These Family Names Are The Oldest in Manila Society
Excerpt
On February 16, 1892, social arbiter Ward McAllister published a list of 400 names which, by his definition, were the crème de la crème of New York society. The famed list was based on wealth, and included prominent members of the city’s families including the Astors and their ilk.
Society lists, however, have always been a staple. Unlike McAllister’s 400 that was based on affluence, earlier lists such as Germany’s Almanach de Gotha (1763) and the United Kingdom’s Burke’s Peerage (1826) sought to document aristocracy and noble birth.
In the Philippines, there was, of course, the Manila 400. The early 20th-century list created by Tarrosa Subido documented Manila’s most storied families, from Abad Santos to Yulo. Though extensive, the list excluded families with Spanish and Chinese origin as they were seen as a different league.
