Spanish settlement in the Philippines first took place in the 16th century, during the Spanish colonial period of the islands. The conquistador MIGUEL LOPEZ DE LEGAZPI founded the first Spanish settlement in Cebu in 1565 and later established Manila as the capital of the Spanish East Indies in 1571.
Forty-four years after FERDINAND MAGELLAN discovered the Philippines and died in the Battle of Mactan during his Spanish expedition to circumnavigate the globe, the Spaniards successfully annexed and colonized the islands during the reign of Phillip ll of Spain, whose name remained attached to the country.
Spain had three objectives in its policy toward the Philippines, its only colony in Asia: to acquire a share in the spice trade, to develop contacts with China and Japan in order to further Christian missionary efforts there, and to convert the Filipinos to Christianity.
