Arayat, officially the Municipality of Arayat (; ), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 144,875 people.

Geography

Arayat is bordered with

Candaba Candaba, officially the Municipality of Candaba (Kapampangan: ''Balen ning Candaba''; ; formerly Candawe), is a municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 119,497 people. History ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Magalang Magalang, officially the Municipality of Magalang (; ), is a municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 124,188 people. History Magalang was mentioned as a ''visita'' of the nea ...

, Santa Ana, and Cabiao in

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...

. A large portion of

Mount Arayat Mount Arayat is an isolated, potentially active stratovolcano in the Central Luzon plains. Located within the vast agricultural lands of Pampanga, it rises to a height of above sea level. Its southern half lies within the municipality of A ...

is located within this municipality. Arayat is from San Fernando, from

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, and from Santa Ana.

Barangays

Arayat is politically subdivided into 30

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s, as shown below. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. * Arenas * Baliti * Batasan * Buensuceso * Candating * Gatiawin * Guemasan * La Paz (Turu) * Lacmit * Lacquios * Mangga-Cacutud * Mapalad * Palinlang * Paralaya * Plazang Luma * Poblacion * San Agustin Norte * San Agustin Sur * San Antonio * San Jose Mesulo * San Juan Baño * San Mateo * San Nicolas * San Roque Bitas * Cupang (Santa Lucia) * Matamo (Santa Lucia) * Santo Niño Tabuan * Suclayin * Telapayong * Kaledian (Camba)

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Arayat, Pampanga, was 144,875 people, with a density of .

Economy

Education

Schools

* Adelle Grace Montessori School, Inc. * Anderson Elementary School * Arayat Central School * Arayat Ecumenical Learning Center, Inc. * Arayat Holy Child Educational Foundation, Inc. * Arayat Institute * Arayat National High School * Arenas Elementary School * Baliti Elementary School * Bitas Elementary School * Blooming Fields Academy * Buensuceso Elementary School * Cacutud Elementary School * Camba National High School * Candating High School * Cupang Elementary School * Exact Colleges of Asia * Gatiawin Elementary School * Gatiawin High School * Justino Sevilla High School * Lacmit Elementary School * Mapalad Elementary School * Mesulo Elementary School * Palinlang Elementary School * Plazang Luma Elementary School * San Antonio Elementary School * San Juan Baño Elementary School * San Juan Baño High School * San Nicolas Elementary School * Tabuan Elementary School * Telapayong Elementary School

Tourism

There are many examples of tourist attractions in Arayat. Some examples include the 100 Steps,

Day hike, and the Palm Cabanas Resort. It receives about 33,000 visitors a year, ranging from relatives that come to visit family, to people that want to explore new cultures. Located in Poblacion, there is also the Santa Catalina de Alejandria church. It has features that have close similarities to the Renaissance.

History

Early days

Arayat Pampanga began as a small village that was formed way before the Spanish Colonial Era. While there have been many theories about who and where the town officially started, most locals believe that the city was founded by prince Balatagas of the Madjaphit empire. During it's start, most citizens were farmers. This is how Arayat got most of its tax dollars. Agriculture also still plays an important role in the GDP of Arayat. In 1579, Arayat was considered to be the best

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

settlements in Pampanga. During the 1600s, Arayat became a fort for

Spanish conquest The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...

. The first mission was established in 1590 by Fray Juan de Valderama. By the 1850s, however, New

Barangays The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisio ...

have formed and added up to a total of 11

barangays The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisio ...

Industrial revolution

During the 1900s, the amount of Barangays rose from 11 to 23. Jose Alejandrino, Mamerto Natividad helped fend off American colonizers that arrived on December 10, 1942. In the 1930s, however, The former president, Manuel, L. Quezon and Dr Emigido Cruz, decided to make Arayat their second home. They built a farm, chapel, school, hospital, irrigation systems, and homes for the farm helpers. He also brought a group of Japanese experts to teach new farmers.

Gallery

References

External links

Arayat profile at PhilAtlas.com
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Pampanga Populated places on the Pampanga River