Filipino American History Month: Filipinos land in California on this date, 433 years ago ...

A simple plaque, left, commemorates the historic landding in San Luis Obispo's Coleman Park.

Today's the day! On this day 433 years ago, Filipinos landed on what was to become California, the first recorded incident of Asians setting foot in the future United States.

The Filipinos were sailors aboard the Manila galleon, Nuestra Senora de Esperanza which anchored in Morro Bay in what was to become San Luis Obispo, California.

A boulder set in Coleman Park overlooking harbor marks the historic event. A plaque implanted into the boulder, reads:

"During the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade Era from 1565 to 1815 Spanish galleons crossed the Pacific between the Philippines and Mexico.

"On October 18, 1587, the Manila Galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza commanded by Pedro de Unamuno entered Morro Bay near here. A landing party was sent to shore which included Luzon Indios, marking the first landing of Filipinos in the continental United States. The landing party took official possession of the area for Spain by putting up a cross made of branches. The group was attacked by native Indians two days later, and one of the Filipinos was killed. Unamuno and his crew gave up further exploration of this part of the coast."  

The names of the Filipino sailors, described only as "Luzones Indios" were never recorded in the Spanish records so whether the Filipinos were slaves or part of the crew is uncertain.

On this day, 433 years ago, Unamuno ordered two of his Filipino seamen to make contact with the native inhabitants on the theory that the brown-skinned sailors would be accepted by the local people. Contact was successful and talks between the Filipinos were welcomed by the native people began. Three days later, according to  the ship's journals, after the white-skinned Spaniards were brought into the negotiations, the talks ended in violence with two of Unamuno's crew fatally killed, including one of the Filipinos.

The historical date is the primary reason the Filipino American National Historical Society chose October as Filipino History Month.

The treasure-laden galleons, huge ships made in the Philippines, sailed across the Pacific, three times wider than the Atlantic Ocean bringing precioius stones, porcelain, silks and spices from Asia to Acapulco in Mexico's western shore. From there, the goods were transported overland to the Vera Cruz on the Caribbean and then loaded onto ships to be transported to Spain.