Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the Cebu region was already a center for trade between the Philippines, China, Malaysia, Japan, India, and Burma.

The famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the area in 1521, and baptized and began trading with Rajah Humabon, the local ruler. Magellan’s chronicler described Cebu, “The houses were built with logs and had ladders made of wood and were roofed with nipa. Many sailing vessels from Siam (Thailand), China, and Arabia were docked at the port. The people ate from porcelain wares and used a lot of gold and jewelry for decoration of their bodies and clothing.”

While the ruler of Cebu permitted Magellan to plant his cross, the European conquistador was not so well-received in neighboring Mactan Island, where he was slain by the forces of Rajah Lapu-Lapu. His body was never recovered.

The second wave of Spanish incursions began in 1565 with Manuel Lopez de Legazpi, who razed local settlements and initiated the Spanish occupation that would last more than 300 years. A new administration was established, churches were built, and inter-island trade continued, all under Spanish rule.

Like the rest of the Philippines, Cebu experienced the Philippine revolution of 1898 and the American colonization that shortly followed.

Japanese forces occupied Cebu in 1942 and used it as their principal base of operations. American and Philippine forces liberated the island in 1945, returning it to its rightful place as a major regional capital.