ANTIPOLO HISTORY

The City of Antipolo lies approximately 29.30 km. east of Manila and is bounded on the North by the ton of Montalban, on the north-west by the towns of Marikina and San Mateo, on the east by the Province of Quezon, on the southeast by the towns of Tanay and Teresa and on the southwest by the towns of Taytay and Cainta.It is about 10 km. north to south and about 20 km. from east to west.

The City was named after a tree locally known as Tipolo (Autocarpus Incisa), which was in abundance in the area at that time. The early written account of the city’s history was recorded in 1578 by the Franciscan missionaries
who came to Christianize the natives like the Dumagats. Early records referred to the natives as Tagal,
Indians, and Blacks (the aetas). It is said that these missionaries built the church at Boso-boso.

In 1591 the Jesuits replaced the Franciscans in Antipolo who organized the village into a
parish. They built a chapel at Sitio Sta. Cruz. Among them were Fr. Pedro Chirino and Fr. Francisco
Almarique. The same year, the first homily in Tagalog was delivered in a mass celebrated at what is now known as the “Pinagmisahan”. In those years, the virgin forest of Antipolo covered most of its mountain ranges with varied tropical trees and wild life. There ere many springs supporting several waterfalls, the most popular of which is the Hinulugang Taktak.

By 1601 there are about 3,000 Christians residing in Antipolo. At about the same period, the number of negritos significantly dwindled, moving deeper into the mountains. The missionaries tried to bring them back to the village by offering to then fertile lands to till. Father Almarique gave them all the services the Church can provide. The congregations known as La Anunciata composed of students and inhabitants continued their unified devotion to the Blessed Virgin by consistently celebrating the Feast of the Anunciation.

On March 25, 1626 Governor Juan Nino de Tabora brought to the country from Acapulco, Mexico, the image of the Virgin and before he died, he bequeathed the image to the Jesuit Priest for the Antipolo Church. Tradition has it that the image was installed at Sitio Sta. Cruz and it is said that this was lost several times and each time was recovered on a Tipolo tree. Because of these unusual incidents, it was decided in 1632 to erect the church at that place under the administration of Fr. Juan de Salazar.

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