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Carta Universal or the 1527 Ribeiro Planisphere. c. 1900 reproduction on 12 linen canvases for Edward Luther Stevenson of the 1527 Weimar world map, believed to be a reproduction by Diogo Ribeiro of the Spanish Padron Real (Royal Standard Map) held at the Seville Casa de Contratacion (House of Trade). Also known as the Carta Universal or the 1527 Ribeiro Planisphere. It shows Spanish uncertainty regarding the Pacific Coast of the Americas, the Spice Islands, and the exact details of locations around the Indian Ocean, while adding additional information from the expeditions of Magellan and others.
THE SMOKING QUILL | MAY 3, 2025

Correcting Tomé Pires in His Own Words: Lequios Located in the Philippines, Not Ryukyu

Welcome back to The Smoking Quill Series, where we uncover hidden truths buried beneath centuries of colonial distortion. Today's case study is a landmark: we expose how the 'Islands of the Lequios' were originally understood as part of the Philippines — and how they were later misrepresented as Ryukyu (Okinawa) to suit colonial narratives.

For this installment, let us peruse the maps used as supporting evidence from The Suma Oriental of Tomé Pires [1944 publication by The Hakluyt Society, London].

Imagine when colonial bias reaches its tipping point into outright propaganda — and then chooses to dive headfirst into total immersion, baptizing itself in false narratives so thoroughly that it loses the ability to even read the maps it claims as evidence. Welcome to the mindset behind this historical distortion.

🔍 The Evidence Unveiled

Early Maps Tell the Real Story:
1512 Jorge Reinel/Rodriguez Chart
CITED AS EVIDENCE FOR RYUKYU, BUT IT IS LUZON!

1512 Jorge Reinel/Rodriguez Chart (Weimar Version):

NOT Ryukyu!

  • "The Main Island of Lequios" is charted and noted geographically near Luzon, not near Okinawa.

  • The placement is Southeast of China which cannot be Ryukyu.

  • The placement matches the northern Philippines, not the Ryukyu archipelago.

  • Instead of simply reading the map representing what it says, Pires uses etymological flexing in Colonial propaganda, not academic rigor. The problem: the next maps he uses show this same position with the Northern Luzon Islands as Lequios and NOT Ryukyu. This is not a position!
1527 Ribeiro Map Lequios
1527 Ribeiro Map Lequios
CITED AS EVIDENCE FOR RYUKYU, BUT IT IS LUZON!

1527 Diogo Ribeiro Map:

Diogo Ribeiro locates Lequios near Luzon, reinforcing the Philippines as the center of early Southeast Asian trade routes.

FULL MAP ABOVE.

  • Lequios is plotted geographically near Luzon, not near Okinawa.

  • Positioned south of Japan and adjacent to the "Mare Sinarvm" (Sea of China), but within the Philippine island chain.

  • The placement matches the northern Philippines, not the Ryukyu archipelago.

  • Pires admits this Lequios note is next to Paragua (Palawan) which is no where near Ryukyu!

  • Pires invokes Hainan ignoring that Luzon is on that same parallel even marked on the map as Lequios claiming, in ignorance, that Luzon must be Ryukyu. This is witchcraft, not scholarship!
1535 Penrose Chart
CITED AS EVIDENCE FOR RYUKYU, BUT IT IS LUZON!

1535 Anonymous Penrose Chart:

Lequios plotted between 17°–20° North Latitude, matching Northern Philippines, not Okinawa.


  • Luzon and the Batanes Islands fall precisely within this latitude range.

  • Ryukyu (Okinawa) lies at approximately 26°-27° N, well north of the mapped location.

  • This fact is admitted by Pires who notes that it does not match Ryukyu, which is 24°–30°. That did not stop him from using this to support Ryukyu, when it was Northern Luzon.
1539 SANTA CRUZ MAP Lequios
1539 SANTA CRUZ MAP Lequios
PIRES FAILED TO REVIEW THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT RECORD IN NEGLIGENCE!

1539 Santa Cruz SPANISH GOVERNMENT Map:

Map Authority: Commissioned under the Spanish Crown for formal geopolitical record by a royal cosmographer, 1539. Luquios as Luzon, Philippines With Visayas and Mindanao Charted With It

General Atlas of All the Islands in the World, c. mid-16th century. Alonso de Santa Cruz (1505–1567), royal cosmographer. U.S. Library of Congress. Public Domain.

  • Santa Cruz places Lequios adjacent to Philippine islands, confirming their early identification with Luzon.

  • To the West of Liquios is Palawan with Cebu and Cattigara just South, and Mindanao further South.

  • This archipelago is the Philippines and East of Vietnam, Southeast of China, and Northeast of Borneo and Malaysia.
1544 Sebastian Cabot Map
1544 Sebastian Cabot Map
PIRES FAILED TO REVIEW THIS SPANISH GOVERNMENT EXPLORER MAP IN NEGLIGENCE!

1544 Sebastian Cabot Map:

Cabot's 'Canal of Lequios' flows into the West Philippine Sea, cementing Lequios’ geographic tie to the Philippines.

General Atlas of All the Islands in the World, c. mid-16th century. Alonso de Santa Cruz (1505–1567), royal cosmographer. U.S. Library of Congress. Public Domain.

  • Canal of Lequios is next to Palawan, between 10-15N and Southwest of Ciapagu [Zipangu of Marco Polo as Luzon in position, 17-25N]. Zipangu was never Japan on any credible map in this era either.

  • These islands are positioned South of the Tropic of Cancer and Southeast of China, never the Ryukyu Islands.

1554 Homem Map
CITED AS EVIDENCE FOR RYUKYU, ONLY LATER MANIPULATED VERSIONS SUPPORT THIS. THE ORIGINAL LED TO NORTH LUZON in position!

1554 Lopo Homem Planisphere:

Homem still places Lequios closer to the Philippines; later maps begin shifting it northward under colonial reinterpretations. 

  • Notably, the map includes a depiction of the “Canal of Lequios” in the vicinity of the West Philippine Sea, further reinforcing the connection between Lequios and the Philippine archipelago.This geographic positioning is consistent with other 16th-century maps and accounts that place Lequios within the latitude range of 17°–20° North, corresponding to the northern Philippines.

  • If using later secondary maps this would support Pires' position, yet the others do not, and he failed to review the primary source. However, in its original form, this map also fails his theory demonstrating he did not even read the maps he used to commit Colonial bias. 

  • To the right is a later example demonstrating the moving of history without credible preference in Colonial bias.

Textual Clues Confirm It:

  • 🖋️Tomé Pires (1518): Describes islands far from India (Philippines route, not Japan), rich in gold, 200 leagues from China — fits Batanes/Luzon.

  • 💎Gold Mines: Philippines had abundant gold — Ryukyu did not.

  • 👤People Description: "White like Germans" — fits lighter-skinned Batanes/Ivatan people, not Okinawans.

  • 🖋️Great Craftsmen and Armorers: Luzon’s tradition of fine metallurgy matches perfectly.

  • 💡Gores and Igorots [Gorot]: Pires mentions "Gores," in relation to a tribe of the Lequios, but never supports that as leading to Ryukyu, because it does not. He even Suggests Mongolia in illiteracy as that is not an island group East of China.

  • Ghūr in Arab Records and Tagalog Roots:
    Arab manuscripts from 1462 and 1489 mention an island called "Ghūr," linked by later Europeans to Lequios. However, in ancient Tagalog, "guro" means "teacher," and "guros" could mean a group of teachers or elders. This linguistic echo suggests a Philippine, not Ryukyuan, origin — aligning with Northern Luzon's strong oral traditions of leadership, wisdom, and craftsmanship.

⚡ The Colonial Shift

Early maps and explorer accounts consistently align Lequios with the Philippines — not Ryukyu — before colonial narrative rewrites emerged.

Early Evidence: Lequios clearly in the Philippines                               

Later Distortion: Ryukyu retrofitted by colonial narratives


Early Evidence: Maps align with Luzon                                                  

Later Distortion Luzon deliberately ignored


Early Evidence: Routes and geography point to SE Asia                     

Later Distortion History rewritten for a Japan-centered model


Early Evidence: Etymology points to Igorots                                         

Later Distortion Etymology distorted or ignored

🔍 Luzon vs. Ryukyu Criteria Match

Criteria                                                              

Latitude                                                             

Luzon/Northern Philippines: ✔️ Matches 17°-20°N                                                           

Ryukyu (Okinawa): ❌ 26°-27°N, far north

Abundant Gold                                                 

Luzon/Northern Philippines: ✔️ Extensively documented                                               

Ryukyu (Okinawa):  ❌ No significant gold resources

Light-Skinned Population                               

Luzon/Northern Philippines: ✔️ Ivatan/Batanes described as lighter-skinned.           

Ryukyu (Okinawa): ❌ Typical East Asian complexion

Great Craftsmanship (Weapons, Jewelry)    

Luzon/Northern Philippines: ✔️ Documented by early Spanish                                      

Ryukyu (Okinawa): ❌ Minimal compared to Luzon traditions

Direct Trade with China & Malacca               

Luzon/Northern Philippines: ✔️ Well-established networks                                            

Ryukyu (Okinawa): ✔️ (but minor compared to Luzon)

Etymology (Gores/Igorot/Guros)                  

Luzon/Northern Philippines: ✔️ Strong linguistic connection                                          

Ryukyu (Okinawa): ❌ No linguistic tie to Ryukyu

Geographical Proximity to India Route.      

Luzon/Northern Philippines: ✔️ Natural path from Malacca eastward                           

Ryukyu (Okinawa): ❌ Requires deviation from direct route

                                                                            

🔢 PHILIPPINES Lequios SCORE: 100%                           

🔢 RYUKYU Lequios SCORE: 14% EPIC FAIL!

🔫 The Smoking Quill Verdict:

🔢Lequios = Northern Philippines (Luzon, Batanes, Babuyan).
🔴Not Ryukyu (Okinawa).

Even Tomé Pires' own descriptions undermine the Ryukyu narrative. His words consistently point to Luzon, Batanes, Babuyan, and the Igorot people, a proud highland group with rich gold traditions, lighter complexions, and direct trade with China and Malacca. Ultimately, this entire area was populated even in that age by a people group called "Iloconos". They were likely called Lequios originally and altered by the Spanish to conceal the record. 

The colonial remapping is exposed for what it is: a post-facto invention ignoring overwhelming primary evidence.

Another pillar of colonial bias crumbles. The Philippines' ancient role as a major hub in global trade is once again restored to the light.

💬 Stay tuned for more revelations as The Smoking Quill exposes the truth hidden for centuries.

Yah Bless.

The God Culture Team

#SmokingQuill #Ophir #PhilippinesHistory #Lequios #ColonialBias #BiblicalGeography #HistoricalCorrection #Igorots #MapHistory

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