The earliest written record of Iligan (or Yligan) refers to the settlement situated at the mouth of a river bearing the same name. The Jesuits of Mindanao visited the settlement of Iligan sometime in 1630. In 1639, the Jesuits accompanied the expedition of Captain Francisco de Atienza to the Lake Lanao region and started the mission in Iligan.
The early village of Iligan, like Bayug, was a flourishing trading village where the Maranaos traded with foreigners including Muslims, Chinese and Visayans.
The Iligan River in the 1600’s was navigable up to a few kilometres where the Pugaan River converged with the Iligan River. Upriver along the Iligan and Pugaan Rivers were Maranao settlements mostly ruled by Datus related to the Datus in the Lake Lanao region. To prevent the Maranaos from attacking the fledgling Christian settlement in Bayug, the Spanish erected a stone fort, Fuerte de San Francisco Javier (Fort St. Francis Xavier) at the mouth of Iligan River, in the vicinity of the present-day Gaisano.
Script by: Carino Antequisa
Video by: Ranny Ray “Boyet” Codas
