The Zamboangueño people (
Chavacano: Pueblo Zamboangueño), are a
creole ethnolinguistic nation of the
Philippines originating in
Zamboanga City. Spanish censuses records previously showed that as much as one-third of the inhabitants of the
city of
Zamboanga possess varying degrees of
Iberian and
Hispanic-American admixture.[1] In addition to this, select cities such as
Iloilo,
Bacolod,
Dumaguete,
Cebu, and
Cavite, which were home to military fortifications and/or commercial ports during the
Spanish era also hold sizable mestizo communities.[2]
The Zamboangueño nation constitute an authentic and distinct ethnolinguistic identity because of their coherent cultural and historical heritage, most notably
Chavacano, that distinguishes them from neighboring ethnolinguistic nations. As a result of Spanish colonization, according to a genetic study written by Maxmilian Larena, published in the 2021
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, the Philippine ethnic groups with the highest amount of Spanish/European descent are the Zamboangueño, with 4 out of 10 Zamboangueños being of Spanish descent (40% of the population), this is followed by
Bicolanos, with 2 out of 10 Bicolanos being of Spanish descent (20% of the population). Meanwhile, there are "some" Spanish descended people among the other lowland
Christianized Filipino ethnic groups.[3]
Ethnogenesis
People from other ethnolinguistic nations came to
Zamboanga when the construction of the present-day
Fort Pilar began. The colonial Spanish government ordered the construction of a military fort to guard off the city from Moro pirates and slave raiders of Sulu. Labourers from
Panay,
Cavite,
Cebu,
Bohol,
Negros and other islands were brought to the city to help build the fort.
Eventually, these people settled in the city to live alongside and intermarried with other ethnolinguistic nations, primarily among the Subanon ethnic group, whose entire ethnicity descended from one clan is a grand claim (from the Royal ethnic lineage of Macombong and Tongab whose father is Shariff Bungsu of Bruneian royalty and mother is Princess Nayac, the daughter of the late King of Kingdom of Jambangan, Datu Timuay of the Subanon people who are the ancestors together with other ethnolinguistic nation - the Lutao). Together, they would form the nucleus of the present-day Zamboangueño people. To this nucleus were added the descendants of laborers from
Iloilo City in
Panay and of soldiers from
New Spain[4] and
Peru.[5]
Through intermarriage,
Visayans,
Hispano-Americans and with the Spanish, they created a new culture which gradually developed a distinct identity—the Zamboangueños (Zamboangueño: magá/maná Zamboangueños; Spanish: Zamboangueños). Furthermore, because these people come from different islands and even nations and spoke different languages, they together developed a new pidgin language called Chavacano.
Chavacano then evolved into a full-fledged Spanish-based
creole to become the lingua franca of
Zamboanga City and then the official language of the
Republic of Zamboanga.
Culture
The character of the Zamboangueño people are unique as we can say for their kinship family system, love for one's cultural heritage, propensity for extravagance, fiestas and siestas, as well as aristocratic behaviour. While their social lives usually revolve around religious practices, the tradition of the bantayanon and fondas, includes their bailes the vals, regodon and paso doble. They are mostly devout Roman Catholics.
The Zamboangueños of
Basilan have, of late, also acquired more
globalized tastes in cuisine, fashion, and customs.
Zamboangueño courtship traditions are elaborate and regulated by a long list of required social graces. For example, a perfectly respectable Zamboangueño gentleman (caballero) would not sit unless permitted to do so by the woman's parents, he then had to endure questions pertaining to his lineage, credentials and occupation. Finally, the courtship curfew and the need to cultivate the goodwill of all the members of the woman's family were paramount considerations before any headway could be made in pursuing a Zamboangueño señorita’s hand in marriage.
Dance
Zamboangueño songs and dances are derived primarily from Iberian performances. Specifically, the jota zamboangueña, a Zamboangueño version of the quick-stepping flamenco with bamboo clappers in lieu of Spanish castanets, are regularly presented during fiestas and formal tertulias or other Zamboangueño festivities.
Clothing
Likewise, Zamboangueño traditional costumes are closely associated with Spanish formal dress. Men wear close-necked jackets as they called camiseta Zamboangueña, de bastón pants, and European style shoes, complete with the de-rigueur bigotillos (mustache). Zamboangueño women claim ownership of the mascota, a formal gown with a fitting bodice, her shoulders draped demurely by a luxuriously embroidered, though stiff, pañuelo and fastened at the breast by a brooch or a medal. The skirt tapers down from the waist but continues on to an extended trail called the cola. The cola may be held on one hand as the lady walks around, or it may likewise by pinned on the waist or slipped up a cord (belt) that holds the dainty abanico or purse. The traditional Zamboangueño dress has been limited to formal functions, replaced by the more common shirt, denim jeans, and sneakers for men, and shirts, blouses, skirts or pants, and heeled shoes for women.
Festivals
There are several important events of the festival that can be witnessed during
Holy Week (
Chavacano/
Spanish: Semana Santa). These include watching films (magá película) about Jesus and his teachings, visitaiglesias, processions, novenas and the climbing and praying of the
Stations of the Cross (Estaciones de la Cruz) in Mt. Pulong Bato, Fiesta de Pilar (Spanish: Fiesta del Pilar), a
festivity in honour of
Our Lady of the Pillar (Zamboangueño: Nuestro Señora de Pilar; Spanish: Nuestra Señora del Pilar) and Zamboanga Day (Día de Zamboanga) and Day of the Zamboangueños (Día del magá Zamboangueño) which is celebrated every August 15 every year for the foundation of Zamboanga and
ethnogenesis of the Zamboangueño people on August 15, 1635.
Zamboangueño celebrate Christmas in so many unique ways such as the villancicos/aguinaldos o pastores this also includes the Día de Navideña and Pascua, Nochebuena, fiestas, vísperas, Diana, Misa, magá juego, processions and feasting.
There are Zamboangueños who are famous for their fields of endeavor, especially in music, entertainment, sports, and politics. These are the following:
Chris Cayzer – Aficionado Perfumes model and singer, who had his first concert in Zamboanga in July 2007 with Lovi Poe, another Aficionado model, and singer/actress. His Zamboangueño parents were based in Australia, where he grew up.
George Christian T. Chia (born August 19, 1979), better known as Gec Chia, is a Filipino business executive and former professional basketball player.
Armarie "Arms" Cruz – one of the "Final 12" and the lone Mindanao bet of Philippine Idol First Season.
A. Z. Jolicco Cuadra (May 24, 1939 in
Zamboanga City – April 30, 2013 in
Calamba) was a poet and artist, art critic, essayist, and short story writer. He was known as the "enfant terrible of Philippine art" in the 1960s, and his good looks and writings dubbed him the
Byron of Philippine literature.
Roberto Gomez – World Pool nine ball 2007 runner-up. Beaten By Daryl Peach onto the finals 17–15.
Winner Jumalon is a multi-award-winning Filipino contemporary visual artist based in Manila. His works of oil and encaustic on canvas have been described as "late
capitalist masterpieces marred by illogical marks, haze, and aggregations of reality that not only displaces portraiture as the totemic symbols of power and status but questions the formation of identity itself as the trap where man cannot go forward".[15]
Alfonso R. Márquez[19] (born March 29, 1938), better known as Alfonso "Boy" Marquez, is a
Filipino former basketball player and coach. Marquez was born in
Zamboanga City, Philippines.
Christian Morones is a teen housemate in
Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7. He's dubbed as the Courtside Kusinero of Zamboanga because of him being a varsity basketball athlete on his school as well as being fond of cooking. Kusinero is a Filipino word for Chef.
Yong Muhajil is a teen housemate in
Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7. Dubbed as the “Pag-A-Son ng Angkan ng Zamboanga”, likes to help his family do household chores such as to cook and to fetch water.
Alberto Nogar – (weightlifter) bronze medalist 1958 third Asian Games Tokyo, Japan, fifth place 1958 World Weightlifting Championship Stockholm, Sweden, eighth place 1960 Rome Olympiad, 1960 Philippine Sportswriters Association Weightlifter of the Year
Harry Tañamor (born August 20, 1977) is an amateur
boxer from
Zamboanga City, Philippines best known to medal repeatedly on the world stage at light flyweight.
Simeon Toribio – Filipino High Jumper, 1932 Olympics Bronze Medallist in Athletics. He later settled in Bohol and represented it in Congress.
^Jagor, Fëdor, et al. (1870). The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes
^Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco (2015). ""Self-identified East Asian nationalities correlated with genetic clustering, consistent with extensive endogamy. Individuals of mixed East Asian-European genetic ancestry were easily identified; we also observed a modest amount of European genetic ancestry in individuals self-identified as Filipinos"
^Letter from Fajardo to Felipe III From Manila, August 15, 1620.(From the Spanish Archives of the Indies)
("The infantry does not amount to two hundred men, in three companies. If these men were that number and Spaniards, it would not be so bad; but, although I have not seen them, because they have not yet arrived here, I am told that they are, as at other times, for the most part,boys, mestizos, and mulattoes, with some Indians. There is no little cause for regret in the great sums that reënforcements of such men waste for, and cost, your Majesty. I cannot see what betterment there will be until your Majesty shall provide it, since I do not think, that more can be done in Nueva España, although the viceroy must be endeavoring to do so, as he is ordered.")