The foundation of the pueblo of Pagsanjan followed a process that differed from the usual course of pueblo foundation. Although like many Laguna pueblos Pagsanjan began as a visita, an outpost of a parish, unlike many of them, it became a contact point for Filipinos, Sangley, as the Chinese merchants who came to the Philippines were called, and Japanese merchants who engaged in the buyo trade. The interplay of geography, colonial economy, and colonial policy contributed to the emergence of Pagsanjan as provincial capital. Through an analysis of archival documents, the paper will examine the foundation of Pagsanjan as a pueblo and capital. The paper will likewise probe the dynamics that were at play in the emergence of this space from a contact zone to a regional center.
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