The Philippines at the Cortes de Cádiz

Abstract

This article analyzes the participation of the Philippines in the Cortes de Cádiz, the parliament that, from 1810 to 1812, joined representatives of all territories of the Spanish empire for the first and only time. It explains the process through which the Philippines came to have parliamentary representation; the election of Ventura de los Reyes as the Filipino representative; his proposals for the future of the islands; the issues discussed in the Cortes in relation to the Philippines; and the impact that all these matters had on the archipelago.

Keywords: Spanish empire • political representation • creoles • Philippines in the nineteenth century • assimilation • Manila Galleon