The Ilustrados (, "erudite", "learned" or "enlightened ones") constituted the Filipino

educated Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

class during the

Spanish colonial period Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

in the late 19th century. Elsewhere in

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

(of which the Philippines were part), the term ''

gente de razón ''Gente de razón'' (, "people of reason" or "rational people") is a Spanish term used in colonial Spanish America and modern Hispanic America to refer to people who were culturally Hispanicized. It was a social distinction that existed alongside t ...

'' carried a similar meaning. They were middle class Filipinos, many of whom were educated in Spain and exposed to Spanish liberal and European nationalist ideals. The ''Ilustrado'' class was composed of native-born intellectuals and cut across ethnolinguistic and racial lines—'' Indios'', ''

Insulares In Hispanic America, criollo () is a term used originally to describe people of Spanish descent born in the colonies. In different Latin American countries the word has come to have different meanings, sometimes referring to the local-born majo ...

'' and '' Mestizos'', among others—and sought reform through "a more equitable arrangement of both political and economic power" under Spanish tutelage. Stanley Karnow, in his '' In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines'', referred to the ''Ilustrados'' as the "rich

Intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the in ...

" because many were the children of wealthy landowners. They were key figures in the development of Filipino nationalism.Glossary: Philippines, Area Handbook Series, Country Studies, Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, LOC.gov (undated)
retrieved on: July 30, 2007
, retrieved on: August 1, 2007 Karnow, Stanley. '' In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines'', Ballantine Books, Random House, Inc., March 3, 1990, 536 pages, page 15. - The Rise of the Philippine Middle Class (Ilustrados), Mega Essays LLC, MegaEssays.com, 2007
retrieved on: August 1, 2007Philippines: The Spanish Colony, Student Encyclopedia Article, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., Britannica.com
retrieved on: August 1, 2007
Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs, PhilippineEmbassy-USA.org (undated, archived fro

on 2007-07-13), retrieved on: August 1, 2007

History

Filipino Ilustrados Jose Rizal Marcelo del Pilar Mariano Ponce

The most prominent ''Ilustrados'' were

Graciano López Jaena Graciano López y Jaena (; December 18, 1856 – January 20, 1896), commonly known as Graciano López Jaena, was a Filipino journalist, orator, reformist, and national hero who is well known for his newspaper, ''La Solidaridad''. Philippine h ...

Marcelo H. del Pilar Marcelo Hilario del Pilar y Gatmaitán (; ; August 30, 1850July 4, 1896), commonly known as Marcelo H. del Pilar and also known by his pen name Pláridel,.''Filipinos in History: Volume II'', National Historical Institute, 1990, p. 101 was a ...

, Mariano Ponce, Antonio Luna and

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...

, the Philippine

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

. Rizal's novels '' Noli Me Tangere'' ("Touch Me Not") and '' El Filibusterismo'' ("The Subversive") "exposed to the world the injustices imposed on Filipinos under the Spanish colonial regime".Salvador, Fr. Emerson, Liberalism in the Philippines, The Revolution of 1898: The Main Facts, Newsletter of the District of Asia, Society of St. Pius X, District of Asia, January - March 2002
retrieved on: August 1, 2007 In the beginning, Rizal and his fellow ''Ilustrados'' preferred not to win independence from Spain, instead they yearned legal equality for both '' Peninsulares'' and natives—'' Indios'', ''

'', and '' mestizos'', among others—in the economic reforms demanded by the ''Ilustrados'' were that "the Philippines be represented in the Cortes and be considered as a province of Spain" and "the secularization of the parishes." However, in 1872, nationalist sentiment grew strongest, when three Filipino priests, José Burgos,

Mariano Gomez Mariano Gomez or Mariano Gómez may refer to: * Mariano Gomez (priest) Mariano Gómes de los Ángeles (), often known by his birth name Mariano Gómez de los Ángeles, was a Filipino Catholic priest, who was falsely accused of mutiny by the ...

and friar Jacinto Zamora, who had been charged with leading a military

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

at an

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in Cavite, near Manila, were executed by the Spanish authorities. The event and "other repressive acts outraitings and activities, Rizal was executed on December 30, 1896. His execution propelled the ''Ilustrados'' . This also prompted unity among the ''Ilustrados'' and

Andrés Bonifacio Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (, ; November 30, 1863May 10, 1897) was a Filipino Freemason and revolutionary leader. He is often called "The Father of the Philippine Revolution", and considered one of the national heroes of the Philippines ...

's radical '' Katipunan''. Philippine policies by the United States reinforced the dominant position of the ''Ilustrados'' within Filipino society. Friar estates were sold to the ''Ilustrados'' and most government positions were offered to them.

References

Notes

{{reflist

Sources

Republic of the Philippines, Microsoft Corporation, Encarta.MSN.com, 2007
(

2009-10-31), retrieved on: August 1, 2007

retrieved on: August 1, 2007 *[https://www.jstor.org/stable/2053260 Owen, Norman G., Compadre Colonialism: Studies in the Philippines Under American Rule, A Review by Theodore Friend, The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Nov., 1972), pp. 224-226, JSTOR.org, 2007], retrieved on: August 1, 2007
Majul, Cesar A. The Political and Constitutional Ideas of the Philippine Revolution, A Review by R. S. Milne, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Spring, 1969), pp. 98-99, JSTOR.org, 2007
retrieved on: August 1, 2007

retrieved on: August 1, 2007 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070618190303/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/asiaweb/v11n1Rossabi.htm Rossabi, Amy. The Colonial Roots of Civil Procedure in the Philippines, Volume 11, Number 1, Fall 1997, The Journal of Asian Law, Columbia.edu], retrieved on: August 1, 2007
Filipino Nationalism, AngelFire.com (undated)
retrieved on: August 1, 2007

retrieved on: August 1, 2007 * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070813052804/http://www.philippinechildrensfoundation.org/history.shtml Philippine History, Philippine Children's Foundation, PhilippineChildrensFoundation.org, 2005 retrieved on: August 1, 2007 History of the Philippines (1565–1898) Philippine Revolution Latin American caste system Captaincy General of the Philippines

History

See also

References

Notes

Sources