History of the Philippines Beginnings of the Archipelago (1) Some 50 million years ago, the archipelago was formed by volcanic eruptions. About 30,000 years ago the earliest inhabitants had arrived from the Asian mainland, perhaps over land bridges built during the ice ages. By the tenth century A.D., coastal villagers welcomed Chinese commerce and settlers, followed by Muslim traders from Borneo. The early inhabitants of the Philippines were Mongoloid descent which is predominant today. The gradual spread of Islam from Borneo into the central and northern islands was interrupted by the arrival of the Spanish Christians. Discovery of the Philippines by the West and Revolution (2) The Philippines were claimed in the name of Spain in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain, who named the islands after King Philip II of Spain. They were then called Las Felipinas. By the 1830's Spanish culture and thought had penetrated into Filipino culture to the extent