Document 98 of the Spanish "Colección general de documentos relativos a las Islas Filipinas existentes en el Archivo de Indias de Sevilla" is a foundational document to the claims of Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture. It can be read here in the original Spanish.
This document is a list of ports between Cape Good Hope and China. Tim believes that this document ends in the Philippines. That is not true and I have written about this document several times proving beyond all reasonable doubt how and why that claim is not true. The document ends in the Lequios Islands which are not and never have been the Philippines. Though written in Spanish it is concerned with Portuguese trade routes and discoveries and they did not discover the Philippines. The document's description is as follows:
These are the places and ports and the main islands that exist from the Cape of Good Hope to the Leyquios, which is what has been discovered the most so far and what is most known in Portugal.
Another document from this collection, which Tim cites in his own Sourcebook, says in no uncertain terms that the Philippines is not mentioned in document 98.
There is not the slightest concrete allusion to the Philippine Archipelago, although the author mentions groups of islands situated at a short distance from it.
Tim dismisses that document as part of a conspiratorial cover-up and an "antiquated paradigm of bias." He also claims this document describes the Lequios as "big, bearded, white men" despite the word "barba" being nowhere in the text. Since Tim claims he has read all the sources he uses that can only mean one thing. Someone altered the document!!! LOL!!!
I uploaded Documento 98 into ChatGPT for an analysis and the full chat is below. Suffice to say ChatGPT says the directions in this document do not terminate in the Philippines. The interesting thing is that ChatGPT lists several reasons why people would be led to believe the Lequios Islands might be the Philippines writing:
The Philippines as Lequios is plausible but speculative
The full conversation can be read at this link. The prompts are "This document is in Spanish. Analyze it in English. Map out the directions", "Some people think the Lequios Islands are the Philippines", and "Do the directions in this document end in the Philippines?."
ChatGPT said:
This Spanish document, titled "Descripción geográfica desde el Cabo de Buena Esperanza hasta China", dated between 1520–1528, provides a step-by-step maritime itinerary from the Cape of Good Hope all the way to China. It's essentially a 16th-century navigational and trade map in text form, describing coastal stops, ports, islands, kingdoms, and goods found along the route. Below is a mapped-out outline in modern English, arranged by regions and directions:
🌍 Africa (Southern and Eastern Coast)
Cape of Good Hope
Cape of St. Sebastian
Islands called "vgicas" and smaller ones nearby
River and settlement of Gáfala – Portuguese fort, access to Benamatapa (a wealthy inland kingdom, source of gold)
Mamaa River and Augoux – more gold trade
Mozambique (Mogeviq) – small port, fresh water, Portuguese stopover
Quenyloa – island with Muslim inhabitants
Mobaga & Melinde – Muslim cities, Melinde is a launch point for India
San Lorenzo Island (Madagascar) – abundant with ginger, lemons, oranges, meats
Arabia's Red Sea Coastline begins – towns: Patel, Lamo, Brabaa, Madagayo, Aafum
Cape Gardafun (Guardafui) – turn toward the Red Sea
Ports: Mete, Barboraa, Ceylla, Dallaqnaa (trade: ivory, gold, wheat, pearls)
Arabia Felix region and the land of Prester John (Christian Kingdom with capital Babelmeleq)
Port of Coez – spice trade hub
Mount Sinai, Eliobon, Medina (burial of Muhammad)
Juda – spice hub connected to Cairo and Venice
🇮🇳 India's West Coast
Aden, Cape of Fartaq, Gocotora (Socotra) – strategic ports, Christian outposts
Hormuz – Persian Gulf entrance, major trade city controlled by the Portuguese
Baceraa (Basra) – near the Euphrates
Gujarat (Canbaya) – rich in goods, cities: Chapanel, Andabat, Patenixi, Dio, Barbexi, Canbaya
Daquan Kingdom – ports like Chañe, Dandaa, Dabull
Malabar coast – Goa (Portuguese-controlled), Ginta Colla, Mangalor, Cunbola
🇮🇳 Southern India & Malabar
Narsingua Kingdom – cities: Visinagan, Vatecala, Mayanden, Mangalor
Province of Malabar – multiple pepper-producing cities
Kingdom of Cananor – Coteconlan, Cananor (Portuguese fort)
Calecut (Calicut) – major spice city with Portuguese conflict
Cochin – Portuguese stronghold and pepper port
Covlan (Quaycolan, Coulan) – city with Jewish, Christian, Muslim merchants
Cape of Comorin – southern tip
🏝️ Islands & Further East
Maldivian archipelago – cordage and ship rope (coir) trade
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) – cinnamon, rubies, pearls; predominantly Hindu
Quilagare & Gael – cities of the King of Coulan
Choramandel Coast – Tamil region, cities: Maliapur (St. Thomas' tomb), Palancate
🇲🇲 Burma & Southeast Asia
Kingdom of Hotisa
River Ganges – major Indian river
Bengal (Véngala) – cotton production (muslins), sugar, ships called "juncos"
Kingdom of Verma – little to no Muslim presence
Kingdom of Pegu (Burma) – rich in elephants, rice, and lacquer
City of Ava – rubies and musk (from animals like musk deer)
🇹🇭 Thailand and Malaysia
Kingdom of Asian – rich in benzoin (minjuy), a resin used in perfume and incense
City of Malac (Malacca) – major international trade hub, Portuguese fort
🏝️ Archipelagos and Maritime Southeast Asia
Sumatra (Gamatra) – pepper, silk, gold (kingdoms: Pidir, Manancabo)
Gunda – island with pepper
Java (Jaoa Mayor & Minor) – very rich in goods, horses, spices
Timor – source of white sandalwood
Banda Islands (Vandan) – nutmeg and mace
Ambon – minor islands, piracy noted
Moluccas (Meluq) – cloves (key islands: Tidore, Ternate, Maquier)
🇨🇳 China and Nearby
Solor – rich island with gold and pearls
Chanpa – rich in linen and diamonds
China (Tarsis) – vast and rich, producers of:
Silk, rhubarb, musk
Porcelain, refined sugar
Trade with "juncos" (multi-mast ships)
Civilians eat dog meat, wear silk
Lequios Islands (possibly Ryukyu Islands or even legendary Ophir) – unknown large land with:
Rich traders
Gold bars, silver, silk, wheat, porcelain
Said to be richer and more noble than Chinese
If you want a visual map or detailed breakdown of a specific region or segment, let me know!
You said:
Some people think the Lequios Islands are the Philippines
ChatGPT said:
Yes—and that’s actually a long-running theory with a mix of truth, speculation, and confusion. Let’s unpack this a bit:
🔍 What the Document Says about the Lequios Islands
At the end of the document, it describes the Lequios Islands as:
Lying further east beyond China
Populated by white-skinned people
Highly civilized, wealthy, and excellent merchants
Sending 3–4 junks (ships) annually to Malacca
Bringing gold in bars, silver, silk, fine wheat, and porcelain
Taking back pepper and other Indian trade goods
Not seen since the Portuguese arrived
They are said to be more honorable, better dressed, and wealthier than the Chinese—an unusually glowing review.
🗺️ Why Some Think Lequios = the Philippines
Extensive gold use and craftsmanship
Trade links with China, Japan, and Southeast Asia
Chinese porcelain found in archaeological sites
Cotton and woven textiles, possibly confused with silk by outsiders
🤔 But There’s a Counterpoint: Ryukyu (Liuqiu)
Historically, most scholars identify the Lequios with the Ryukyu Kingdom (modern Okinawa and nearby islands), based on:
The phonetic similarity (Lequios ~ Liuqiu)
The Ryukyu Kingdom’s trade prominence in the 14th–16th centuries
Chinese, Japanese, and European sources calling Ryukyu “Lequio,” “Liqueo,” or similar names
Similar descriptions: noble, light-skinned, wealthy, intermediaries in trade
So Ryukyu fits better geographically and in the known historical trade patterns.
🧭 TL;DR:
The Philippines as Lequios is plausible but speculative.
The Ryukyu Islands are the mainstream historical match.
Some aspects of the Philippines’ precolonial trade culture do echo the Lequios description, so the confusion is understandable.
The document treats the Lequios almost as a lost golden civilization, which adds to the mystique and opens the door for interpretations like the Ophir theory.
Would you like a side-by-side comparison of Lequios traits vs. the Philippines and Ryukyu? Or would you like me to analyze the Ophir connection from a historical or theological angle?
ChatGPT said:
Great question—and one that cuts to the heart of a lot of speculation surrounding this document.
🔍 Short Answer:
No, the directions in this document do not end in the Philippines.They end with China, the Lequios Islands, and some nearby unnamed or mythic lands further east or north beyond China—but the Philippines are never explicitly mentioned.📜 Here's the Structure at the End of the Document:
China – described in rich detail: trade, people, goods (including silk, rhubarb, porcelain, silver), ships (junks), and even eating dog meat.
Lequios Islands – described as:
Located across the sea from China
Populated by light-skinned, richly dressed merchants
Sending 3–4 junks annually to Malacca (before the Portuguese arrived)
Trading gold, silver, wheat, porcelain, and silk
Disappearing from Malacca after the Portuguese arrived
After that, the document fades out with some speculation about “a very large land” beyond the Lequios which some say is mainland or part of a distant group of islands.
📌 Notably Absent:
The Philippines—Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, or any known indigenous names (e.g., Lusong, Sugbu, Butuan, Tondo)—are nowhere in the document.
There’s no mention of:
Bangka (boats)
Tagalog, Visayan, or any other Philippine languages
Cebu, Manila, or other known trade cities
Pre-Hispanic trade routes to Mexico or Spain (which hadn’t yet begun when this was written)
🧠 What This Tells Us:
This is a Portuguese or Spanish navigational record (dated 1520–1528) that carefully traces the known trade world from Africa to East Asia. When it reaches the furthest known point—China and the mysterious Lequios—the trail ends.
The Philippines had not yet been mapped or entered into Iberian trade consciousness in this document. That came with Magellan in 1521, and Spanish colonization beginning in 1565, which are after or just on the cusp of this document’s dating.
🤔 Why Do Some Think It Refers to the Philippines?
Because the Lequios sound exotic, wealthy, and important—and the Philippines later became central to Spanish trade—they retroactively assume:
"Ah, that must’ve been us!"
But “Lequios” ≠ Philippines in this document.More likely, Lequios refers to Ryukyu or some unknown land east of China, possibly even mythological.✅ Final Verdict:
The directions end at China and Lequios, not the Philippines.
The Philippines are not mentioned at all.
Any connection is interpretive and speculative, not textual or geographical from the document itself.
If you're digging into this for research on Ophir, Lost Tribes, or historical identity, I can help break down the timeline or map the trade routes mentioned. Just say the word.
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