Cebu

Cebu City, located on the eastern coast of Cebu Island in the south-central Philippines, is a vibrant and historically significant city. It benefits from the protection of Mactan Island and the inland Cordillera Central. As one of the largest cities in the country, Cebu City serves as a bustling port, utilizing the sheltered strait between Mactan Island and the mainland.

Being the oldest settlement in the Philippines, Cebu City holds great historical value and has preserved much of its rich Spanish heritage. When Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived on April 7, 1521, the site already housed a thriving port. Magellan established a blood compact with Humabon, the chief of Cebu, but was later killed by Chief Lapulapu of nearby Mactan Island. Subsequently, on April 27, 1565, Miguel López de Legazpi and the friar Andrés de Urdaneta arrived in Cebu. They founded the first Spanish settlement and Catholic mission in the Philippine archipelago. For six years, Cebu served as the Spanish colonial capital until Legazpi’s relocation to Manila. It continued to be an important stronghold for the Spanish in the southern part of the Philippines.