History of Siquijor
New Findings on Canoan and Larena
During the Spanish period, only Canoan was recorded, as one would expect. The two municipalities were then recorded separately in the 1903 census conducted by the Americans of the Philippines. That is consistent with the tenure of Gov. Demetrio Larena, the provincial governor–not the subprovincial lieutenant governor; that is a different position–of Oriental Negros for whom the town is named: 1901-1906.
These images are of the original census records and list each town’s barangays. Note that all of Larena's barangays listed here currently fall under the jurisdiction of Enrique Villanueva, which has, at this point, not been created yet.
Later that year, the province’s municipalities were consolidated, and Larena absorbed Canoan (see Dawn of the American Period for further details). In 1910, officials reversed the move. All of the changes made to Siquijor’s municipalities were accordingly revoked, except for Larena, which retained Canoan.
By the time of the next census in 1918, only Larena remained in official records (shown below). The 1939 census, conducted by the Commonwealth government, confirms this (also shown below). All of Canoan's old barangays are listed under Larena in both censuses, while those listed in the 1903 census but are absent here were ceded to Enrique Villanueva upon its creation in 1925.
These findings unfortunately do not indicate precisely when Larena was carved from Canoan. However, they can be considered a starting point for further exploration into this previously unknown chain of events.
Populations of Canoan and Larena as of the 1903 census, listed by barangay.
Population of Larena as of the 1939 census, listed by barangay.
Population of Siquijor as of the 1918 census, listed by municipality. Note the absence of Canoan.
Conventional wisdom in Siquijor has long held that Canoan was renamed Larena during the American period, which would therefore make Larena the descendant of Canoan. However, governmental documentation indicates otherwise: Canoan was separate from, and older than, Larena.
Aldecoa-Rodriguez, Caridad. (1989). Negros Oriental From American Rule to the Present: A History (Volume II) - Part I: The American Period. Provincial Government of Negros Oriental.
Census Office of the Philippine Islands. (1921). Census of the Philippine Islands Taken Under the Direction of the Philippine Legislature in the Year 1918, in Four Volumes - Volume II: Population and Mortality. www.google.com/books/edition/Census_of_the_Philippine_Islands_Taken_U/IMM4AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0.
Commission of the Census. (1939). Census of the Philippine Islands: 1939 - Volume I, Part III: Leyte, Manila, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan. babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015048425766&seq=4.
United States Bureau of the Census. (1905). Census of the Philippine Islands Taken Under the Direction of the Philippine Commission in the Year 1903, in Four Volumes - Volume II: Population. www.google.com/books/edition/Census_of_the_Philippine_Islands/M1UMDeZCwn0C?hl=en&gbpv=0.