Fronting the Iloilo River, La Paz was once known as llawhod, It was a barrio of Jaro until 1865 when it became an independent municipality. Since 1937, it has been a district of Iloilo City. The Jaleco family, owning substantial tracts of swamplands and grasslands in the district, are among the principal families of La Paz. Don Agustin Jaleco, a staunch nationalist and stalwart of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Aglipayan Church) served as municipal president of La Paz between 1923 and 1926. He donated four hectares of land to the municipality, which became the La Paz Plaza. The most prominent structure in the plaza is the La Paz Church.
Source: Reynaldo Gamboa Alejandro and Vicente Roman Santos in Estilo Ilonggo: Philippine Southern Lifestyle published by KCC Innovations in cooperation with DOT (2009)
La Paz Church
Young in comparison with other major churches in Iloilo, the Augustinian La Paz Church was built on the site of a temporary church built in 1847 under the advocation of Nuestra Señora de la Paz. The town was erected as a parish in 1868, after which church construction was undertaken from 1870 to 1874. Work continued in 1879 and 1880 and was completed in 1895. After the renovation of 1909, it was transferred to the diocesan administration in 1910.
The presence of the Aglipayan Church nearby is a reminder of intense nationalistic fervor in La Paz. Many of the faithful, including Don Agustín, left the Catholic Church as an act of defiance against the Spanish oppression.
Source: Reynaldo Gamboa Alejandro and Vicente Roman Santos in Estilo Ilonggo: Philippine Southern Lifestyle published by KCC Innovations in cooperation with DOT (2009)
Read also: List of Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Sites
