The town of Sta. Barbara : Its early times and historic past

Abstract

This book provides a historical account of Santa Barbara, Iloilo, tracing its evolution from a small mission settlement to a pivotal town in Philippine history. Beginning with its earliest days as “Catmon,” a visita under Augustinian missionaries (~1617), Cabigayan details how the community grew in religious and civic identity, becoming a full-fledged pueblo in 1760 under the patronage of Santa Barbara.

Cabigayan explores how the town’s geography, bounded by the Tigum and Aganan rivers, supported a thriving agricultural economy in rice, tobacco, corn, and sugar. He also examines the role of the town in the Philippine Revolution. Santa Barbara became the site of the “Cry of Santa Barbara” on November 17, 1898, when General Martin T. Delgado raised the Philippine flag, an event often regarded as the first flag-raising outside Luzon.

Architecturally, the book describes the Santa Barbara Church and Convent, built in the 19th century using brick and stone, the labor mobilized under Spanish colonial policies, and the spiritual and cultural importance of the structures. The narrative also covers the town’s challenges including wartime destruction, forced labor, and post-war reconstruction showing how Santa Barbara preserved its cultural heritage while adapting to modern times.

Finally, Cabigayan situates Santa Barbara not just as a historical footnote, but as a heritage town, whose plazas, museum, and colonial architecture symbolize both the struggles and triumphs of the Ilonggo people.