24/05/2026
HAPPY NUEVA VIZCAYA DAY!
In celebration of our provinces founding, we present to you the Plano de Nueva Vizcaya y parte alta de Nueva Écija (Map of Nueva Vizcaya and the upper part of Nueva Ecija), 19th-century Spanish colonial document published in 1882.
History of the founding of the province of Nueva Vizcaya
Before Spanish colonization, the region that is now Nueva Vizcaya was a vast, rugged wilderness inhabited by fierce, independent indigenous groups like the Isinais, Gaddangs, and Bugkalots. Because the territory was part of a massive, unmanageable province of Cagayan, Governor-General Luis Lardizabal issued a politico-military decree on May 24, 1839, separating the southern missions to create a brand-new province. He named it Nueva Vizcaya ("New Biscay") after his home province in Spain, a move later ratified by a Spanish Royal Decree on April 10, 1841. While the province originally encompassed a massive chunk of Northern Luzon, its official modern foundation day was finally cemented by Proclamation No. 2422 (s. 1985), which corrected an earlier proclamation to ensure May 24th is rightfully celebrated as the province's true birthday and a special non-working holiday. Succeeding colonial and modern law divisions eventually shrank its borders to its current size, with Bayombong serving as its enduring capital.
