On January 20, 1872, Filipino military men at Fort San Felipe, the Spanish arsenal in Cavite, 107
Philippine Islands then also known as part of the Spanish East Indies, staged a mutiny. Around 200
locally recruited colonial troops and laborers rose up in the hope of escalating the insurrection to a
national level. After the rebellion failed, government soldiers murdered several of the rebels and began
to suppress a growing Philippines nationalist movement. The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was widely seen as
the start of Filipino nationalism, which would eventually culminate to the Philippine Revolution of 1896.
In Filipino perspective according to Dr. Trinidad Pardo De Tavera the main reason for this chaos is that
many of the Filipinos working on the arsenal in Cavite did not like what Spaniards did, such as the
removing of their privileges. De Tavera also claimed that the Spaniards of the Spanish government and
the friars exploited the situation and exaggerated it, claiming that it was part of a grand plan of
revolution against the Spanish. The friars wanted to make sure that they will stay in power. At that time
also because of the Spain the liberal thinkers came into picture because of their influence and the
Spanish government in Madrid are slowly adapting to liberal policies. Like for one example is that they
wanted to change the educational system in the Philippines; they want to create an institute. They want
to remove friars in terms of handling the educational system in the Philippines. So at that time the friars
became nervous and they are sensing that because of this revolt they may gradually lose power in the
colonial government of Spain in the Philippines. They want to make sure that through the Cavite Mutiny
the Spanish government will change its mind in Spain itself and stop pursuing the planned reforms in the
Philippines and retain their power. The Spanish wanted to make that situation as leverage in order to
prolong their power in the country.
The 1872 Cavity Mutiny was one of the major catalysts for the revolutionary year of 1898. It was
during this time that three Filipino priests, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora
GOMBURZA, were tried and killed by garrote. This terrible occurrence was one of the catalysts for the
emergence of Filipino nationalism. When the Cavite Mutiny is discussed, one thing becomes very
evident. We don't have a final narrative of what transpired, nor do we have an adequate biography of
any of the three priests to offer a true picture of what happened in Schumacher 1972.