Note 20 — EARLY FRANCISCAN MISSIONS

Miguel de Talavera, preacher (known in the world as Salvador) was born in Nueva Granada in America, and went to the Philippines with his parents with the fleet of Legazpi while still very young. Remaining at Cebú until 1572, he then went to Manila with a good knowledge of the Visayan language. He learned Latin from Juan de Plasencia, and took the habit in 1580. In 1587 he set out for Spain with Francisco de Santa Maria; but, having taken refuge in Borneo, the latter was killed by the natives, and the former returned to Manila in 1588. In 1597 he was in the village of Siniloan and founded the villages of Guilinguiling and Marata, which were afterward formed into the village of Caboan. In 1604 he went to Nagcarlan, but returned to Siniloan the following year, which he left in 1609 for Guilinguiling. He returned to the former village in 1611 and established the village of Mabitac, going in 1616 to Santa Cruz de Potac, where he remained until his death, which occurred at Pila, July 29, 1622. He wrote a number of treatises in the Tagálog language. See Huerta, pp. 499–501.