n all. The Visayans called Him Lauon, which signifies "ancient;"
and the Tagalogs Bathala Mey capal, signifying "God, the Maker,
or Creator of all things."

434. Besides these they had other idols, which the Visayans called
Diuata, and the Tagalogs, Anito, each of which had its special
object and purpose. For there was one anito for the mountains and
open country; another for the sowed fields; others for the sea and
rivers; another for the house of their dwelling. These anitos they
invoked in their work, according to the functions of each one. Among
these they also made anitos of their ancestors, and to these was due
the first adoration of all. The memory of this anito is not even yet
erased. They kept some small badly-made figures of all these, of gold,
stone, ivory, or wood; and they called them Lic-ha or Larauan, which
means a "figure" or "image" among them.

435. They also venerated as anitos those who came to disastrous ends,
because either the lightning, or the shark, or the sword, killed them;
for they thought that such immediately went to glory, by way of the
rainbow, which they call balangao. With such barbarous beliefs lived
and died the old people, puffed up and vain, considering themselves as
anitos. As such they caused themselves to be respected and worshiped;
and buried after death in places set apart and of distinction among
them all, as they were reverenced there. There are many cases of
this known, and it required all the valor and zeal of the father
ministers to destroy tombs, fell trees, and burn idols. But it is yet
impossible to tear up the blind error of the pasingtabi sa nono, which
consists in begging favor from their aged dead whenever they enter
any thicket or mountain or sowed fields, in order to build houses
and for other things. For if they do not do this, they believe that
their nonos will punish them with some evil result. This is found
among an ignorant people without malice, who do not know why they
do this, but only that they do it because they saw that their aged
people do it here. The ministers labored hard to remove this error,
especially in the remote villages; for in those that are now civilized
the people at present laugh at it.

436. For all these adorations and sacrifices it is not evident that
they had any common and public temple. For although these places had
the name of simba or simbahan, which signifies "place of adoration
and sacrifice," and the people attended them and