Indicates convincingly that, contrary to local claims, Chavacano was introduced from Ternate, Indonesia in 1663 via Cavite through the 200 Mardica (Ternatan) soldiers who already spoke the language. Some of these soldiers and their families may have been assigned to man the Zamboanga garrison in 1718. As of the 1990 census, there are now 273,701 speakers of the language, mostly concentrated in Zamboanga City.