Santa Maria is a 4th class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 27,860 people in 5,818 households. HISTORY
Sta. Maria was formerly a barrio of the municipality of Tayug. It was founded on January 10,1855 and became a town under a rule of a Captain up to 1863. The following year, the municipality was fused to them municipality of Tayug because of its enability to maintain the financial stability of the town. It was in 1877 when its inhabitants has applied from the municipality of Tayug for separation as a distinct municipality. The application was granted and again it became a town under the rule of Captain Eugenio Vinluan.
About November, 1903, the Americans arrived in the locality and this time their rule began. In 1901, election for the president of the town during the military government of the United States of the islands, and due to the good administration of the president, he was given two years term.
Again in 1903, the municipality was fused to the town of Tayug until 1906 for some reasons as cited above, but in 1907 special election was held for the purpose of returning all small municipalities fused with bigger towns in 1903. Don Alejandro Gonzales was elected president up to 1910, when he was succeeded by Don Mariano de Guzman up to 1912. And from this date to the present the different successions of presidents, alcaldes and mayors had, as all over the islands, taken place.
Many years during the Spanish Regime, religion was the basis of educating the masses, so that from time to time missionaries of different orders were sent out to carry religious services as required of them. And that during the routinary visit of certain priest to the town of Asingan, then the most eastern town of the province of Pangasinan, had extended his mission farther east and came to see a place, located on a plain which through little effort could easily be irrigated by the Agno River; a kilometer away. He believed the placed could be developed into a prosperous community. Finding the residents to be hospitable, he chated with them. In the course of the conversation, he thought of giving the place a name. It was Virgin Mary's Day, he then called the people around him and with a simple but impressive solemnity proclaimed the place as Sta. Maria to commemorate the day.
In the course of time the prominent people improved the locality and transferred the town site from Namagbagan now a barrio of the municipality to its present site near a clay promontory, which formed an impregnable defense against a yearly erosion of the Agno, thus annexing "De Pila" to the original word making Sta. Maria de Pila the final name, a name known beyond the confines of the province of Pangasinan.
Grafted from the town of Tayug, Sta. Maria has quite a number of faith healers flocked by those who seek to be eased off their discomforts. This town, with its pristine beauty, provides a sofa for the senses. |
