History of Calatagan

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.