Ming Shilu
The earliest Chinese historical reference to Tondo can be found in the "Annals of the Ming dynasty" called the "Ming Shilu", which record the arrival of an envoy from Luzon to the Ming Dynasty in 1373. Her rulers, based in their capital, Tondo () were acknowledged not as mere chieftains, but as kings (王). This reference places Tondo into the larger context of Chinese trade with the native people of the Philippine archipelago.