More Cebuano Than We Admit: Aspects of Cebuano History, Culture, and Society (Academica Filipina+)

With cultural roots dating back as far as first millennium AD, Cebu would be transformed by theimposition of Hispanic influence and colonial rule, heralded by the arrival in 1521 of a Spanish expeditionled by Ferdinand Magellan. It became the entry point by which Christianity was introduced to the archipelago through the first Catholic mass and baptism, and the base from which Miguel Lopez de Legazpi would begin the conquest of the islands for Spain decades later. Cebu’s strategic location at the heart of the archipelago made it an ideal harbor and center for regional and international trade, and from 1565 to 1571, it was the natural choice as the capital of the nascent colony.However, Manila would ultimately be designated the capital city, and over the centuries as one colonial regime was exchanged for another and eventually for independence, a Luzon-centric cultural hegemony endured. This focus on Manila as the cultural and administrative center fails to acknowledge the foundational role of Cebu and its people in shaping the destiny of the country through the centuries.In More Cebuano Than We Admit, fourteen scholars delve into the history, language, religious practices, architecture, writing, art, food, and more, that give Cebu its distinctive character: from religious festivals and carnival pageantry, to the enduring majesty of church architecture, to the development of the local tourism industry and film industry, and even to the crowd-pleasing Cebuano version of that iconic Filipino dish, lechon. The book also features a selection of contemporary Cebuano poetry, providing a taste of how Cebu’s literature thrives to this day. Edited by acclaimed Cebuanos—historian Resil Mojares and writer Hope Sabanpan-Yu—this anthology seeks to bring to light the ways in which Cebuano culture has left its indelible mark on the complex map of Philippine identity. Read more