Zambales

Zambales is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Iba. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north, Tarlac and Pampanga to the east, and Bataan to the south. The province lies between the South China Sea and the Zambales Mountains.

History

The area now occupied by Zambales was first explored by the Spanish in 1572 through Juan de Salcedo. Among the earliest towns founded were were Masinloc (1607), Iba (1611), and Santa Cruz (1612). Masinloc became the province's first capital. However, the capital was moved among the three towns during its history before settling down currently to Iba, due to its strategic location.

Related Topics:
Spanish - 1572 - Juan de Salcedo - Masinloc - Iba - Santa Cruz

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The province's name came from the word “Zambale”, which is a Hispanized term for “Zambal”. Zambal refers to the language spoken by the early Malay inhabitants of the place. A contending version states that the name was derived from the word samba, meaning worship, because the Spanish supposedly found the native inhabitants to be highly superstitious and who worshipped the spirits of their ancestors.

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