22/07/2026
๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐จ๐๐ง, ๐๐๐๐
Artist: Ariel Tanaya Bohol
Size: 3x4 ft.
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
This work is presented not as a literal reconstruction of a specific historical event, but as a historically informed artistic interpretation that honors the cultural heritage of the people of Palawan and one of the earliest written accounts of the society.
It is inspired by one of the earliest documented European observations of the indigenous and maritime communities of the Palawan Islands. In 1521, following the death of Ferdinand Magellan, the surviving members of the Magellan expedition reached Palawan, where they interacted with its inhabitants. Among them was the Italian chronicler Antonio Pigafetta, whose account preserved a remarkable description of the local peopleโs reverence for fighting c***s, their practice of c**kfighting, and the wagering that accompanied these contests. His narrative constitutes one of the earliest written records of this enduring cultural tradition in the Philippine archipelago.
Original Italian (Antonio Pigafetta, 1521)
โTengono galli grandi et molto mansueti, li quali non mangiano per una certa veneratione che li portano. Alcune volte li fanno combattere insieme, et ciascuno mette un certo prezzo sopra il suo gallo, et il premio va a quello il cui gallo รจ vincitore.โ
English Translation
โThey keep large and very tame c***s, which they do not eat because of a certain veneration they have for them. At times they make them fight one another, and each person stakes a certain amount on his c**k; the prize goes to the one whose c**k is the victor.โ