Editing Negros Occidental (section)

===Spanish colonial era===
[[File:Negros Revolution surrender document.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Last page of the ''Acta de Capitulación'' ({{langx|en|[[Surrender (military)|Surrender Document]]}}).]]
[[Negros (Philippines)|Negros]] was originally known to the natives as "Buglas", meaning "cut off" in old Hiligaynon. When the Spaniards arrived in April 1565, they named it "Negros" because of the dark-skinned natives they found. Two of the earliest native settlements were [[Binalbagan, Negros Occidental|Binalbagan]] and [[Ilog, Negros Occidental|Ilog]] which later became towns in 1572 and 1584, respectively. Other settlements were [[Hinigaran, Negros Occidental|Hinigaran]], [[Bago, Negros Occidental|Bago]], Marayo (now [[Pontevedra, Negros Occidental|Pontevedra]]), Mamalan (now [[Himamaylan]]) and Candaguit (now a sitio of [[San Enrique, Negros Occidental|San Enrique]]).

Ilog was made the first capital of the province in 1743. This was later transferred to Himamaylan. [[Bacolod]] finally became the capital in 1849. The island was divided into Negros Occidental and [[Negros Oriental]] in 1890. The two provinces were briefly unified as the independent [[Cantonal Republic of Negros]], with [[Bacolod]] as the capital on November 27, 1898.