The
town is the site of the historically and archeologically famous “Calatagan
Excavation” whose antique pottery and other utensils contributed important
facts about the culture and activities of the Filipinas before the coming of
the Spaniards. Archeologists find mostly pottery of Chinese Origin, dug from
six large cemeteries and unearthed by archeologists, Prof. Olov; T.R Jones and
Prof. Robert B. Fox, as well as the conclusion made by Prof. K. Otley Bayer
which points out the existence of a sizeable pre-Spanish population in the
town. The same studies suggest that there was direct Chinese trade by water in
Calatagan and this trade could have centered at a place called Balong-Bato,
where an entrance thru the reef, which surrounds Calatagan, is still presently
used by vessels coming from Mindoro and Manila.
The
land occupied by the municipality of Calatagan was acquired by Don Domingo
Roxas from the Spanish Crown in 1829 and was called Hacienda De Calatagan. The
successors Don Pedro P. Roxas and Don Antonio R. Roxas continued to develop it
and by the first decade of the century, it has progressed sufficiently.
In
1931, Doña Carmen Roxas, the last heir of the the Roxas Clan transferred
ownership of the Hacienda to the Zobel brothers, Don Jacobo and Don Alfonso.
During the time of the Zobels, the hacienda came to be known as “Central
Azucarera de Calatagan” or simply “Central Carmen” when referring to the sugar
milling complex.
In
1934, the barangays of Baha and Talibayog which were parts of the Municipality
of Balayan were annexed to Calatagan since surveys slow that they are part of
the land titled to the original owner of Hacienda Calatagan. This added a big
area for the municipality
In
1957, a decade after the Philippines gained independence from the Americans,
the Land Tenure Administration, upon petition of the people of Calatagan bought
the Hacienda Lands from the Zobels. These were apportioned to the inhabitants
and sold to them at PhP5.00 per hectare payable in installment within a period
of 25 years.
