The Province of Laguna, which was formerly called La Laguna and La Provincia
de la Laguna de Bay, was named after Laguna de Bay, the body of water that
forms its northern boundary. Laguna de Bay, in turn, was named after the town
of Bay (Laguna de Bay is Spanish which means "Lake of Bay"), the
first provincial capital. Captain Juan de Salcedo with a band of one hundred
Spanish-Mexican soldiers and many Bisayan allies conquered the province and its
surrounding regions for Spain in 1571. Seven years later, two Franciscan friars
started the work of Christianization.
In 1577, the Franciscan missionaries arrived in
