San Fernando, La Union: History
=== Early history ===
The early history of the city can be traced back to its initial settlements by the Samtoy (Ilocano) people and a small community of Pangasinan traders who inhabited the coastal shores and riverbanks. In the highland areas, the early inhabitants included the Cordillerans (Igorot), particularly the Kankanaey people. These early communities were animist-pagan believers and were renowned for their farming, hunting and seafaring skills.
According to historian William Henry Scott, the coastal area of the Ilocos region, including San Fernando City, served as a significant hub for gold trading with the Cordilleran (Igorot) people from the highlands. The settlers also engaged in trade with neighboring communities, such as the Pangasinan, Sambal and Tagalog peoples, as well as with foreign traders from Maritime Southeast Asia, China (particularly from Fujian during the Ming Dynasty), and Japan. Japanese traders later established a trading port in Aroo (modern-day Agoo), a northern section of pre-colonial Pangasinan.
Commonly traded goods included gold, jewelry, earthen jars (burnay), silk, rice, cotton, beeswax, honey, wine (basi), metals, and ceramics or porcelain.
In June 1572, Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo arrived in the area now known as San Fernando, following his successful pacification of native and Japanese settlers in Aroo or Agoho (present-day Agoo). Miguel de Loarca in 1582 describe the settlement as "el puerto de Japon" due to its significance as a Japanese trading post.
Upon reaching San Fernando, he encountered the indigenous inhabitants and demanded tribute on behalf of the Spanish Crown. The locals requested time to gather the tribute from the mountains but never returned. Salcedo then continued his journey, sailing and exploring northward until he established Vigan as the administrative center of Spanish governance and influence in Northern Luzon. This development marked the beginning of efforts to convert the local population to Christianity.
By 1759, the early settlements of San Fernando consisted of two barrios established by Augustinians friars: San Guillermo de Dalangdang, situated at the foothills of the Cordillera mountains, and San Vicente de Balanac, a coastal village. San Guillermo often became a target of headhunting by the Igorots during the blooming of flowering trees, as such acts were believed to appease their deities. …