Santa Mesa

**Santa Mesa** is a district in Manila, Philippines. It is surrounded by the Pasig River on the southwestern side, and by the San Juan River on its southern and eastern side. Land borders include the districts of San Miguel to the west and Sampaloc to the north; and to the northeast is Quezon City.

Santa Mesa was formerly a part of the Sampaloc district, from which it was partitioned and separated after having its own parish in 1911. The parish is now known as _Old Sta. Mesa_, which extends from Victorino Mapa Street (<small>_old name:_ Calle Santa Mesa</small>) to Magsaysay Boulevard (<small>_old name:_ Santa Mesa Boulevard</small>).

## Etymology

The district's name was coined by the Jesuits, who christened the area **'Hermandad de Santa Mesa de la Misericordia**' (<small>_trans:_</small> "Brotherhood of the Holy Table of Mercy"). The matriarch of the _Tuason_ family, Doña Albina Tuason, who owned vast tracts of land of Santa Mesa during the Spanish colonial period (1521–1898) offered an **'obra pía**' (<small>_trans:_</small>"pious work"), and donated the area where the district's parish church now stands. Affluent families where attracted to Santa Mesa's cooler climate and the picturesque streets that were lined with _ylang-ylang_ trees along Santa Mesa Boulevard. The abundance of these trees started a perfume industry in Santa Mesa — as flowers were harvested, pressed, and their fragrant oil exported in great quantities to perfumeries in France.

## History

Up until the early American colonial period (1898–1946), Santa Mesa was one of the barrios that comprised Sampaloc, which was a town of the defunct **province of Manila** before it was absorbed by the _City of Manila_ upon its chartering in 1901.

In 1911, Santa Mesa became a separate religious district out of Sampaloc when the first and oldest parish in the Philippines in honor of its titular patron, the _Sacred Heart of Jesus_, was established. The created parish is known today as the **Old Santa Mesa**. The neighborhood was a wealthy enclave of aristocratic Spanish and Filipino families who built summer houses, examples of which are the _Sociego Mansion_, former home of the Tuason family; and the _Carriedo Mansion_ (currently known as the _Antique House_), former home of Governor General Francisco Carriedo y Peredo who spearheaded the clean water system of the City of Manila.

When the congressional districts of Manila were created, Santa Mesa was effectively separated from Sampaloc, falling to the jurisdiction of the 6th District. The Philippines' national census, however, still considers Santa Mesa as a part of Sampaloc for statistical purposes.

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Santa Mesa
- **image skyline**: Santa Mesa aerial (Manila; 02-10-2022).jpg
- **image caption**: Aerial view of Santa Mesa
- **image map**: Ph fil manila santa mesa.png
- **settlement type**: District of Manila
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: Philippines
- **subdivision type1**: Region
- **subdivision name1**: Metro Manila, National Capital Region
- **subdivision type2**: City
- **subdivision name2**: Manila
- **subdivision type3**: Congressional District
- **subdivision name3**: 6th District
- **subdivision type4**: Barangays
- **subdivision name4**: Barangays, 51
- **area total km2**: 2.6101
- **population total**: 111,292
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population density km2**: auto
- **timezone1**: Philippine Standard Time
- **utc offset1**: +08:00
- **postal code type**: Zip code
- **postal code**: 1016
- **area code type**: Area code
- **area code**: 2