Texas Was Once Called New Philippines Under Spanish Rule

Ah, behold the grandeur of the New Philippines, or should I say, Nuevas Filipinas!

Get our free mobile app

What a fancy name for a little slice of New Spain. It's almost as if they were trying to make it sound more exotic than it actually was. But fear not, dear reader, for I shall regale you with the tales of this illustrious territory.

King Philip

So, there it was, Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, named after the one and only King Philip V of Spain. Because what better way to stroke the ego of a monarch than by naming a piece of land after him? Of course, the New Philippines had its heyday, but alas, it met its untimely demise in 1821 when New Spain itself went extinct. Talk about a dramatic exit!

Nuevas Filipinas? That's What She Said

In the 16th century, the northern frontier was Nueva Vizcaya, and by the 17th century, they decided they needed a little something extra. Enter Nueva Extremadura, a vast expanse of territory that's now just a tiny state in Mexico. But why stop there? In 1722, they decided to detach the northeast of Nueva Extremadura and give it the snazzy name Nuevo Reino de las Filipinas, or Nuevas Filipinas for short. Because why have one long name when you can have two?

More Hard To Pronounce Names

Ah, but let's not forget the origin of this name. Was it Antonio Margil who first uttered the words "Nuevas Filipinas," or perhaps it was Domingo Ramón himself? Who cares, really? All that matters is that someone eventually wrote it down in an official document in 1718. They even went as far as differentiating it from the province of Coahuila and New Extremadura, just in case you confused your Philippian territories.

Conclusion

And there you have it, the thrilling saga of the New Philippines, where they took naming rights very seriously. It may have faded into obscurity, but it left us with the Alamo, which is probably more famous than the entire New Philippines ever was. Farewell, Nuevas Filipinas, you were truly a name to remember... or forget.