This monumental work provides a detailed history of the Philippines from the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 to the end of the Spanish colonial period in 1898. Blair draws on a wealth of primary sources, including official government documents, letters and diaries of travellers and missionaries, and other contemporary accounts, to provide a comprehensive and authoritative account of this fascinating period in Philippine history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.