The Spanish Colonial Government

The Philippine Islands first came to the attention of Europeans when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed there on 1521, claiming the lands of Spain. He was defeated by Lapu-lapu, a native chieftain, at the battle of Mactan, where he died. However, his ships reached the Spice Islands. The navigational charts of one of the ships, the Victoria, which circumnavigated the globe, were delivered to Seville in 1522. In 1529, by the treaty of Zargosa,Spain relinquished all claims to the Spice Islands to Portugal. This treaty did not stop subsequent colonization.