Spanish early modern colonies in the Austronesian context: San Salvador de Quelang, Heping Dao, Keelung, Taiwan
Dublin Core
Title
Spanish early modern colonies in the Austronesian context: San Salvador de Quelang, Heping Dao, Keelung, Taiwan
Description
Since 2011 we have investigated the site of the Spanish colony of San Salvador de Quelang, founded in 1626 on Heping Dao, a then small island off the coast of Keelung, in northern Taiwan. The colony was established as an extension of the Spanish post of Manila and the Philippines, with clear strategic and political goals that involve many different agents and processes at the level of the entire Asia-Pacific region. The Spanish held in San Salvador for 16 years, when they were expelled by the Dutch who then took over the colonial space until 1668. After this European spell, the colony and Taiwan fell under the control of the Qing government.
We have aimed to reconstruct the lifeways of the local peoples inhabiting the place, the Basai, before, during and after the European colonial occupation. The Basai were an Austronesian population of the Iron Age –in Taiwanese terminology- when the Spanish arrived in Keelung. Their history can potentially be observed throughout prehistory in a long span of several millennia. Contemporary European and Chinese documents that describe social practices of the Basai are also available. By understanding the indigenous prior to the Spanish presence we can evaluate the impact that the colonists had on the locals, as well as the role that the Austronesian may have played in the colonial process, including their long-distance contact with peoples from the continent.
We have aimed to reconstruct the lifeways of the local peoples inhabiting the place, the Basai, before, during and after the European colonial occupation. The Basai were an Austronesian population of the Iron Age –in Taiwanese terminology- when the Spanish arrived in Keelung. Their history can potentially be observed throughout prehistory in a long span of several millennia. Contemporary European and Chinese documents that describe social practices of the Basai are also available. By understanding the indigenous prior to the Spanish presence we can evaluate the impact that the colonists had on the locals, as well as the role that the Austronesian may have played in the colonial process, including their long-distance contact with peoples from the continent.
Creator
María Cruz Berrocal
Elena Serrano Herrero
Tsang Chenghwa
Ellen Hsieh
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
November 2021
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Berrocal, María Cruz, Elena Serrano Herrero, Tsang Chenghwa, and Ellen Hsieh. 2021. “Spanish early modern
colonies in the Austronesian context: San Salvador de Quelang, Heping Dao, Keelung, Taiwan.” Edited by Brian
Fahy, Hans Van Tilburg, Bill Jeffery, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Riley Smith. In Proceedings of Fourth Asia Pacific Regional
Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Keelung,Taiwan, and Virtual, November 1-5, 2021. The Museum of
Underwater Archaeology URL:https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/exhibits/show/apconf-muchproceedings/item/696
colonies in the Austronesian context: San Salvador de Quelang, Heping Dao, Keelung, Taiwan.” Edited by Brian
Fahy, Hans Van Tilburg, Bill Jeffery, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Riley Smith. In Proceedings of Fourth Asia Pacific Regional
Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Keelung,Taiwan, and Virtual, November 1-5, 2021. The Museum of
Underwater Archaeology URL:https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/exhibits/show/apconf-muchproceedings/item/696
Rights Holder
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Files
Citation
María Cruz Berrocal
et al., “Spanish early modern colonies in the Austronesian context: San Salvador de Quelang, Heping Dao, Keelung, Taiwan,” APCONF-MUCH Proceedings Recently Added Items, accessed October 24, 2026, https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/items/show/696.