The Names of the 17 Filipinos and Indigenous Peoples Who Died in St. Louis at the 1904 World’s Fair

Antonio Estudillo, 1874-1904. Photographer unknown.

The following is compiled from my own research in 2021-23, mainly from primary sources including newspapers and cemetery records.

Content warning: This post contains sensitive and disturbing information about death of young Filipino and Indigenous people, anthropological abuse, and suicide. This may not be appropriate for all readers.

For more information about my work to place grave markers for six individuals at Calvary Cemetery, visit this page.

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Antonio Estudillo (d. Feburary 24, 1904) was the first resident of the Philippine Village who died in St. Louis. He was one of two Filipino teachers sent to the fair to teach in the school in the Philippine Village. opened. After two weeks in the hospital, he died from pneumonia prior to the opening of the fair.

Before coming to St. Louis, Antonio taught in Cavite and Manila. He was survived by a wife and two children in Manila. His body was reportedly repatriated to the Philippines in 1904. His grave has not been located.

Ibay Salayaw (d. March 28, 1904) died shortly after arriving on the train in St. Louis from pneumonia. He was a young Mangyan man from Bulalacao, Mindoro around 22 years old who was abducted from his village with four other men from his tribe and sent to St. Louis. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis in an unmarked grave. His direct descendants have been contacted and arrangements to honor him are currently in progress.

Falayay (d. March 28, 1904) also died shortly after arrival from pneumonia in St. Louis on the same day as Ibay. He was likely a young Aeta man from Mariveles, Bataan around 25 years old, although this is currently unconfirmed. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, and his grave marker is currently in progress.

Basilio, 1904. Photograph by the Gerhard Sisters.

Basilio (d. April 3, 1904) was an Aeta chief from Mariveles, Bataan who died from pneumonia around 45 years old. He was survived by a wife and daughter who were with him at the fair. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis side by side with Ibay and Falayay, and his grave marker is currently in progress.

Paying respects at Maura’s hometown in Mankayan.
Photograph by Carmi Tugday.

Maura (d. April 21, 1904) was a young Kankanaey Igorot woman from Suyoc, Benguet who died from pneumonia in St. Louis at Mullanphy Hospital. Her last wish was to be buried in her homeland. After her death, she was subject to anthropological research by Ales Hrdlicka without the knowledge or consent of her tribe. Her brain was sent to the present-day Smithsonian. In 2021, I established the Philippine Village Historical Site in her honor. Her relatives have been contacted and informed, and in 2023 I visited her hometown in Mankayan.

Louisa Francis Bihinang (b. April 12, 1904, d. April 22, 1904) was born in St. Louis during the 1904 World’s Fair. Her parents were Bihinang and Sayas, an Aeta couple from Mariveles, Bataan. She was named after the city of St. Louis, the president of the World’s Fair David R. Francis, and her mother Bihinang. She may have been the first Aeta baby to have been born in the United States.

Louisa died 10 days after her birth from inanition and is buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. Her grave marker is currently in progress.

Gravesite of Santiago Cruz. Photograph by Janna Añonuevo Langholz.

Santiago Cruz (d. May 4, 1904) was an infant less than a year old who died during the fair from croup. He is buried in the St. Vincent de Paul lot at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. His ethnic group is unknown.

Mariano Virlano (d. May 6, 1904) was a young Bontoc Igorot man around 28 years old. His cause of death is unknown. Mariano’s gravesite has not been located and may have been buried in the Philippines.

Maliquido (d. July 3, 1904) was a Moro soldier in the Philippine Constabulary from Cotabato, Mindanao. He died from pneumonia around 24 years old. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis with military honors, and his grave marker is currently in progress.

Dadao (d. July 5, 1904) was a young woman from Marawi around 32 years old at the time of her death. She was a slave of the Meranao tribe at the 1904 World’s Fair and was accompanied by her husband Boromi in St. Louis. Because of her status, it has not been confirmed whether she was also Meranao or part of another tribe.

Dadao died of acute heart failure due to beriberi (vitamin B1 deficiency). She was in her hut surrounded by friends at the time of her death. Her brain was used for anthropological research by Ales Hrdlicka and sent to the present-day Smithsonian, where it remains today. Her body is buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. Members of her community have been contacted, but no direct descendants or family members have come forward yet.

Igud (d. July 6, 1904) was a young Bagobo man around 18 years old who died of smallpox shortly after arriving in St. Louis. He is buried in an unmarked mass grave at the site of the former Robert Koch Hospital in St. Louis County.

Suyon (d. July 15, 1904) was a young Igorot man from Bontoc around 30 years old. During the fair in between performing dances, he would read newspapers to learn English. He was also reported to have been a skilled sipa player. His brain is preserved in the Smithsonian.

Site of the mass grave where Igud and Ramon are buried.
Photograph by Janna Añonuevo Langholz.

Ramon Attas (d. July 24, 1904) was a young Bagobo man around 18 years old who died of smallpox shortly after arriving in St. Louis. He is buried with Igud in the unmarked mass grave at the site of the former Robert Koch Hospital in St. Louis County.

Peplon (d. July 28, 1904) was the brother of a Moro sultan who also traveled to St. Louis for the fair. He died from a severe cold around the age of 20 years old. He was briefly buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery until his brother found out Peplon’s body had not been shipped home at the end of the fair and demanded that he be returned. Peplon was repatriated to the Philippines in 1905. His grave has not been located.

Danoan repatriated, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 20, 1905

Danoan (d. August 6, 1904) was a young Igorot man around 25 years old. His name spelling is unconfirmed and has also appeared as Danon and Danvan. The cause of his death is unknown. He may have been a member of the Philippine Constabulary since he was briefly buried in the soldiers’ cemetery under the name Tilton at Jefferson Barracks. He was repatriated to the Philippines in 1905 with Peplon and Salvador Carrasco. His grave has not been located.

Salvador Carrasco (d. August 25, 1904) was a young soldier in the Philippine Constabulary around 21 years old at the time of his death. He was said to have been very homesick and committed suicide in the Philippine Village by a gunshot wound to the heart. He was briefly buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery and was repatriated to the Philippines in 1905 along with Peplon and Danvan.

Gravesite of Joaquin Amayo, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Photograph by Janna Añonuevo Langholz.

Joaquin Amayo (d. September 18, 1904) is the only person who died at the 1904 World’s Fair that has an existing gravestone. He was a soldier in the Philippine Constabulary and died from beriberi around the age of 21 years old. He is buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in section 30, grave 12000.

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My hope for these 17 individuals is that they will be remembered and honored by their descendants and the broader Philippine community. I have researched the details of these deaths to the best of my ability, but as information has been lost over time, this post may contain inaccuracies.

If you have more information or are related to any of these individuals, please contact me at langholzjanna@gmail.com.

Additional reading:

The World’s Fair and the Lost Dead of St. Louis’ Human Zoo by Danny Wicentowski, September 2021

1904 World’s Fair Revised: One Artist Memorializes Filipino And Indigenous People by Megan Cattel, May 2021