Kawit, Cavite

 

Kawit, Cavite is a place to be in terms of notable historic events in the Philippines. This place has remarkable touch of the Spanish colonialization here in the Philippines. This place is rich in culture and a lot of heroes famous or unsung are born here. It is not only a historical place but also a tourist spot.

 

Before the Spaniards came, Cavite was called “Cavite EL Viejo”. It was a settlement wherein people were near the seashores and maybe it made its location accessible to travelers like the Spaniards. The place is thriving and it’s quite prosperous until the Spaniards came to their land.

 

Kawit is the first place that was first anchored by the Spaniards in the province of Cavite. Because of its geographical location, maybe the Spaniards first came in to Kawit with their boats and worked their way out and spread their colony. Kawit played a major role in Philippine Revolution in 1996. It is in this town where the Spaniards met their first major setback when Filipino insurgents, led by the town’s Capitan Municipal by the name of Emilio Aguinaldo.  This first victory continued to other successful combats which made Aguinaldo famous among the revolutionaries. This brought him to become the first president of the 1st republic in Asia.

 

It was on June 12, 1898 when General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the Philippine Independence on the balcony of his Mansion (The Aguinaldo Shrine). Since then Philippines was free for a couple of time until the Americans came in to our land.  Kawit is the oldest municipality in Cavite Province, having been founded in 1587, 16 years after Miguel Lopez de Legazpi occupied Manila and proclaimed as the capital of the Philippines. Another source, however, says that Kawit was founded in 1600. Kawit is also the most literate town of Cavite Province.