Bulacan is a province of the Philippines. It was established on 15 August 1578.
Prehistory
The earliest archeological evidence human habitation in the Philippines archipelago is the 40,000-year-old Tabon Man of Palawan and the Angono Petroglyphs in Rizal. By 1000 B.C. the inhabitants of the Philippine archipelago had developed into four distinct kinds of peoples: tribal groups who depended on hunter-gathering and were concentrated in forests; warrior societies who practiced social ranking and ritualized warfare and roamed the plains; the petty plutocracy of the Ifugao Cordillera Highlanders, who occupied the mountain ranges of Luzon; and the harbor principalities of the estuarine civilizations that grew along rivers and seashores while participating in trans-island maritime trade.
Around 300–700 C.E. the seafaring peoples of the islands traveling in balangays began trading with the Indianized kingdoms of Maritime Southeast Asia and nearby East Asian principalities, adopting influences from Buddhism and Hinduism.The Philippines and India – Dhirendra Nath Roy, Manila 1929 and India and The World – By Buddha Prakash p. 119–120.
During the reign of the Tang emperors in the 10th century, Arab and Chinese traders began to come to Bulacan, with both Indian and Chinese influences intensifying in the 11th and 12th centuries. Bulacan had by this time became an entrepot and the Bulakeños expert seafarers.
They built and sailed various types of ships, river canoes and larger vessels to carry merchandise, with up to hundred rowers and 30 fighting men. They lived in houses made of wood, bamboo and palm leaf thatch, had a syllabary written on bark and bamboo, played music, wore silk doublets and loin clothes or flowing skirts and flimsy blouses and jewellery. They had devised a social scheme of nobles, freemen and serfs and buried their dead in formal graveyard (with grave furniture consisting of imported Chinese pottery) at least one example of which can still be seen in Bulacan today.
The history began when a settlement of fishermen lived along the coast of Manila Bay before the coming of the Spaniards. These settlers moved inland and begun farming as they discovered the interior was fertile and drained by the network of rivers and streams. The settlements flourished and grew into what is now known as the province of Bulacan.Experience Bulacan (pamphlet), Malolos: Bulacan Tourism Council.
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription or the LCI was discovered at the Lumbang River in Laguna in 1991 (and deciphered by Antoon Postma of Mangyan Heritage Center in Mindoro). Historians such as Zeus Salazar of the University of the Philippines, consider the date of the LCI AD 900 as the commencement of recorded Philippine history rather than 1521. The copperplate was written in Kavi, an ancient script related to baybayin, and contains the placename "Binoangan" (now a barangay of Obando), Pailah (now Sitio Paila in barangay San Lorenzo of Norzagaray as mentioned on the Laguna Copperplate Inscription which is the oldest written document of Philippines inscribed in Indianized script dates back to 900 CE)), and Puliran (first said to be somewhere in Laguna, but Postma announced that it was much near to be Pulilan of Bulacan), and a native chieftain named Bukah from which Gatbuka in Calumpit probably derives. All of these were now part of Bulacan.
Etymology It is believed that flowers bloomed in the region when the Spaniards came. Because of these sprawling green orchards, vegetables and profusely flowering plants, as well as attractive women, this land had come to be called Bulacan as sort of shortened term for "bulak-lakan" and/or a derivative of the word "bulak" (kapok or cotton) which abounded in the province before the Spaniards came, hence "bulakán" means "cotton field or plantation" or "kapok field". Province of Bulacan : A PROFILE
Some historians disagree on where the name Bulacan came from: some say from the word burak, because the place was swampy and muddy (burak means "muck"), while others say from the word bulak, since the road to the capital town was once upon a time lined with rows of cotton trees. According to Bahay-saliksikan ng Bulacan (Center for Bulacan Studies)
Another point of disagreement is the year it became a province because of lack of the real cedula: Provincial Government of Bulacan thru then-Governor Josefina dela Cruz commissioned the Bulacan Center for Study to research the exact date but until now the research is still ongoing. But due to grey areas of due to the lack of document, it was officially declared by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Bulacan in its administrative order in 2008. It was duly recognized to be that in 1578, upon the foundation of the Town of Bulakan (former capital) with the research conducted by the Bahay-saliksikan ng Bulacan in 2005, then its director Prof. Reynaldo S. Naguit agreed that it was founded in August 15, 1578 the Center for Bulacan Studies researchers found some documents mentioning Provincia de Bulacan in the years such as 1582 (Relacion delas Islas of Miguel de Loarca) 1591 (in documents on Report on Encomendas by Governor-General Luis Perez de Dasmarinas. In some Cedularios mentioning "Provincia de Bulacan" found by the research centre. It was the used grounds for declaring the year 1578 as Foundation of the Province.
Section III, New Provincial Administrative Code of 2007 provides that August 15, 1578 is Bulacan's foundation date, coinciding with the patronal festival of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion, its patroness.
The Dasmariñas Document
According to the Relación de encomiendas en las Islas Filipinas, which may be considered as the first census report of the Philippines prepared by Governor Gómez Pérez de Dasmariñas in 1591, there were 75,000 "souls"in "La Pampanga", which included Bataán and Bulacán."Blair and Robertson, The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Vol. VIII, p. 96-141. The Arthur H. Clarke Company.;Census of the Philippines, 1903 Vol. I, p.421-423
Under the vast multilingual region of "La Pampanga" (equal to present-day Regions), its encomiendas was divided into 4 Alcaldias (Provinces) which governed by its own Alcalde Mayor (Governor)
The Alcaldia de Bitis y Lubao (encompasses the today's towns of Lubao, Guagua, Floridablanca, Sasmuan, and Sta. Rita, and its capital was the Betis 'y Lubao [Betis was downgraded in 1903 is now part of Municipality of Guagua]), Alcaldia de Candava (encompasses the today's towns of Northern Apalit, San Simon, San Luis, and Candaba as its capital), Alcaldia de Calonpite (more likely the Alcaldia de Calumpit and encompasses the today's towns of Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, Santo Tomas, part of Southern and Eastern Apalit, Hagonoy, Malolos, (ceded to Alcaldia of Bulacan in 1580) and Calumpit as its capital), and Alcaldia de Bulacan (where its capital was at the present-day town of Bulakan, Bulacan and encompasses the encomiendas of Guiguinto, Caluya (Bigaa, now Balagtas) and Meycauayan, except those towns that were part of Alcaldia de Calonpite and the town of San Miguel, was then part of Pampanga ceded to Bulacan in 1847 were then at the progress of the province and placing the exact demarcation of the boundaries of the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan.
All of these alcaldias under a Vast Region called La Pampanga, with one corrigmiento, and that was the Corigimiento de Batan (the today's Province of Bataan) were all have only one Alcalde Mayor but they all became alcaldias during the time of Governor-General Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa when he came as te 4th Governor-General in the Islands in 1580 according to Gov. Gen. Dasmariñas.
Spanish colonial period The history of the province from the Spanish occupation has been replete with events worthy of recollection. As early as the time of the coming of Legaspi to conquer Manila with two of his subordinate officers, Martin de Goiti and Juan Salcedo, the 1000 Bulakenyo Moros through their seafaring brothers from Hagonoy showed their instinctive love of country by helping Bambalito (source ?), a brave datu of Macabebe, a town quite near to Bulacan in Pampanga (which according to Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas of Fray Gaspar de San Agustin in the 1698. He was a brave youth from Macabebe), and another 1000 Kapampangan Moros of Macabebe, Hagonoy, Malolos, Guiguito, Lubao, Betis, and some records tells also Calumpit fought at the naval Battle of the Bangkusay on June 3, 1571. The first recorded heroic deed of the Bulakenyos in history. Here also in this battle, Spanish friars and chroniclers recorded that Bulakenyo and Kapampangan chiefs sent 40 karakoas (warships) to Tondo armed with lantaka swivel guns.
This is also recognized by historian Dr. Sonia M. Zaide as the first ever naval battle in the country.
By the time of Governor-General and adelantado Miguel Legazpi in 1571, Bulacan was reported to be well populated. The Spaniards organized the then-existing barangays in Bulacan into pueblos (towns). The first pueblo established in Bulacan is the town of Calumpit. Calumpit was also the birthplace of Roman Catholicism in the province.
The recorded history of Province of Bulacan might as well start in 1572, when Fray Martin de Rada and Fray Diego Vivar of Guadalajara, Mexico, an Augustinian, opened missions in Calumpit (headquarters) Malolos and Hagonoy. He was the first to plant the Cross on Calumpit at river bank of Meyto soil with the help of the force of the sword.
Fray Diego Vivar arrived in the Philippines from Mexico in 1570 and died in Pampanga in 1603. Three years later, the first pueblo established in Bulacan is the town of Calumpit, founded by the Augustinian friars in 1575.Historical Markers, Regions I-IV and CAR, NHI, 1993 p. 297
In 1580 at the time of Don Gonzalo Ronquillo de Penalosa, Bulakan, (Bulacan) was established as the capital town of the province. With Bulakan as the centre, the missionaries and the military might of Spain worked hand in hand to subjugate the pagan population to accept the Catholic faith.
Fray Agustin Albuquerque prior provincial of Tondo in 1575 and established Bulakan as a mission in this town, then with 4,000 inhabitants.
According to Fray Juan de Medina, O.S.A. “All the Manila religious extol the “Indios” of this town as the most tractable and most attached to the church.
Secondary sources in the 1800s state that ”It has been said that in 1578 the Augustinian conquered Bulakan and that same year the Franciscan Friar Juan Plasencia and Fray Diego de Oropesa founded Meycauayan, then, and for a time was the capital, people were able to do so flourishing, so rich, that her sons are six of the best in the province.Apuntes Interesantes sobre LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS... Imprenta de EL PUEBLO, Madrid 1869, p. 79(Bocaue-1606, Polo-1623, San Jose del Monte-1751, OBando-1754, Santa Maria de Pandi-1792, and Marilao-1796Felix de Huerta, OFM. Estado, geografico, topografico, Estadistico, Historico-Religioso de la Santa y apostolica provincia de San Gregorio Magno,. Binondo, Manila: 1885 p. 71-85 Researchers in the province studies the possibility of existing of Province of Meycauayan but the primary sources where the Apuntes Interesantes sobre Las Islas Filipinas obtained its statement.
It was on November 14, 1571 that Malolos founded as Encomienda primarily. Pre-colonial Malolos according to Blair and Robertson, the name “Li-han” was the ancient Chinese name for Malolos, whose leaders bore the title of “Gat-Salihan” or Gatchalian. Malolos originally belonged to Alcaldia of Calumpit in 1572 but in 1580 it was ceded to the newly established Alcadia de Bulacan. Malolos have it territories such as Quingua (separated in 1605) and Paombong (separated in 1619). Malolos became an independent town on June 11, 1580, with Fray Matheo de Mendoza as its first curate. The civil administration belongs to Don Jeronimo Tirado in the same year.