Through an 1852 Royal Decree from Queen Isabella II, ten Spanish Jesuits arrived in Manila on April 14, 1859, nearly a century after the Jesuits' expulsion from the Philippines. Their mission was to Mindanao and Jolo in the far South. But because of the Jesuits' entrenched reputation as educators among Manila's leaders, on August 5 the "Ayuntamiento" or city council requested the Governor-General to found and finance a Jesuit school using public funds. On October 1, 1859, he authorized the Jesuits to take over the "Escuela Municipal de Manila" (), a small private school maintained for some 30 children of Spanish residents. Ten Spanish Jesuit priests and a Jesuit brother began operating the school on December 10, 1859. The Ateneo de Manila University considers this its foundation day.