36 DECEMBER • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG (Morales and Dimaandal 2011). Despite building such a large kingdom, Datu Puti ultimately left, yearning to free his old home from the tyrannical rule of Sultan Makatunaw. From then on, it’s said that the Datu was never heard from again (Hill 1937). Tales of Sunken Towns Taal’s colonial past resurfaces through oral legends — tales of a Spanish-era town now submerged beneath the lake (Hargrove 1986). Captain Juan de Salcedo was the first from the west to visit the lake in 1570, passing through Balayan Bay like the Bornean Datu before him. However, as they were being led up a narrow river, Salcedo and his crew found themselves attacked by a rain of arrows, with one hitting the captain in the leg (Hargrove 1986). It was only in 1572, six years after the founding of the colonial government, that Augustinian friars were able to reestablish the original town of Taal — destroyed by pirates earlier in the century. Once again relying on the surrounding natural resources, Taal thrived, flourishing as a trade center for farming, weaving and fishing (Hargrove 1986). There were even reports of tuna being collected from the lake in 1593, substantiating Hill (1937)’s account of marine species occupying the lake (Martínez de Zuñiga 2010). But Taal gives and it takes. While the lake remains a prolific source of fish and fertility, its central volcano serves as a constant reminder of its volatile nature. And with the entry of the Spanish come the explanations for the tales of sunken towns. Thirty-three volcanic eruptions were recorded from 1572–1933, mostly by friars situated in the original town of Taal, and these records document how much Taal’s landscape, communities, and biodiversity were changed. Perhaps the most destructive of all was in 1754, when Taal had a six-month long series of eruptions (Delos Reyes et al. 2018). Described primarily by Father Buencuchillo, Sala’s parish priest from 1710 to 1776, the eruptions were visualized as “columns of fire”, partnered with “terrific lightning and thunder” and “violent shocks of earthquake” (Saderra Maso 1911; Worcester 1912; Hargrove 1986; Delos Reyes et al. 2018). Volcanic tsunamis wiped out the most lakeside of communities, while earthquakes, together with the large mass of tephra on roofs, destroyed most other buildings (Delos Reyes et al. 2018). Shortly after the tragedy, when Fr. Buencuchillo returned to his beloved town of Taal, he found that his old church was now demolished, and “worst” of all, that the Pansipit River was now blocked, causing the lake to rise and consume the towns of Lipa and Tanauan (Hargrove 1986). Gone were the swaths of vegetation, schools of fish, and the lives of twelve residents of the surrounding communities. In desperation, the people of Tanauan and Lipa built massive walls to contain the lake’s waters, but these walls were consumed as well (Hargrove 1986). Thus, the four old towns surrounding Taal (Taal, Lipa, Tanauan, and Sala) were abandoned (Delos Reyes et al. 2018). With most of Taal gone, Batangas became the new capital, and Taal Province became Batangas Province (Hargrove 1986). These towns still harbor the very communities that rely on the lake in the present day. Almost three hundred years later, results of the eruption of 1754 are still felt by all of Taal’s inhabitants. The clogging of the Pansipit FIGURE 2. The 146-year-old Minor Basilica and Parish of Saint Martin of Tours, widely considered the largest Roman Catholic Church in Asia (LiCAS News 2020). Photo credit: ImaheNiNiño1989, edited by R. Begtang. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. FIGURE 3. The Western Face of Volcano Island in Taal Lake. In the center (not seen) is the main crater lake and the current source of eruptions. The structure on the right is Binintiang Malaki, a former crater that last erupted in 1715. Photo credit: R. Begtang. Taal’s colonial past resurfaces through oral legends — tales of a Spanish-era town now submerged beneath the lake. Captain Juan de Salcedo was the first from the west to visit the lake in 1570, passing through Balayan Bay like the Bornean Datu before him. However, as they were being led up a narrow river, Salcedo and his crew found themselves attacked by a rain of arrows, with one hitting the captain in the leg. It was only in 1572, six years after the founding of the colonial government, that Augustinian friars were able to reestablish the original town of Taal — destroyed by pirates earlier in the century.
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