Why exactly was Barangay Dancalan chosen as site for the astillero and metalworks factory by the Spaniards?
One answer could be traced to the name of the village itself. "Dancalan," a hardwood tree, grew profusely in the place as well as in most coastal villages around the province at that time. Old folks say the sturdy tree was used as a basic material for the construction of the Spanish galleon, some of the biggest of which were produced in the shipyards of Sorsogon, notably on Bagatao Island (now Magallanes town).
Dancalan wood was said to have been extensively used to make wheels for the overland transport of extremely heavy loads, such as logs, coal and ore.
Another possible reason is that there must have been an ore mine somewhere near the shipyard-cum-metalworks factory. Otherwise, why locate such a factory there if the workers still had to transport ore from a faraway place?
And, of course, the most obvious reason for the location is the human resources in the area, the expert metal workers.
The archaeological diggings and study were conducted from 1995 to 1997, resulting in the retrieval of more than 10,000 different artifacts. Most of the objects were found scattered on the ground. They included iron and copper nails, spikes and dowels, bolts and bolt heads, rivets or capstans, hook-and-eyes, hinges, wedges, clamps and clasps, blade-like items, chain rings, rods and wires, knives, scythes, ladles, sheets and scales, joints, hooks, latches and screws.
A few lead objects were fashioned into wires and sheets.
Also discovered was a huge metal anchor, which took 10 men and one carabao to haul into the interior of the barangay. Another anchor, just as big, used to lie along the shore, according to residents, but it must have been buried in silt and mud.
The anchors are believed to be from galleons built at the Dancalan astillero.
Found in abundance in the site were earthenware molds, presumably used to shape iron materials; stoneware sherds and fragments; and Chinese porcelain from the late Ming and Ching dynasties; and European blue and white ware sherds from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The stoneware and porcelain fragments indicated a flourishing trade and commerce in Sorsogon and the Bicol region with China and other parts of Asia, and even Europe.
Charcoal, coal and coke, the fuel used to generate heat for iron smelting, were also recovered. The coal is believed to have been mined and brought in from Batan Island in the Albay Gulf.
A rectangular structure, made of massive adobe blocks and measuring 20 meters long and 8.5 meters wide, was also exposed during the excavation. The base is believed to have been remnants of the building that was then the center of operations for all intensive smelting and smithing activities in the astillero.
The uncovered structure showed traces of a furnace and a wide smelting pan, including what residents called a lepak or danaw-danaw, a natural lagoon believed to be where the finished iron materials were cooled.
According to oral accounts by old folks, the shipyard was owned and established by a rich Spanish mestizo named Don Sabas Milleza, who migrated to Donsol from Iloilo. He constructed a house in the place, including a pier that jutted out into the river where a band would play every afternoon to the delight of residents who turned the occasion into a virtual fiesta, almost everyday of the year.
It was also Milleza who established the shop that produced the metal materials needed for the construction of the galleons, old-timers say.
Although the actual excavation already ended and with funds from the DOT exhausted, the National Museum team said work on the site was far from over.
What the team has so far established without question is that furious smelting activities were undertaken in the area during the Spanish era. This is proven incontrovertibly by the presence of metal slags, numerous metal objects of various shapes, sizes and uses, earthenware molds, and the uncovered base structure of a large building that must have been the smelting shop or factory itself.
The team recommended further archaeological studies and activities to understand the site better. When did smelting start in the area? When and why was it abandoned? Why was Dancalan chosen as site for the astillero and smelting factory? Where did the ore used for smelting come from? Where exactly was the shipyard? These and other questions still beg for answers.
Meanwhile, it has been recommended that a small on-site museum be set up where the recovered artifacts can be safely displayed and made available to researchers, history students and cultural workers.
