Poblacion

Poblacion (literally translated in Spanish, meaning "population") is practiced in the Philippines as a term to describe the central area of a settlement. It can also refer to the administrative location, downtown, old town or mercantile area of a Philippine city or municipality.  

History
During the Spanish rule of the Philippine islands, the colonial government founded hundreds of towns and villages across the archipelago modeled on towns and villages in Spain. The authorities often adopted a policy of "Reduction", meaning for the resettlement of local inhabitants to far-flung and scattered Barangay villages to "gentrify" a centralized location where churches and town halls would be built. This allowed the government to defend, control and Christianize the indigenous population, to conduct population counts, and to collect taxes.

Gallery

References

Category:Subdivisions of the Philippines