Batanes

The Batanes Islands rise from the sea between northern Luzon and Taiwan. Their Ivatan inhabitants lived among steep hills and exposed coasts, building refuges known as idjang on defensible heights. The islands' position placed them on a sea route between larger lands, yet strong winds and currents made crossings demanding. Spanish missionaries made several attempts to establish themselves in the eighteenth century, but illness and isolation frustrated their efforts. In 1783 a governor, Dominican friars and an escort met Ivatan representatives and formally incorporated Batanes into Spanish dominions. A later governor ordered people to move into compact towns and abandon aspects of their customary life, changing the relationship between the communities and their fortified heights.