1900 Otis Map of Northern Luzon, the Philippines - Philippine-American War

This is a rare map of Northern Luzon, the Philippines, issued in 1900 at the height of the Philippine-American War (1899 – 1902) by the Military Governor in the Philippines, Major General Elwell Stephen Otis, and the 8th Army Engineering Corps. This map is one of the largest and most detailed cartographic productions to emerge from the Philippine-American War.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces the northern part of Luzon from the Gulf of Lingayen and Pangasinan north to Cabo Engaño and Pta. Mayraira, an area controlled mainly by Philippine forces during the early stages of the war. The map offers detailed topography via shading, and identifies roadways, towns, cities, political boundaries, telegraph lines, and more. It is based on Spanish sources, as some place names and the key are in Spanish.

The Philippine-American War

The Philippine-American War lasted from February 4, 1899, until July 2, 1902, when the Philippine Organic Act established the Second Philippine Commission and Philippine legislature. The war immediately followed the Spanish-American War (1898), once the Filipinos realized that the Americans were in the islands to stay. Estimates of Filipino civilian casualties vary wildly, from at least 200,000 to over one million, the majority of which were caused by famine and disease. Armed resistance to the U.S. occupation of the Philippines continued as a guerrilla insurrection in many parts of the archipelago until June 1913. The U.S. passed the Tydings-McDuffie Act, also known as the Philippine Independence Act, in 1934. This law created the Commonwealth of the Philippines, increased self-governance, and scheduled Philippine independence for 1944. World War II delayed this process, and the U.S. did not grant full independence to the Philippines until 1946.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by the 8th Army Engineering Corps on the order of Major General E. S. Otis. It was printed by A. B. Graham Photo Lithography of Washington D. C. Three examples are cataloged in OCLC and are part of the institutional collections at Michigan State University, the University of Chicago, and the University of California Davis.