BRIEF HISTORY

MEYCAUAYAN, BULACAN

During the Spanish Colonization of the country, the town of

Meycauayan was established as a settlement by a group of Spanish
priests belonging to the Franciscan Order. In 1578, its early inhabitants
came into contact with Christianity. In that same year, Father Juan de
Placencia and Diego Oropesa built the first church structure which was
believed to be made of nipa and bamboo. Common to all Spanish
settlements in that period was the adoption of a patron saint for the newly
opened town. Meycauayan has St. Francis of Assisi as the Patron Saint.
It was only in 1668, however, that a concrete church structure was
erected.
Meycauayan was then one of the largest towns in the province of
Bulacan. The towns which fell under its political jurisdiction were San
Jose del Monte, Bocaue, Valenzuela (formerly Polo), Obando, Marilao,
Sta. Maria and Pandi. It was also regarded as the unofficial capital of the
province, being the hub of activities brought about by the establishment
of the market center and the presence of the Spanish military detachment.
During the revolution which was set off by the execution of Dr.
Jose Rizal in 1896, Meycauayan contributed its share in the fight against
the Spanish conquistadores. Among her sons who figured prominently in
the revolution were: Andres Pacheco, Ciriaco Contreras, Guillermo
Contreras, Guillermo Bonque, and Liberato Exaltacion. There were
many others who had joined the revolution and has displayed their
exceptional heroism until 1898, when the country gained its
independence.
In 1949, a big fire razed the market center and several business
establishments in the town, causing setbacks to the development of the
municipality. It took several years to recover from the destruction and
property losses. However, in the 1960s and early part of 1970s, new

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hope for the development was ushered in. Reconstruction and
rehabilitation of infrastructure facilities were made possible through the
assistance of the provincial and national governments. A more sound
economic base was established and crop production more than doubled.
Today, MEYCAUAYAN is in its rapid urbanization and
industrialization.