Where Did the FILIPINOS Actually Come From?

Ask a Filipino where their family comes from... and you might get a surprisingly LONG answer. A lola with a Spanish surname. A great-grandfather from China. Words that sound Malay, Spanish... even Mexican. And roots that go back tens of thousands of years. From a brand-new ancient human species found in Callao Cave to the Denisovan secrets in Ayta DNA, the Austronesian sailors from Taiwan, the copper plate that rewrote Philippine history, Magellan and Lapulapu, 300+ years of Spain, the Manila galleons, the American era, World War Two and independence, this is the story of where the Filipinos came from. Honestly? From everywhere. But the story that made them FILIPINO happened right here, on 7,000 islands. Filipinos and Malays are cousins from the same Austronesian family. Watch our Malays video next! ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 A Very Mixed Family 0:31 Seven Thousand Islands 1:12 The Mystery in the Cave 1:55 The First Filipinos 2:38 The Sailors from Taiwan 3:20 Boats, Barangays and Terraces 4:10 The Copper Plate 4:47 Traders from Everywhere 5:38 1521 6:18 Las Islas Filipinas 7:11 The Galleon Highway 8:00 From Spain to America 8:50 War and Freedom 9:21 So... Where Did They Come From? ⚖️ DISCLAIMER This video is made to be neutral and impartial. It is based on accessible written records, inscriptions, archaeological findings, genetic studies and published academic research. It is not meant to promote or criticise any ethnic group, religion, nation or political view. Some dates and interpretations, especially for prehistory (such as the age of the Banaue rice terraces), are still debated by historians and scientists, and we present the most widely accepted view. Spotted something we missed? Let us know in the comments. 📚 REFERENCES Primary sources Laguna Copperplate Inscription (900 AD), National Museum of the Philippines Song Shi (History of Song), records of Ma-i (10th century) Zhao Rugua, Zhu Fan Zhi (1225) Antonio Pigafetta, Account of the First Voyage Around the World (c. 1525) Narciso Clavería, Catálogo alfabético de apellidos (1849) José Rizal, Noli Me Tángere (1887) and El Filibusterismo (1891) Act of the Declaration of Philippine Independence (1898) Treaty of Paris (1898); Tydings–McDuffie Act (1934); Treaty of Manila (1946) Philippine Statistics Authority, 2020 Census of Population and Housing Books and studies Mijares, A. S. et al. (2010). New Evidence for a 67,000-Year-Old Human Presence at Callao Cave. Journal of Human Evolution Détroit, F. et al. (2019). A New Species of Homo from the Late Pleistocene of the Philippines. Nature Détroit, F. et al. (2004). Upper Pleistocene Homo sapiens from the Tabon Cave. Comptes Rendus Palevol Larena, M. et al. (2021). Philippine Ayta Possess the Highest Level of Denisovan Ancestry in the World. Current Biology Larena, M. et al. (2021). Multiple Migrations to the Philippines during the Last 50,000 Years. PNAS Bellwood, P. (2017). First Islanders Blust, R. (2013). The Austronesian Languages Scott, W. H. (1984). Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History Scott, W. H. (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society Postma, A. (1992). The Laguna Copper-Plate Inscription: Text and Commentary. Philippine Studies Acabado, S. (2015). The Archaeology of the Ifugao Rice Terraces Junker, L. L. (1999). Raiding, Trading, and Feasting: The Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms Majul, C. A. (1973). Muslims in the Philippines Field Museum of Natural History, Golden Tara of Agusan Phelan, J. L. (1959). The Hispanization of the Philippines Schurz, W. L. (1939). The Manila Galleon Mercene, F. L. (2007). Manila Men in the New World Wickberg, E. (1965). The Chinese in Philippine Life, 1850–1898 Agoncillo, T. A. (1990). History of the Filipino People Constantino, R. (1975). The Philippines: A Past Revisited Linn, B. M. (2000). The Philippine War, 1899–1902 Karnow, S. (1989). In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines Norman, M. & Norman, E. (2009). Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March #Philippines #Filipino #PhilippineHistory #Austronesian #Pinoy #HistoryInMinutes