History of Puerto Galera

The island of Mindoro was first mentioned in Chinese annals in 982 AD, when merchants from Cathay traveled by ship to trade native products on the island.

Seafarers referred to the island as Mai. This early record reflects Mindoro's place in regional maritime trade.

Chinese historian Chen-Jua Kuan provided one of the earliest known descriptions of Mindoro in 1225, corroborating earlier references to the island as “Mai.”

Puerto Galera was already known to seafarers as a trading port and strategic harbor along important routes linking the Near East, Indian coast, Indo-Chinese coast, China, the Philippine archipelago, Sumatra and Java.

The settlement of Minolo, northwest of the present-day poblacion, became an important trading center. Chinese merchants exchanged glazed porcelain for gold, jade, corals, shells, birds, rattan and forest products.

Archaeological finds near Minolo include Chinese objects and artifacts traced to Thailand and Vietnam. The historical account traces the name Mindoro to Minoro or Minolo, a coastal settlement northwest of present-day Puerto Galera.

Legaspi imposed Spanish rule on the natives of Northern Mindoro. The island later became part of Bonbon, now associated with Taal, Batangas, under the encomienda of Calilaya, now Unisan in Quezon Province.

During the period of Moro piracy, Mindoro was organized into a corregimiento, with Puerto Galera serving as the capital. Muelle Bay's protected natural harbor made Puerto Galera strategically important.

When the Spaniards encountered Muelle Bay, they were struck by its natural beauty and safe anchorage. The harbor became known as Puerto de Galleon, or Port of Galleon. The name later evolved into Puerto Galera.

Muelle Bay was widely used as a safe anchorage, a place for vessel repair and a strategic maritime harbor.

Because of recurring Moro attacks, the Spaniards constructed watchtowers and stationed battleships outside Muelle Bay. A rice granary was also built in Puerto Galera to store grain for shipment.

According to the historical account, the granary was believed to have burned in the late 18th century, with carbonized rice grains preserved by seawater and still associated with the Muelle Bay area.

One of the Spanish battleships stationed near Muelle Bay, the Cañonero Mariveles, sank during a violent storm in 1879.

Local residents primarily depended on:

• fishing
• crude farming
• hunting
• livestock raising

They cultivated:

• rice
• corn
• sweet potatoes
• other root crops

The slash-and-burn method was used to prepare land for cultivation. The Spanish later introduced the plow, increasing agricultural productivity. However, taxes and tributes imposed during Spanish rule discouraged some farmers and encouraged them to seek other sources of livelihood.

The provincial capital was eventually transferred from Puerto Galera to Calapan, which had broader agricultural lands. Puerto Galera subsequently became a barrio of Calapan.

Before tourism became a major part of the local economy, residents of Puerto Galera were engaged in:

• shipbuilding and repair
• mat weaving
• fishing
• farming

The practice of visitors staying in local homes became known locally as backyard tourism. Comparable to bed-and-breakfast accommodation elsewhere, this model became an important foundation of Puerto Galera's developing tourism economy.

The growth of tourism benefited local households, pension houses, traders, market vendors, stall owners and local transport operators.

As visitor numbers increased, particularly during peak tourism periods, local transport operators expanded their fleets to accommodate increasing demand.

The supplied historical account identifies March to June and November as especially active visitor periods. These periods form part of the historical account and are not presented as current tourism statistics.