HISTORY OF PUERTO GALERA
Puerto Galera was discovered by the Spanish during one of Martin de Goiti and
Juan de Salcedo's excursions on their way to Manila in 1570, according to history. Mina
de Oro (meaning "gold mine") was the Spanish name for the island, from which Mindoro
was derived. The Augustinians created Puerto Galera, the ancient capital of Mindoro, in
1574 as one of the earliest religious missionary towns. The town was originally located
on the Lagundian, and the Spanish government picked it as the province seat because
of its superb harbor and natural beauty. However, because of its vulnerability to Moro
(Muslim) invasions, the Spaniards were obliged to relocate the town from the Lagundian
to its current location.
"Puerto Galera" was the town's nickname (Port of the Galleons). During bad
weather, Spanish galleons from Mexico and Spain used the presence of a good port or
berthing location to take refuge before advancing to Manila. It was, and still is, regarded
as one of the world's safest and most convenient natural harbors. According to legend,
once sailors arrived on the island, they never wanted to leave without promising to return.
The mountains and the good harbor nearby served the Spaniards well as shields from
the Moro pirates and other marauders.
At the tops of the surrounding mountains, several guard houses and watchtowers
were constructed. The largest was built at Dampalitan Point, which is located north of
town and faces the Batangas Channel. Both the church and the state worked together to
build public and military headquarters, hospitals, warehouses, and a stone convent.
Muelle Bay also received a wharf. A Spanish warship named "Caonero Mariveles"
guarded the beaches of Puerto Galera.
The ill-fated battleship, however, was attacked by a severe storm on November
18, 1879, and sank off the West Coast of Muelle. A wooden cross was placed in Muelle's
center as a memorial to the lost ship and its crew, with the inscription "Ultima tierra que
pesaron los tripolantes del Caonero Mariveles el 18 de Noviembre de 1879, Memoria de
sus campaero." This cross, considered one of the outstanding remains of the previous
century, was repaired in 1938 by a Spaniard named Luis Gomez y Sotto. Several artifacts
unearthed in the 1980s in the bay of Puerto Galera from a Spanish shipwreck were also
excavated. Many of the artifacts discovered have been assembled and can be shown.
The Spaniards felt it would be wonderful to make Puerto Galera a prosperous site
by turning the farmlands into rice fields in the early days. They built a rice granary to store
rice grains ready for transportation. The rice granary was said to have caught fire in the
18th century, causing the entire structure to collapse. Rice grains that had been burned
were also thought to have been dumped into the water. The burned rice grains should
have decomposed over time as a result of the natural decomposition process. Instead,
the rice grains were kept by the salty waters of the sea of Puerto Galera.
Politics
1700s – The Spanish colonizers recognized Oriental Mindoro as a territory with Puerto
Galera as its capital.
1837 – The seat of government was transferred to Calapan which was geographically
blessed with wide agricultural lands and the Spaniards opted to stay there. When Puerto
Galera was no longer the seat of government, the Spanish government officials left the
town and only the friars remained.
1898 -1900 – Revolutionaries from Puerto Galera participated in the overthrow of the
Spanish Government in Mindoro.
1902 Nov 2 – Puerto Galera was again made the capital of the province until…
1903 – During the American regime, a military governor was appointed.
1905 – It was annexed to Calapan as a barrio.
1919 – It was made a Municipal District
1927 Dec 7 – the Philippine Congress passed Act 3415 creating the independent
municipality of Puerto Galera.
1942 Feb 27 – the Japanese air force and naval auxiliary occupied the town until 1946.
1946 – After the liberation, Rafael Garcia was appointed as the municipal mayor of Puerto
Galera.
1948 – Estanislao Brucal, an officer of the guerrilla unit in Mindoro during the Japanese
occupation, became the first elected municipal mayor of Puerto Galera under the
Republican form of Government.
GROUP 13
Samarita, Shaina Marie J.
Sandoval, Dianne Shane
Sandoval, Recuerdo
BSHM II-D2
