Cuenca, Batangas Etymology

Jack Maico
Sep 20
2 min read

Once part of San Jose, it became an independent town under the name "Cuenca" on either November 7, 1876, or April 7, 1877. It was named after the Spanish hometown of the then-Governor of Batangas, which resembles its cold breeze and beautiful scenic spots.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuenca,_Batangas

Special credits: https://jhayography.com/.../04/5-reasons-to-love-mt-maculot/

Church in town: 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 & 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐫𝐨 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫

Located on plain land by the slopes of Mount Maculot, Cuenca is bounded on the north by the Laguna de Bombon (Taal); on the east by the Villa de Lipa and San Jose; on the south by San Jose; and on the west by Bauan and the Taal Lake.

According to Manuel Sastron, this town was founded by the decree of the Superior Gobierno issued on August 11, 1875. On the other hand, there is a document that states the following; (The Governor General of these islands issued a decree on November 7, 1876, ordering that the barrios of Macolot, Dita, Ibabao, Lubac, Bungahan, and Dalipit be constituted into one civil and independent town under the name of Cuenca." It was erected as an independent parish in 1879 with the approval of the Archbishop of Manila. Jorde erroneously dates its foundation as an independent parish in 1882. Its titular patron is San Isidro el Labrador.

In 1896, Cuenca had a population of 5,600, which increased to 6,938 by 1896. In 1980, this stood at 17,109.

Fr. Guillermo Diez, who was acting as Parish Priest in 1879, built the convent. However, Jorde does not state whether Diez also built the Church. This omission suggests that the church had already been built, or else Fr. Diez might have also started its construction. Fr. Dionisio Ibañez enlarged the convent and added the corridors and the cemetery in 1898. Frs. Incidentally, Ibañez and Calleja gave great impetus to cocoa cultivation.

The predominant elements are Gothic, even if executed in a somewhat primitive rendition. The pointed arches, flying buttresses, and the rose window in the center of the apse, combined with the flame-like windows, certainly make for a strong Gothic impression. The four rectangular pilasters rise, dividing the facade into three sections, and end in sharp-pointed finials. Dent-like motifs run along the eaves of the pediment on the cornices of the bell tower. The simple Gothic facade, however, would look more genuine if the stucco and the name of San Isidro were chipped off.

Source: https://cuencaparish.wixsite.com/sanisidrolabrador/history

https://www.facebook.com/SanIsidroLabrador1879

https://www.facebook.com/GanireSaBatangas

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

Once a part of San Jose, it became an independent town under the name "Cuenca" on either November 7, 1876, or April 7, 1877, after the Spanish hometown of the then-Governor of Batangas which, resembles its cold breeze and beautiful scenic spots Its main tourist attraction is the 700-meter-high (2,300 ft) mountain, Mount Macolod (Mount Maculot).

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐚: