Tag: spanish

Tucked along the Dumacaa River in Tayabas City, Malagonlong Bridge — or Puente de Malagonlong — is one of the Philippines’ oldest and longest stone arch bridges from the Spanish colonial period. Construction began in 1840 and concluded around 1850 under Fray Antonio Mateos, a Franciscan priest who served as Ministro del Pueblo. Its creation linked Tayabas’ barangays to the eastern towns of Mauban and Pagbilao, making it both a practical route and a symbol of colonial-era vision. The central pillar bears an inscription commemorating its inauguration during the term of Gobernadorcillo Don Julian S. Francisco, anchoring the bridge as a tangible memory of local history.