pangasinan

• Pangasinan’s colorful history dates back to 1571 when it was officially conquered and colonized by Don Martin de Goiti.
• Pangasinan was made an encomienda, an institution where groups of indigenous people were legally entrusted to a Spanish conqueror with the duty of paying him labor or tribute, on April 5, 1572.
• Pangasinan became a political entity with an “alkalde mayor” leading the province’s affairs in 1580.
• April 5, 1580, is recognized as Pangasinan’s official founding day.
• The Ancient Malayo-Polynesians of the Austronesian stock sailed by boat and established settlements along the Lingayen Gulf long before the arrival of the Spaniards.
• The settlers were skilled in salt-making and named their new home Pangasinan, which means “the place where salt is made,” specifically referring to the coastal region, while the inland areas were collectively known as “Caboloan,” due to the abundance of a small bamboo species called “bolo” in that area.
• The people of Pangasinan engaged in trade with India, China, and Japan as early as the 8th century A.D.
• In 1572, Juan de Salcedo received orders from his grandfather Governor General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to explore and bring stability to northern Luzon.
• Juan de Salcedo led an expedition that took him to Pangasinan, which was later credited by Spanish priest-historian Fray Juan Ferrando as being discovered by Salcedo.
• On April 5, 1572, Pangasinan came under Spanish jurisdiction as an encomienda.
• In 1574 to 1575, the Chinese corsair Limahong, having faced defeat by the Spaniards in his attempt to establish a colony in Manila, sought refuge in Pangasinan where he established his own small kingdom.
• Limahong compelled the local inhabitants to provide provisions and serve his group.
• In response to the situation, Juan de Salcedo took charge and led the pursuit of Limahong.
• Despite months of blockading, Limahong and his forces managed to escape through a channel they had dug out into the China Sea, thus evading Salcedo’s pursuit in August 1575.
• Many of Limahong’s followers, along with their families, decided to stay in Lingayen even after he left.
• In 1580, Pangasinan was established as an alcaldia mayor or province by Governor General Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa, and Don Pedro Manrique became its first alcalde mayor.