Indigenous Pangasinan speakers are estimated to number at least 1. 5 million. The Pangasinan language is one of the officially recognized regional languages In the Philippines. Pangaslnan is spoken as a second- language by many of the ethnic minorities in Pangasinan. The most significant minority ethnic groups in Pangasinan are the Ilocano, Bolinao, and Tagalog. The name Pangasinan means “place for salt” or “place of salt-making”; it is derived from the prefix pang, meaning “for”, the root word asln, meaning “salt”, and suffix an, signifying “location.
The province Is a major producer of salt In the Philippines. Its major products include “bagoong” (“salted-fish”) and “alamang” (“salted-shrimp”) Pangasinan was founded by Austronesian-speakers who called themselves Anakbanwa. A kingdom called Luyag na Kaboloan existed In ancient Pangasinan before the Spanish conquest that began In the 15th century. The ancient Pangaslnan people were skilled navigators and the maritime trade network that once flourished in ancient Southeast Asia connected Pangasinan with other peoples of Southeast Asia, India, China, and the Pacific.
Popular tourist attractions in Pangaslnan include the Hundred Islands National Park and the white-sand beaches of Bollnao and Dasol_ Dagupan City is known for its Bangus Festival (“Milkfish Festival”). Pangasinan is also known for its delicious mangoes and ceramic oven-baked Calasiao puto (“rice muffin”). Pangasinan occupies a strategic geo-political position in the central plain of Luzon, known as the rice granary of the Phlllpplnes. Pangaslnan has been described as a gateway to northern Luzon and as the heartland of the Philippines.
Ancient history The Pangaslnan people, Ilke most of the people In the Malay Archipelago, are descended from the Austronesian-speakers who settled in Southeast Asia since prehistoric times. Comparative genetics, linguistics, and archaeological studies locate the origin of the Austronesian languages in Sundaland, which was populated as early as 50,000 years ago by modern The Pangaslnan language is one of many languages that belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian languages branch of the Austronesian languages family.
Provincia de Pangasinan In 1571, the Spanish conquest of Pangasinan began with an expedition by the Spanish conquistador Martin de Goltl, who came from the Spanish settlement In Manila through Pampanga. About a year later, another Spanish conquistador, Juan de Salcedo, sailed to Lingayen Gulf and landed at the mouth of the Agno River. Limahong, a Chinese pirate, fled to Pangasinan after his fleet was driven away from I OF3 by Juan de Salcedo chased him out of Pangasinan after a seven-month siege. By 1580, Pangasinan was made into an “Alcaldia Mayor” by the Spanish Governor of the Philippines.
Roman Catholic Augustinian, Franciscan, and Dominican missionaries rrived with the conquistadors and most of the inhabitants of Pangasinan converted to Roman Catholicism. In 1611, Pangasinan became a Spanish colonial province, comprising the territories of Zambales and some areas of La Union and Tarlac. Lingayen was made the capital of the province (and still is to this day). Continued resistance to Spanish rule was forced to go underground or flee to the mountains. Culture The culture of Pangasinan is a blend of the indigenous Malayo-Polynesian and western Hispanic and American cultures, with some Indian and Chinese influences.