Historic map sheds light on Philippines’ maritime heritage

A rare 19th-century map is drawing renewed attention to the Philippines’ maritime history and territorial claims.

Former Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio recently acquired an original print of the 1875 Carta General del Archipelago Filipino after years of searching abroad. The map has since been donated to the National Library of the Philippines.

Carpio said he spent seven years searching in Madrid and parts of the United States before locating a copy through a private collector.

The map illustrates key Philippine features, including Los Bajos de Paragua, now known as the Kalayaan Island Group, and Bajo de Masinloc, or Scarborough Shoal.

Carpio said earlier maps, such as the 1734 Murillo Velarde map and an 1808 Philippine territorial map, contain similar markings, supporting a consistent historical depiction of Philippine territory.

“If you visited Manila from the early 1900s up to the 1930s, prints of the Carta General were plenty,” Carpio said during the National Youth Forum for the West Philippine Sea.

He noted that both Spain and the United States recognized the map as an official representation of Philippine territory, with the US War Department reaffirming this in the early 1900s.

The map later became scarce following the American period.

Carpio said he eventually obtained a copy after meeting a collector during an exhibit in Cebu. He later donated the map to the National Library, with a formal turnover held on 19 March.

Beyond its historical value, the map has been cited in discussions on maritime claims. It predates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and, according to Carpio, provides context to long-standing territorial assertions.

He said China’s claims, which emerged in 1947, came much later than earlier documented representations.

Observers say the rediscovery highlights the role of historical records in understanding territorial issues, while also connecting Filipinos to their maritime heritage.