Katipunan Symbols, Seals and the Anting-Anting
In 1892 Filipinos interested in the overthrow of Spanish rule founded an organization following Masonic rites and principles to organize armed resistance and assassinations within a context of total secrecy. It operated as an alternative Filipino government complete with a president and cabinet. When AndreĢs Bonifacio assumed control over the organization, it became much more aggressive. With the Grito de Balintawak, the Philippine revolution began. Filipinos ripped up their tax and citizenship documents and started fighting through Luzon. At this time, the Filipinos were by no means united; Emilio Aguinaldo served as president of the insurgent government while JoseĢ Rizal headed the Liga Filipina.
When General Camilo de Polavieja became the new Spanish military governor on December 3, 1896, he ordered the execution of Rizal and 24 others. The Katipunan was revived briefly during the insurrection against the U.S. in 1900.
The anting-anting, so enshrined in the lives of the oppressed Filipinos, figured prominently during the protracted fight for freedom against both the Spanish and American colonizers. Despite its close connection with the revolutionaries, the anting-anting has rarely, if ever, been seriously discussed in the standard textbooks and studies on the Philippine Revolution. Filipino historians understandably shied away from the subject lest their scholarly works be tainted with legends rather than factual accounts. Hence, the anting-anting'sĀ connection with the revolution is only discussed, if ever, in footnotes.
Of particular note is the use of the symbolism that represents the myth of how the Santisimo Trinidad came across the Infinito Dios, the god before God.