Philippine E-Journals

Population History of Cavite during the Nineteenth Century

Francis A. Gealogo

Discipline: Philippine History, Ethnography

 

Abstract:

The paper explores the history of population structure of Cavite province during the nineteenth century. The demographic history of Cavite province will be analyzed utilizing the population data generated from parish, archdiocesan, and other archival records. From these sets of data, historical rates of fertility, mortality, and nuptiality will be analyzed. Moreover, contingent data on age structure, ethnic Chinese population, elite composition, labor participation, taxation and landholding patterns will also be highlighted as major dimensions in the analysis of Cavite population history.

The paper will also attempt to explore the possibilities of clustering Cavite towns into historical zones, each with its own unique characteristics and particular conditions. These three historical zones of the province- the northern coastal, the lowland, and the upland zones- will provide the historian with the appreciation of the distinct demographic features and trends which may be viewed as products of the zone's particular characteristics. The historical zones of Cavite, though defined also by geographical, economic, political, and cultural considerations, will also be viewed as manifesting distinct population patterns and trends, while at the same time contributing to the general contours and characteristics of provincial population trends.