants, with other persons who
carried some large crosses. This procession was repeated the next day, after the sermon on the passion.