Princess Kandarapa

Kandarapa was a native Filipina, princess of the Tondo polity in the island of Luzon during the 16th century Spanish conquest of the Philippines, and the wife of the Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo. She also known by the Christian name of Dolores de Lacándola.

Biography Origin She was described as a beautiful young woman who came from a tribal royal family. Kandarapa was the niece of Rajah Lakandula of Tondo, and the daughter of his sister, Princess Salanta, who was widowed at a young age.

Kandarapa was bathing in the Pasig River with a retinue of servants when the Mexican-born Salcedo chanced upon her. While her entourage fled in fear, she froze and stared at the Spaniard, who also stood while "appreciating' her appearance. After briefly beholding the princess, he politely excused himself to do an errand. who returned to Acapulco, recount that after the Spanish conquest of Luzon with Mexican and Visayan assistance, and their consequent takeover of the Pasig River delta polity of Hindu Tondo, which was the previous preeminent state in Luzon before the Brunei Sultanate established their puppet-kingdom of Islamic Manila, Salcedo was about 22 years old when he fell in love with the 18-year-old "Dayang-dayang" (a native Filipino title analogous to "Princess") Kandarapa, so named after the lark of the rice fields, whose birdsong she imitated by her beautiful singing voice, Juan fell in love, upon seeing the femininity of her figure while she and her handmaidens were bathing in the Pasig River. Their love was completely against their forebears' wishes since Lakandula wanted his niece, Dayang-dayang Kandarapa, to be married to the Rajah of Macabebe which Kandarapa didn't want as he was already married multiple times to other women due to his Islamic custom; and Miguel López de Legazpi wanted his Mexican born grandson, Salcedo, to marry a pure white European Spanish woman. The Rajah of Macabebe learnt of the budding romance from Rajah Sulayman of Maynila, a fellow Muslim Rajah, and in his rage cried out:

The chieftain Rajah Tariq Sulayman then waged the Battle of Bangkusay against the Spaniards, to counter-act which, the Spanish general Miguel López de Legazpi dispatched Martin de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo to the battlefield where they slayed Sulayman by cannonshot to the chest, thereby he fell overboard to be eaten by the crocodiles he swore by. The Spanish were afterward overloaded with loot and prisoners, including Lakandula's son and nephew, whom López de Legazpi freed while concealing his knowledge of the rajahs of Tondo's betrayal. De Goiti sailed into Bulakan through the twisting channels of the Río Grande de Pampanga, bringing Lakandula and Sulayman with them to urge locals into submission. López de Legazpi imprisoned Lakandula after he returned to Tondo without authorization despite his eloquence in persuading the other datus (chieftains) to join the Spaniards. When de Goiti and Salcedo returned, of course, Salcedo petitioned for Lakandula's freedom, and he was released.

Death However, Kandarapa mistakenly thought Salcedo had been unfaithful to her, as the disapproving López de Legazpi sent his grandson on far-flung expeditions. He even lied his grandson had married the daughter of the Rajah of Kaog, Santa Lucia.