Nagcarlan

Nagcarlan ([nɐgkɐɾˈlan]), officially the Municipality of Nagcarlan (Filipino: Bayan ng Nagcarlan), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 66,351 people.^[6]

According to legend, the name Nagcarlan came from the name of an influential and respected woman tribe leader named Ana Kalang (Baptized as Ana Panalangin), who was known for her golden salakot and cane which she always carried when walking around town. She was well-respected by the townfolk not just for her wealth, but also for the help she extended to those in need. One day, a Spaniard visited her house and upon looking out of the window; he saw branches swaying and hitting one another, and so he asked what was going on. Ana Kalang answered and said "nagkakalang sila". The word was repeatedly mispronounced by the Spaniards until it became Nagcarlan.

Before the Spanish conquest of the area, it was headed by Gat Lakilaw. Christianity was propagated to the area in 1578 through Fr. Juan de Plasencia and Fr. Diego Oropesa, both missionaries of the 1st Order of the Franciscans. The area became a formal town in 1583 under Fr. Tomas de Miranda, who brought and successfully cultivated in Nagcarlan the first wheat seeds ever on our country's soil. In 1595, Nagcarlan became an independent pueblo (town), separating itself from other towns which were formally established in 1583. The very first Gobernadorcillo was Gaspar Cahupa (Cajopa). The first stone church was built in 1752 by Fr. Cristobal Torres. While the town is already known as Nagcanlang even before the Spaniards came (as evidenced in the 1572 narrative of Juan Masolong, First Christian of Liliw, Laguna), it was Fr. Torres who allegedly named it Nagcarlan at that time in honor and recognize the contributions of the aforementioned influential and respected woman tribe leader named Ana Kalang (baptized as Ana Panalangin). The name Nagcarlan consistently appeared in the Spanish period records as the name of the town. In 1851, Fr. Vicente Velloc, a Franciscan Missionary built the Underground Cemetery, the first Catholic Cemetery with a crypt in the Philippines. According to Historical records, this is where the historic Biac-Na-Bato pact was planned by Pedro Paterno and General Severino Taino in 1897. It was also in Nagcarlan, where the Brain of the Katipunan, General Emilio Jacinto, coming from Majayjay and wounded, was captured.

Nagcarlan is 52 kilometers (32 mi) from Santa Cruz and 97 kilometers (60 mi) from Manila.

Nagcarlan is politically subdivided into 52 barangays, as indicated below. ^[7] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios

The closest city to Nagcarlan is San Pablo. Some of the neighboring municipalities are Liliw, Rizal, Calauan and Victoria.

In the 2024 census, the population of Nagcarlan was 66,351 people,^[14] with a density of 850 inhabitants per square kilometre or 2,200 inhabitants per square mile.

Poverty incidence of Nagcarlan

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]}

Along Rizal Avenue stands many heritage houses built during the 1920s to the 1930s. They are initeresting because they built with more than two floors on small plots of land.

The Bunga Falls is a favorite getaway among the locals along with the Yambo Lake which is accessible through the road going to Calauan.

Another interesting attraction is the San Bartolome Apostol Church. Located on an elevated ground overlooking the rest of the town, this 18th century church built by the Franciscans has a volcanic tuff stone and red clay facade with an four-storey belltower on the right and a convent on the left.

Nagcarlan's best known attraction is Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery, it contains 240 niches laying above ground and 36 niches underground. Members of the town's elite and clergy are buried underground below the funeral chapel.

The Nagcarlan-Rizal Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.^[23]

• Efren V. Esmilla – Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia^[24]
• Esteban Baldivia – actor and comedian
• Alice Doria-Gamilla – composer
• Jak Roberto – actor, model and singer

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System Archived May 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine