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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-26/cagayan-de-oro.avif" alt="Cagayan de Oro"  loading="lazy"/>
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(Cagayan de Oro's Plaza Divisoria in the 1960s)
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<h2>
Pre-Hispanic Origins and the Higaonon Heritage
</h2>
<p>
Archaeological evidence reveals that <b class="lt-bold">Cagayan de Oro and its surroundings were occupied by people as early as 350 AD</b>. In 1970, field researchers from the National Museum discovered signs of ancient habitation at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huluga_Caves" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Huluga</a>, a promontory located eight kilometers south of present-day Cagayan de Oro City.
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<p>
The Huluga site consists of caves and an open settlement area that appears to be the original village of Cagayan de Oro's first inhabitants. Archaeological excavations yielded skeletal remains, pottery shards, tools, Chinese celadon fragments, and vestiges of possibly <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annam_(French_protectorate)" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Annamese</a> and Thai wares - clear indications of early overseas trading relationships. A skull fragment subjected to acid racemization dating at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography confirmed the site's antiquity, dating back to 350 AD during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Neolithic" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Late Neolithic</a> Period.
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<p>
The area's indigenous inhabitants were primarily the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higaonon_language" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Higaonon people</a>, one of the least known ethnolinguistic groups inhabiting North-Central Mindanao. They occupied the mountainous regions of Misamis Oriental, the Bukidnon plateau, and the mountain borders extending to Agusan and Lanao provinces. The Higaonon population from Misamis Oriental to Cagayan de Oro City is estimated at approximately 100,000 members.
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<p>
Archaeological excavations in caves where Higaonon no longer reside have yielded decorated pottery shards, deer bones, sea shells, and skeletal remains, suggesting strong affinities between the Higaonon and the people who used these caves as burial grounds. The Higaonon possessed their own writing system and maintained rich oral traditions including myths and legends that spoke of great ancestors and cultural practices.
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<h2>
The Original Settlement: Himologan and Kalambagohan
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<p>
The earliest documented settlement in the Cagayan area was called <b class="lt-bold">Himologan</b>, situated on a cliff overlooking the river about eight kilometers south of the present city. This strategic location served as both a defensive stronghold and trading center for the indigenous people.
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<p>
Before being known as Himologan, the area was called <b class="lt-bold">Kalambagohan</b>, named after the abundant growth of <b class="lt-bold">lambago trees</b>  (<i>Hibiscus tiliaceus</i>) that thrived along the riverbanks. The lambago tree, a member of the Malvaceae family, flourished in low-altitude areas like seashores and riverbanks. These trees served multiple purposes: they prevented soil erosion during seasonal floods, their flexible branches were used for various construction purposes, and they provided shade and natural diving platforms for the inhabitants.
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<p>
The settlement was inhabited by a mixed population of <b class="lt-bold">Bukidnon and Visayan peoples</b>. The men bore massive tattoos similar to those of the Visayan <i>pintados</i>, while women wore intricate jewelry, some crafted from gold. Despite their cultural distinctiveness, they maintained tributary relationships with the Maguindanao Empire under <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/759/sultan-kudarat-a-mindanao-hero-mindanaos-most-powerful-ruler" class="news_link">Sultan Kudarat</a> (Sultan Mohammad Dipatuan Kudarat), though they did not embrace Islam.
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<h2>
Spanish Colonial Period (1622-1898)
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<h3>
Arrival of the Spanish Missionaries
</h3>
<p>
The Spanish colonial period in Cagayan de Oro began in <b class="lt-bold">1622</b>  when two <b class="lt-bold">Augustinian Recollect missionaries</b> - <b class="lt-bold">Fray Juan de San Nicolas</b>  and <b class="lt-bold">Fray Francisco de la Madre de Dios</b> - first arrived at Himologan. They found a polytheistic animist community that paid tributes to Sultan Kudarat through his emissaries but had not converted to Islam.
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<p>
The establishment of Spanish presence was not merely about religious conversion but also about creating a structured colonial settlement. Spanish documents from the 1500s already referred to the area around Himologan as <b class="lt-bold">Cagayan</b>. On January 25, 1571, the Spanish government granted this area, including what is now Northern Mindanao, as an encomienda to Juan Griego.
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<h3>
The Transformation Under Fray Agustin de San Pedro
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<p>
A pivotal figure in Cagayan's early colonial history was <b class="lt-bold">Fray Agustin de San Pedro</b>, a Portuguese-born Augustinian Recollect who arrived in 1626 at age 26. Before joining the religious order, he had studied architecture, mathematics, gunnery, and military strategy at the University of Salamanca, skills that would prove invaluable in his missionary work.
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<p>
Fray Agustin persuaded <b class="lt-bold">Datu Salangsang</b>, the leader of Himologan, to relocate his settlement downstream to the area that now encompasses Gaston Park and San Agustin Cathedral. This strategic relocation marked the true beginning of what would become Cagayan de Oro. At this new site, Fray Agustin built a church from native materials and baptized Datu Salangsang, his wife, and eventually his people.
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<p>
The conversion of Salangsang and his followers to Christianity triggered immediate retaliation from Sultan Kudarat, who sent a fleet of 2,000 warriors and 30 warships to Cagayan with orders to kill the inhabitants and drive out the Spanish missionaries. This threat prompted Fray Agustin to demonstrate his military expertise.
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<h3>
Construction of Fuerza Real de San Jose
</h3>
<p>
In response to Sultan Kudarat's attacks, Fray Agustin constructed a wooden fortress and watchtower called Fuerza Real de San Jose (Royal Fort of St. Joseph). The fortress occupied the area that now contains Gaston Park and San Agustin Cathedral. His successful defense of Cagayan against Muslim raids earned him the legendary title <b class="lt-bold">"El Padre Capitan"</b> (The Priest-Captain).
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<p>
The original wooden fortress was later rebuilt with stone in 1730. However, in 1875, Lieutenant Colonel Jose Carvallo, the Spanish politico-military governor of Misamis, controversially demolished the historic fortress and used its stones to pave the town's streets.
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<h3>
Religious and Administrative Development
</h3>
<p>
The Augustinian Recollects made Cagayan their mission center in 1674. On August 28, 1780, they officially declared San Agustin as the patron saint of Cagayan. In 1845, Fray Simon Loscos de Santa Catalina reconstructed the church using marine stones imported from China, creating a structure with protruding buttresses and a single belfry.
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<p>
The town's layout followed the typical Spanish colonial pattern established by the <b class="lt-bold">reduccion</b> system. The town of <b class="lt-bold">Cagaiang</b> (Cagayan) started as a reduccion in 1624 by Spanish Recollect missionaries. This involved staking out sites for the three main buildings of a Spanish colonial town: the church with its convento, the central plaza, and the Casa Real (seat of colonial administration).
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<h3>
Political Administrative Changes
</h3>
<p>
Spanish rule was fully established in Cagayan in 1738. In 1818, when Misamis became a province, the Partidos de Cagayan became one of its districts. The settlement's importance continued to grow, and in 1871, Partidos became a town of Cagayan and served as the capital of Misamis Province.
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<p>
The town's strategic significance reached its peak in 1883 when Cagayan became the seat of the Spanish government in Mindanao. In 1888, the Recoletos erected a wooden cross called "Santa Cruz" outside the San Agustin Church, which still stands today.
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<p>
On February 27, 1872, Spanish Governor General <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1371/de-la-torre-the-liberal-governor-general-of-1869-1871" class="news_link">Carlos Maria de la Torre</a> issued a decree declaring Cagayan the permanent capital of Segundo Distrito de Misamis, the largest district in Mindanao. All Spanish politico-military governors of Misamis resided at the Casa Real de Cagayan, built in 1831.
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<h3>
Etymology and the Name "Cagayan de Oro"
</h3>
<p>
The etymology of <b class="lt-bold">Cagayan</b>  has generated considerable scholarly interest and local legends. According to Dr. Lawrence A. Reid, Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii's Department of Linguistics, <b class="lt-bold">"Cagayan" comes from an ancient Philippine word kaRayan, which means "river"</b>.
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<p>
This ancient word evolved into various forms across different Philippine languages - <i>karayan</i>, <i>kayan</i>, <i>kahayan</i>, <i>kayayan</i>, <i>kagayan</i>, and <i>kalayan</i> - all meaning "river". The suffix "-an" indicates place, so <b class="lt-bold">Kagay-an literally means "place with a river"</b>.
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<p>
Local pronunciation has always favored <b class="lt-bold">"Kagay-an"</b>  over the formal "Cagayan," and residents call themselves <b class="lt-bold">"Kagay-anons"</b>. Historical documents prove that Kagay-an was used to refer to Cagayan de Oro as early as 1571. The name appears in the chanted epics of the Proto Northern Manobo, describing the queen of Kagay-an in their oral traditions.
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<p>
The addition of <b class="lt-bold">"de Oro" (of gold)</b> to the name reflects the area's historical association with gold mining and trading. Gold was abundant in the Cagayan River and nearby areas such as Tumpagon, Pigsag-an, Tuburan, and Taglimao. Some sources suggest that "Cagayan" may also derive from the ancient Bukidnon word "Cagaycay", meaning to rake the earth for ores or rocks gathered from rivers.
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<p>
Interestingly, <b class="lt-bold">documents from the Archivo de la Universidad de Santo Tomas show that students from Cagayan de Misamis enrolled in Manila universities in the 1890s already listed their place of origin as "Cagayan de Oro"</b>,  decades before the city's formal incorporation.
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The History of Cagayan de Oro: From Ancient Settlement to Modern Metropolis