Editing Capiz (section)

== History ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=July 2022}}

===Spanish colonial era===
The account of early Spanish explorers about Capiz and its people was traced back in 1566 when the Spaniards set foot in the mouth of [[Banica River|Banica river]].{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

Early settlements were seen in the town of Panay. The town was originally called Bamban. The name was changed by the early Spaniards to Panay, a word which means "mouth of the river." This is also the location of a fortress built by Juan de la Isla {{Who|date=July 2022}} in late 1570. The Paseo de Evangelización 1566 can be found in the town plaza and was erected through the efforts of Rev. Msgr. Benjamin F. Advíncula.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

When the Spaniards led by [[Miguel López de Legazpi]] came to Panay from [[Cebu]] in 1569, after sailing from Mexico, they found people with tattoos, and so they called the island ''Isla de los Pintados''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ilongo.weebly.com/iloilo-history-part-1.html |title=Iloilo History Part 1 - Research Center for Iloilo |access-date=2016-06-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201139/http://ilongo.weebly.com/iloilo-history-part-1.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref>

How the island itself came to be called Panay is uncertain. The [[Aeta]] (Negritos) called it [[Aninipay]], after a plant that abounded in the island. Legend has it that López de Legazpi and his men, in search of food, exclaimed upon the island, ''pan hay en esta isla''! "There is bread in this island"! and the island of Panay closely resembles the shape of a heart and the heart of Jesus Christ is considered present in the Eucharistic Bread. The Spanish then came and established their first settlement on the island at the mouth of the Banica River and called it [[Panay, Capiz|Panay]]. This was the second Spanish settlement in the Philippines, following [[San Miguel, Cebu]]. Unknown to many, [[Calle Revolución]] in Panay is the second oldest street in the Philippines after [[Colon Street|Calle Colón]] in [[Cebu City]], [[Central Visayas]].

Later in 1569, Captain [[Diego de Artieda]], who was sent by López de Legazpi, landed in the town of Panay and proclaimed it as the capital of the province. Later, the Spaniards moved the capital to its present site upon founding the town of Capiz (not the province, and now Roxas City) which was near the sea and provided docking facilities.

In 1716, the province was created a separate ''encomienda'' and was later organized into a politico-military unit. By the end of the 1700s, Capiz had 11,459 native families and 89 [[Spanish Filipinos|Spanish Filipino families]].<ref name="Estadismo1">[http://www.xeniaeditrice.it/zu%C3%B1igaIocrpdf.pdf ESTADISMO DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS TOMO PRIMERO By Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga (Original Spanish)]</ref>{{rp|539}}<ref name="Estadismo2">[https://ia601608.us.archive.org/10/items/bub_gb_ElhFAAAAYAAJ_2/bub_gb_ElhFAAAAYAAJ.pdf ESTADISMO DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS TOMO SEGUNDO By Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga (Original Spanish)]</ref>{{rp|31,54,113}}

The Panayanon's noble character and royal blood shone out in later centuries when fellow people from Panay island, at [[Iloilo City]] was given by the Queen of Spain, the Royal Title of "Most Loyal and Noble City" for being the most ardent and faithful city in the Spanish Empire and had remained loyal to Spain while the entire empire collapsed.

Although Capiz joined the Tagalog-led [[Philippine Revolution]], the Spaniards didn't surrender to the Tagalogs but they did surrender to the people of Iloilo and eventually Iloilo and Capiz were part of the same [[Federal State of the Visayas|Federal Republic of the Visayas]] a substate which was formed within the [[First Philippine Republic]], the first capital of which was in [[Cavite]] while the [[United States of America]] had betrayed the Philippine Revolution which they initially supported and influential American officers swore allegiance to. These American officers betrayed their oaths and occupied Manila.

===American colonial era===
The American takeover of the Philippines resulted in the establishment of a civil government in Capiz on April 15, 1901, by virtue of ''Act 115''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://pia.gov.ph/?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p100414.htm&no=31|title=Capiz now 109 years old|date=14 April 2010|work=Philippine Information Agency |access-date=16 April 2010}}</ref>

=== Japanese occupation ===
On April 16, 1942, Imperial Japanese forces landed on Capiz City and occupied the rest of the province. However, on December 20, 1944, Capizanon guerrillas, whose forces already occupied most of the province, liberated the capital from Japanese hands, leading to the full liberation of the province.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160311104539/http://ww2timelines.com/1942/april/04161942.htm "Events occurring on Thursday, April 16, 1942"], WW2Timelines.com, March 11, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
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=== Philippine independence ===
Capiz and Aklan were united under one province until 25 April 1956, when President [[Ramon Magsaysay]] signed into law ''[[Republic Act]] 1414'' separating the two entities.<ref name=ChanRobles-RA1414>{{cite web|title=Republic Act No. 1414 - An Act to Create the Province of Aklan|url=http://www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno1414.html|website=Chan Robles Virtual Law Library|access-date=14 December 2015}}</ref>