Negros Occidental: History
=== Spanish colonial era ===
The island of Negros was originally referred to by its native inhabitants as Buglas, a term in old Hiligaynon believed to mean "cut off", possibly referencing its geographic separation from the main islands. When Spanish explorers arrived in April 1565, they named the island "Negros" due to the dark-skinned Ati natives they encountered.
Among the earliest known native settlements were those in what are now the towns of Binalbagan and Ilog, which were officially established as towns in 1572 and 1584, respectively. Other notable pre-colonial and early colonial settlements included Hinigaran, Bago, Marayo (present-day Pontevedra), Mamalan (now Himamaylan), and Candaguit (now a sitio of San Enrique).
In 1743, Ilog was designated as the first capital of the province. By 1818, Negros Occidental was the residence of several Spanish-Filipino families, with 37 Spanish-Filipino families living in Bacolod, 25 Spanish-Filipino families in Silay and another 25 in the capital at Ilog. The seat of government was later moved to Himamaylan before being permanently transferred to Bacolod in 1849. In 1890, the island of Negros was administratively divided into two provinces—Negros Occidental in the west and Negros Oriental in the east.
Following the end of Spanish colonial rule, the two provinces were briefly unified as an independent revolutionary government known as the Cantonal Republic of Negros on November 27, 1898, with Bacolod serving as its capital.
The Cantonal Republic of Negros became a protectorate of the United States following the end of Spanish rule, until its dissolution in 1901. Thereafter, the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental were formally annexed into the newly organized civil government of the Philippines under American administration. From 1901 through the 1930s, both provinces were governed under the Insular Government of the United States, and later under the Commonwealth of the Philippines beginning in 1935.
During this period, the economy of Negros Occidental experienced sustained growth, largely due to the integration of Philippine sugar into the United States market. From the 1950s to the late 1980s, the province remained heavily reliant on the sugar industry, which dominated its socio-economic landscape.
Between 1914 and 1927, western Negros saw the establishment of numerous settlements, many of which eventually developed into towns and cities. These communities were connected by a network of railways constructed to transport sugarcane to major processing centers known as "sugar centrals." These centrals were surrounded by vast agricultural estates or *haciendas* that cultivated sugarcane on the island's fertile volcanic soil. Prominent towns and cities associated with this growth included Ilog, Hinigaran, La Carlota, Silay, Pulupandan, Bacolod, San Carlos, and Bais.
This period also marked a wave of mass migration from Panay Island. To supply labor for the sugar industry; Spanish, Chinese, and French plus other *mestizo* managers imported agricultural workers from Panay, leading to the demographic displacement of the native Cebuano-speaking population in parts of Negros.
Negros Occidental also became a significant destination for Spanish immigrants during the American colonial period, particularly those originating from the Basque Country and Catalonia regions of Spain. …