Zamboanga, today, is a bustling metropolitan city, the center of trade and commerce, government and finance, transportation and communication in Western Mindanao. It is home to an international airport, a huge seaport and an economic freeport. It is known as the “Sardines Capital of the Philippines” because of the many sardines canning factories situated here. Its primary exports are marine and aquaculture products. Its unique beaches and moderate climate are great natural attractions.
Of course, there is more to Zamboanga than these. The moment you hear the local dialect, watch the mixed-race of peoples, or walk past the local points of interest, you will feel you are in a place somewhat frozen in time. It takes you as far back in the 13th and 14th centuries, when the city was already a vibrant trading hub for Chinese and Malay seafarers, emblazoned in the resplendent colors of its vinta sails fluttering off it shores.
Fort Pilar transports you to 1635 when it was originally built as a military base and the site on which the Spanish founded the city. In time it became the Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragosa, replete with stories of miraculous events attributed to the Lady of the Pillar that are now part of local legends and folklore. Today, the fortress houses a museum and is the best monument of the city’s Spanish heritage.
The Zamboanga City Hall sends you back to the period 1898-1935, the time of the United States administration of the city. A lone marker on Yellow Beach takes you to the landing site of the American liberation forces in 1945 following its brief occupation by the Japanese during World War II 1939-1945.
Moslem mosques with their golden minarets and villages perched on stilts over the coastal waters, stand their ground as centuries-old indelible Islamic imprints side by side Spanish and American influences.
Zamboanga became a chartered city on October 12, 1936 and included the island of Basilan which separated in 1948, and was then the largest city in the world in land area. The city annually commemorates this date as Fiesta Pilar with a weeklong celebration dubbed as the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival.
Zamboanga took its name from the Malay word jambangan, which means place of flowers in reference to the orchids and other exotic plant life proliferating in the area. Once known as the “City of Flowers” for the beauty and profusion of its blooms, it was also known as the “Place of Beautiful Women” on account of its bellas dalagas endowed with a mix-blend of Asian, European and American features.
In 2006 Zamboanga was given its newest moniker “Asia’s Latin City” anchored on its being the only city in Asia that speaks predominantly Creole Spanish. A creole language is one that emerged or descended out of cross-cultural contact. It is called "Friendship City" as well, because much the same Latin ardor is in the engaging smile and manner of its people whose vaunted cariño welcomes visitors with "Quetal?" and endearingly calls them "amigos y amigas" when they leave.
Regarded as the “Melting Pot of Southerrn Philippines,” Zamboanga’s rich past would weave a culture so ethnically diverse from which it draws so much of its mystique, romance and allure. Take a peek at, keep in touch with, and virtually experience every bit of Zamboanga within these pages. Vamos na mi pueblo, the “Philippines’ Little Spain” and so much more.
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