Lingayen, Pangasinan

Pangasinan, much like the other Philippine islands, was populated by Austronesian communities through seafaring during the Austronesian expansion. These settlers established communities along the Lingayen Gulf, becoming integral to the ancient Austronesian trade networks connecting India, China, and Japan by at least the 8th century AD. The coastal regions primarily engaged in salt-making, giving rise to the name Pangasinan, meaning place of salt-making. The inland territories were known as Caboloan, denoting the abundance of bolo bamboo (or Gigantochloa levis).

The precolonial inhabitants of Lingayen, the Sambals, Pangasinenses, and Ilocanos, engaged in agriculture and fishing, utilizing the fertile lands and abundant marine resources in the region. Rice cultivation and fishing were essential for their subsistence.

The arrival of the Spanish colonizers in the 16th century marked a significant turning point in the history of Lingayen and the Philippines as a whole.

In 1614, present-day Lingayen was planned and founded by Augustinian missionaries and Spanish conquistadores. The town's name originated from the suggestion of the locals, inspired by a robust tamarind tree that stood prominently on the present town plaza. The tree, distinctively large and spreading, became a landmark, leading passers-by to coin the name Liñgayen. This term, derived from the Pangasinan language word lingawen, meaning to look back, symbolizes the habit of people turning around to admire the tree. Lingayen became the capital of Pangasinan when the province evolved into an encomienda.

The encomienda was a system where Spanish adventurers and settlers were granted the legal right to extract forced labor from indigenous colonies of the Spanish Empire. In return, the Europeans were expected to give alleged military protection to the laborers and offer them the opportunity to be converted to Christianity by funding a parish priest.