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| Latitude and Longitude 13 ̊34’N, 121 ̊ 50’E. Photo by Google Earth. |
Marinduque was Mao-li-wu and that’s fairly conclusive.
Research studies on the identity of Mao-li-wu (also called
Ho-mao-li), were generally ambiguous and uncertain whether that name referred
to Marinduque or Mindoro. This, even with Ma-i as the name the Chinese called
Mindoro had been generally accepted for centuries and never mind the skeptics for now.
In Chinese records, the first appearance of the Philippines
was in 971 (or 972), during the Song dynasty when Ma-i (Mindoro) was mentioned
as part of the ‘jurisdiction’ of the “superintendent of maritime trade” in
Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Mingzhou. In 982 traders from Ma-i brought goods for
sale in Guangzhou (Canton).
Like what goods? Like aromatics, coral, pearls, sea-turtle
leather, tortoise shell, sapan wood, and others.
A footnote in Scott says “Ma-i or Ma-it, seems clearly to be
Mindoro: it was so known to early Spanish missionaries (chapter 36 of Juan
Francisco de San Antonio’s 1738 Chronicas is entitled, “De la Provincia y Isla
de Mait o Mindoro); the word is still used by Panay fishermen and Mangyans
around Bulalakaw”.
Nevertheless, the following statement appeared in Scott that
apparently was made by historians thereafter as their basis for repeating the same indecision on pinpointing Mao-li-wu without equivocation:
“On 17 October 1405, Luzon and Mao-li-wu presented tribute together with envoys from Java. (Mao-li-wu, also called Ho-mao-li, was on either Mindoro or Marinduque, and its representative was a Muslim called Taonu Makaw.)”
But also in Scott, was cited specific books that contain "true facts" that “are available in careful studies" like JJL Duyvendak’s “The
true dates of the Chinese maritime expeditions in the early fifteenth century,”
T’’oung Pao, Vol. 34 (1939), and J. V. G. Mills’ Ma Huan/ Ying-yai Sheng-lan:
“The overall survey of the Ocean's shores ” 1433 (Cambridge 1970).
That leads us to the last-mentioned book by Ma Huan edited by J.V.G.
Mills where we find on the page titled "China in South Asia, 1433", the following that specifies the latitude and longitude of
what's described as:
“Sha t’ang ch’ien San Andres islands, 13 ̊34’N, 121 ̊ 50’E, off the north-western extremity of Mao-li-wu, Marinduque island, in the Philippine islands (Chang Hsieh, p 123)."
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| Screencap of the relevant page titled, China in south Asia 1433 |
So this blogger had to make use of Google Earth tools to scientifically validate the
specified latitude and longitude coordinates based on centuries old data that predates Spanish colonization of the Philippines.
And voila! “The
overall survey of the Ocean's shores" 1433 by Ma Huan was quite accurate! (See
Google Earth screenshot). It readily points indeed to the uninhabited San Andres island off the north-western extremity of Marinduque in the Philippine islands!
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| Northern side of San Andres Island with rock shelters. Photo: Eli J Obligacion |
How was that arrived at by the ancient Chinese traders in the first place? The following editorial notes by JVG Mills clearly explain it all under 'Astronomy' and 'Compass'.
Here's a Google Earth photo again of Sha t’ang ch’ien, San Andres island in wider coverage that includes part of Lu-sung and Ma-i:
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| The uninhabited San Andres island and the white beaches of the populated Brgy. Silangan northwest of Marinduque. By Google. |
Case closed.
