Place:Arévalo, Iloilo City, Iloilo, Western Visayas, Philippines

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Villa de Arevalo, commonly known as simply Villa or Arevalo, is one of the seven districts of Iloilo City in the province of Iloilo, on the island of Panay in Western Visayas, in the Philippines. It was founded as 'La Villa Rica de Arévalo' by a group of Spanish citizens and Mexican soldiers and their commanding officer who built his mansion along the coastal settlement in 1581. Though formally founded in the said year, Villa de Arevalo dates back its establishment in 1566 when Spanish conquerors established a settlement in the areas between it and the neighboring town of Oton.

Established on 1581 by Gobernador Ronquillo de Peñalosa as La Villa Rica de Arevalo, named after his hometown Arévalo, Spain, it is one of the first places in the Philippine archipelago to be named in Spanish. The founding population consisted of 80 colonists who were pure Spaniards from Europe and reinforced by 169 Mexican soldiers from Latin America. and It became the capital of the settlement in the province on 1582. It was invaded by the British in 1588 and followed by more raids by Moros in 1600 and by the Dutch in 1609, 1614 and 1616. The continuous raids forced the capital to be relocated near the mouth of Iloilo River, which is the current location of Iloilo City Proper. It was incorporated as a district of Iloilo City on July 16, 1937.

It was absorbed by Iloilo City during the 20th century along with the towns of Mandurriao, La Paz, Molo and the city of Jaro. Arevalo is the westernmost district of Iloilo City and it borders Oton to the west.

Its church possesses the third oldest Santo Niño (Infant Jesus) image in the Philippines. Arevalo is sometimes given the title "Flower Capital of Iloilo", where potted plants, flowers, bouquets, wreaths can be bought. Arevalo is also famous for its firecrackers and fireworks. Its prominent attraction is the Villa Beach (Playa de Villa de Arevalo) along the coast which boasts several resorts and an outdoor nightlife such as open air restaurants and bars.

Camiña Balay nga Bato (formally known as the Avanceña Ancestral House) is a heritage house and a restaurant in Arevalo that was constructed in 1865. It is one of the best heritage attractions in Iloilo serving the traditional Filipino way-made tsokolate.

Villa de Arevalo is the first Spanish named town established by the Spanish colonists in the Philippines and Asia.

According to the 2020 census, Arevalo has a population of 55,476 people.

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