Boxer Codex

The book “Boxer Codex: A Modern Spanish Transcription and English Translation of 16th Century Exploration Accounts of East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Second Edition” transcribed and edited by Isaac Donoso along with Ma. Luisa Garcia, Carlos Quirino and Mauro Garcia (Vibal Foundation, 2022) is a remarkable collection of historical manuscripts written about the Philippines and Southeast Asia. This edition features the original Spanish text with the corresponding English translation on the parallel page.

The story of how the Codex was first discovered is an interesting tale by itself. In 1947, according to the blurb in the book, “colonial Iberian scholar Charles Boxer acquired a late 16th century manuscript written by an anonymous scribe who had compiled several eyewitness accounts of both Spanish and Portuguese expeditions to Asia and the Pacific… This contains the complete colored plates of the original manuscript, maps of the different expeditions and extensive bibliography and an updated introduction that situates the work in a global context and presents the intertwined stories of academician Charles Boxer and Philippine National Artist Carlos Quirino.”

English historian Charles Ralph Boxer, who acquired the manuscript in 1947 at an auction, was the first scholar to recognize its extraordinary historical value and made it accessible to scholars. He originally named it “Manila Manuscript.” Boxer published the first detailed scholarly description of the manuscript in 1950, made it available to other researchers and because of his work, it gradually became known as the Boxer Codex. “Codex” is an old term for a handwritten book or manuscript. He later sold it to the Lilly Library at Indiana University.

Written in the 16th century during the early years of Spanish colonization, this contains colorful illustrations, historical observations and ethnographic descriptions of different Asian societies. It serves as a visual and cultural record of precolonial and early colonial life in the Philippines. It is important not only to historians but for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Philippines and the Filipino way of life during that period. This Codex serves to preserve identities, customs and traditions that may otherwise have been lost through time.

Some of the most attractive features of the Boxer Codex are the extraordinary illustrations which contain dozens of hand-painted images portraying Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Malays, Javanese, Siamese and other peoples of Asia. The Codex highlights colorful descriptions of clothing, jewelries, tattoos and hairstyles, weapons and rituals. Among the most colorful illustrations are those of the Visayan “pintados” or tattooed warriors. These illustrations reveal a side of precolonial Filipino culture that is rarely emphasized in contemporary education.

When reading the Codex, the readers witness how Spanish observers viewed the societies they encountered in Asia in the 16th century.

This book is considered by historians as one of the earliest ethnographic records of the Philippines and nearby regions. The manuscript was likely commissioned in Manila during the 1590s under then Governor-General Gomez Perez Dasmariñas for his son Luis Perez Dasmariñas.

Many indigenous traditions in the Philippines were altered or erased during colonization. The Codex provides rare evidence of what life may have looked like before European influence became dominant.

The Codex also reveals that trade, migration and cultural exchange were already connecting societies and nations centuries ago. The manuscript also includes descriptions not only of the Philippines but also of China, Japan, Java, Siam, the Moluccas and other regions. This wide geographical scope demonstrates how interconnected Asian societies already were through commerce and diplomacy. It shows that the Philippines was not an isolated colony but was part of a larger Asian network.

One of my favorite manuscripts in the book is a lengthy letter from Luis Perez Dasmariñas on how the Spanish Empire could invade and conquer Siam, now Thailand. Part of the letter reads: “And if through our Lord this kingdom is defeated and I have no doubt that it will be, with a little power and force as I shall later state, Your Majesty will become Lord of the greatest and most important and wealthiest kingdom in these parts, aside from China. And it is through Him that more is credited to the Spanish nation and where more people can live, support themselves, enrich themselves, conquer and use the Gospels and the Crown of our Majesty with more comfort, ease and less use of power and force.”

The Codex also shows that during that period, Filipino communities already possessed rich cultures, trade networks, artistic traditions and social systems long before the European arrival. The images of tattooed warriors, elaborate clothing and ceremonial practices reveal a vibrant civilization that deserve our recognition and pride.

It should also serve to remind us of the importance of preserving historical documents. The manuscript was able to survive centuries of war, displacement and political change. Eventually, it became part of the library of Indiana University. Its survival demonstrates how fragile cultural memory can be. Valuable historical records may disappear forever unless there is serious effort for preserving these documents.

Another interesting facet in the book is the part which says that the Boxer Codex “… whose ultimate aim was to dazzle the monarch and thus convince him to authorize the conquest of new lands and create a Viceroyalty of the Southeast Indies with its headquarters in Manila.”

The manuscript reflects colonial biases but it is also a window into the cultural richness of the Philippines before it became a Spanish colony.