Nueva Cáceres

Nueva Cáceres
Nueva Cáceres
City ; (1575–1901) ; Municipality ; (1901–1919)
1575–1919
	Entry of Governor-General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa into the city of Nueva Cáceres during his visit to the province of Camarines Sur, February 16, 1845.
	; Location in Ambos Camarines.
Historical era	Spanish colonial period ; American colonial period
• Established	1575
• Disestablished	1919
Contained within
• Country	Spanish Empire (1575–1901) ; ∟ Spanish East Indies ; United States (1901–1919) ; ∟ Philippine Islands
• Province	Ambos Camarines; (1854–1857,; 1893–1919); Camarines Sur; (1829–1854,; 1857–1893)
	Succeeded by
Naga

Nueva Cáceres, officially the City of Nueva Cáceres (Spanish: Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres), was a Spanish colonial city in the Philippines. Established by Captain Pedro de Sánchez in 1575,^[1] the city was named in honor of Governor-General Francisco de Sande, who was a native of Cáceres, Spain. In 1595, a papal bull issued by Pope Clement VIII created the See of Cáceres as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. The city was large and prosperous as the 1818 Spanish census recorded the area as having 5,739 families and a large number of 301 Spanish-Filipino families.^[2]^: 605

Nueva Cáceres was considered the center of economy and industry in the Bicol Region, and the city was made capital of the province of Camarines. When the province was dissolved twice in 1829 and 1857, the city then became the capital of Camarines Sur. From 1902 until 1908, some villages of Canaman and Camaligan were annexed to the city.

On September 18, 1898, corporals Elías Ángeles and Félix Plazo of the Guardia Civil planned a revolt to overthrow the Spanish colonial government and establish a republic. Their rebellion was successful, but short-lived. When American forces arrived in Nueva Cáceres, they encountered no resistance and replaced the republican government with their own.

In 1919, under the Insular Government, most of Nueva Cáceres became part of the municipality of Naga, with several villages in the northwest retroceded to their respective mother towns.

References

^ Towns and Cities: Camarines Sur
^ Buzeta, Manuel; Bravo, Felipe (1850). Diccionario Geográfico, Estadístico, Histórico, de las Islas Filipinas (in Spanish). Madrid: Imp. de D. José C. de la Peña. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via University of Santo Tomas Digital Library and Archives.

External links

Catolic Encyclopedia: Nueva Caceres
September Peñafrancia Festivities in the Ciudad de Nueva Caceres
History of the Philippine Islands, recalling the establishment of the city.
History of Camarines Sur: Department of Tourism, Philippines
National Historical Institute Side of Juan Luna, Tomas Arejola, Recollection of confrontation of Hermano Pule and Bishop of Nueva Caceres
Further readings: (Filipiniana.net)

Nueva Caceres

Report on the fall of the Spanish forces in Nueva Caceres and Albay, 6 October 1898

[1] Towns and Cities: Camarines Sur

[Buzeta-2] Buzeta, Manuel; Bravo, Felipe (1850). Diccionario Geográfico, Estadístico, Histórico, de las Islas Filipinas (in Spanish). Madrid: Imp. de D. José C. de la Peña. Retrieved March 18, 2026 – via University of Santo Tomas Digital Library and Archives.

[1]

[2]

Former Philippine provinces, sub-provinces, and cities
Provinces	Agusan Ambos Camarines Concepción Cotabato Davao Ilocos Kalinga-Apayao Lanao Lepanto-Bontoc Manila Maguindanao Mindoro Misamis Moro Province Morong Negros Negros del Norte Samar Shariff Kabunsuan Surigao Zamboanga
Sub-provinces^*	Abra (1905–1917)¹ Amburayan (1902–1920)² Apayao (1907–1995)¹ Aurora (1951–1979)¹ Batanes (1907–1909)¹ Benguet (1908–1966)¹ Biliran (1959–1992)¹ Bontoc (1902–1966)³ Bukidnon (1907–1914)¹ Butuan (1907–1914)⁴ Camiguin (1956–1966)¹ Catanduanes (1905–1945)¹ Guimaras (1966–1992)¹ Ifugao (1908–1966)¹ Kalinga (1907–1995)¹ Lepanto (1902–1920)² Marinduque (1907–1920)¹ Masbate (1906–1920)¹ Quirino (1966–1971)¹ Romblon (1907–1917)¹ Siquijor (1907–1971)¹
Cities	Basilan⁵ Jaro Greater Manila Legazpi⁶ Nueva Cáceres Nueva Segovia
^* All sub-provinces were temporarily abolished during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines (1942–1945). ¹ Converted to full-fledged province. ² Dissolved and divided between neighboring (sub-)provinces. ³ Became the only sub-province left comprising Mountain Province in 1966, and therefore assumed the name of the mother province. ⁴ Became the only sub-province left comprising Agusan in 1914, and therefore assumed the name of the mother province. ⁵ Delimited to the downtown area of present-day Isabela City in 1973; dissolved in 1975. ⁶ Legazpi City from 1948 to 1954 consisted of the present-day territories of Legazpi City and Daraga; this city was dissolved in 1954 into its two former constituent municipalities. Legazpi became a city on its own in 1959.