Miguel Lopez de Legazpi

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1505-1572), Spanish colonial administrator of the Philippines and founder of Manila. A minor aristocrat from the Basque Country, Legazpi was an unusual choice for the Spanish expedition to secure control of the Philippines, which Spain had first claimed in 1521. He had spent at least 20 years working in the administration of New Spain (now Mexico) before heading the expedition that set sail for the Philippines in 1564. After arriving, Legazpi proved an able and active administrator of the new colony. He landed at Bohol in 1565 and established Spanish power first on the island of Cebu. Food shortages there led to a search for other bases, and Legazpi extended Spanish control over most of the Philippines (with the exception of the Sulu archipelago and Mindanao). Divisions among the island peoples enabled him to overcome local leaders one by one. Roman Catholicism spread with Spanish rule, inspired by Legazpi’s chaplain, Andres de Urdaneta. In 1571 Legazpi led an expedition north to Luzon. On June 24 he formally founded the city of Manila, from which Spain ruled the Philippines for more than 300 years. Intramuros, a walled area of present-day Manila, marks the original settlement established by Legazpi.