Cervantes Frontier land

Throughout history, there’s this one place in the Philippines that Spain failed to control. It’s the Cordillera, “chain of mountain” in Spanish. The rugged terrain and hostile indigenous population were the major challenges in subjugating the highlands of Northern Luzon.

Toward the end of Spanish rule, however, the colonizers were able to establish several commendancias, from where missions to the inner Cordillera were launched. One of these commendancias located on the boundary of Ilocos was Lepanto. The commercial and political capital of Lepanto was Cervantes.