Authors: WA Miaihe De Burgh, Jose T. Regalado, Fe B Mangahas
The search for foundries in the Philippines or elsewhere in Southeast Asia can be a daunting and frustrating project. To begin with, cannon do not carry any markings as to their provenance and date of manufacture. Even sad is the fact that foundries as set-up in the region left no trace of their existence, being make¬shift and built on individual initiative. This book-—through the use of dictionaries, historical written sources, and the cannon itself (metal analysis, methods of manufacture, decorations)—attempts to retrace the possible places where foundries could be found in the region, particularly in the Philippines. Although encouraging in some ways, no conclusions could be made from the lantaka study as to the location of foundries in the country. However, the fact that church bells were converted into cannon in time of war, the history and location of bells (which are dated and with names of foundry makers often inscribed can provide a better clue as well as evidence of places where foundries were probably found in the Philippines.
c2013