An upside down philippines?

What if the Tondo dynasty survived in Luzon and prevented their absorption by the Bolkiah dynasty (which were hated by the people there) and made a strong polity there that survives Spanish conquest would the Spanish be more interested in getting Mindanao and had prevented the formation of the Maguindanao Sultanate as I know the Maguindanao Sultanate was formed in the late 16th century, It formed because the Spanish did not mind Mindanao they were preoccupied in securing the Northern part.
 
Would the Spanish have any interest in Mindanao if they were unable to take Luzon? If the Spanish were unable to get a hold on Luzon then they might have cut their losses vis-a-vis the Philippines. They would still be looking for a base for their trade between the Americas and Asia, but might focus elsewhere. Taiwan, perhaps?
 
What the Spanish were looking for originally was a transfer point for their trade between China and Mexico; for that purpose Mindanao would do just as well as Luzon. Taiwan would be a poor third choice because of the additional distance between there and Mexico.
 
Don't forget about Visayas.... but yes, Mindanao might went Catholic.... you cannot just go to Canton, China directly from Cebu... You have to get Sulu... Navigation technology is not that advanced back... plus there are those trade routes that are being used for centuries in pre-colonial Southeast Asia and especially in the Philippines... Is it possible to go straight to China from Zamboanga Peninsula and skipping Muslim Sulu though? I have no idea...
 
Spain would try their luck on the Celebes or Taiwan, since there are no large muslim community there. Spain is weak against Muslim religion since the Muslims are hard or near impossible to convert. Plus there is no city of gold to attract adventurers to help spain in subjugating the land. Well they could start a rumor concerning the gold...
 
Spain would try their luck on the Celebes or Taiwan, since there are no large muslim community there. Spain is weak against Muslim religion since the Muslims are hard or near impossible to convert. Plus there is no city of gold to attract adventurers to help spain in subjugating the land. Well they could start a rumor concerning the gold...
Actually, at the point when the Spanish arrived in OTL, Mindanao was less Muslim compared to Today and the Sultanate was just beginning to be established, Luzon or Mayi before the Bruneians dominated it has an Animist-Hindu-Buddhist nobility and was in good terms with the Sultanate of Sulu so if the Bruneians did not dominate Mayi or Luzon, both Mayi/Tondo and Sulu would be likely allied against the Spanish like what the Maguindanao Sultanate and Sulu Sultanate did in OTL, so a Mayi/Tondo-Sulu alliance would be a major head ache to the Spanish, the Spanish might try to colonize the Southern part of Luzon like they did in OTL but would end up expelled and most likely their converts either end up like the Kirishitans of Japan or forced to convert out or expelled.

The Spanish could concentrate in Mindanao, Taiwan or Celebes in that scenario.
 
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Don't forget about Visayas.... but yes, Mindanao might went Catholic.... you cannot just go to Canton, China directly from Cebu... You have to get Sulu... Navigation technology is not that advanced back... plus there are those trade routes that are being used for centuries in pre-colonial Southeast Asia and especially in the Philippines... Is it possible to go straight to China from Zamboanga Peninsula and skipping Muslim Sulu though? I have no idea...

Unfortunately, Mayi and Sulu do have an alliance do have an alliance so if Mayi survives both of them will fight against the Spanish since they had not successfully invaded the Igorots and the Morros in OTL the Spanish will also fail with Mayi, Sulu and Maguindanao(if it still exists ITTL) , I think it is possible for the Spanish to get Palawan and Southern Luzon if they get a treaty with Mayi and Sulu.
 
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If the Spaniards focused on Celebes, wouldn't they just be tempted to colonize the islands around it and possibly creating an alternate Spanish East Indies with parts of OTL Indonesia under its control?
 
If the Spaniards focused on Celebes, wouldn't they just be tempted to colonize the islands around it and possibly creating an alternate Spanish East Indies with parts of OTL Indonesia under its control?

I was just thinking of a Spanish East Indies with both Visayas and the Celebes area initially while Mayi and Sulu surviving to the present and their national identities survive and remain strong and Mayi remains largely Buddhist-Pagan and Sulu remains largely Muslim and retains Palawan, I think a surviving Mayi could also butterfly the existence of Maguindanao Sultanate or make it vulnerable to Spanish conquest if it exists because it is surrounded by Spanish territory not like Mayi or Sulu, Vismin-Celebes Spanish East Indies would be interesting.
 
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