Mendez, Cavite
', officially the ' (), is a in the province of , Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people. Etymology. The municipality of Mendez-Nuñez was originally known as ""Gahitan"", one of the many barrios of Indang. The name was derived from the word ""gahit"" meaning "to cut", because the people then had to cut down tall and thick cogon grass that abounded in the place in order to clear areas for agricultural and residential purpose. History. 1875-1903. As time went on, the number of houses in Gahitan increased so that the sitio eventually became a barrio and  finally a full-fledged town on 1 December 1875, thanks to Governor-General Jose Malcampo y Monje (1874-1877). Malcampo incorporated the three barrios of Gahitan, Palocpoc and Anuling into one independent municipality called Méndez Núñez, after a Spanish naval officer and close friend, Commodore Castro Méndez Núñez. In 1856, when they were still Spanish naval officers, Malcampo and Mendez-Nuñez, established the first Masonic lodge in Kawit under a charter from the Grand Lodge of Portugal. The friendship of these two officers had been tested in many a battle against Muslim pirates in Mindanao. Pedro Aure was the gobernadorcillo  of Mendez during its first year as a municipality in 1876. Cayetano Aure, perhaps a relative of Pedro, was the first and only capitan municipal of Mendez during the First Philippine Republic (1899-1901). Pedro's son, Marcelino Aure, became a famous general during the Philippine Revolution. His nom de guerre was "Alapaap" (Cloud). Mendez continued to be a municipality from 1875 to 15 October 1903 when, under "Public Act No. 947" of the Philippine Commission reduced the 22 municipalities of Cavite to nine. Mendez and Bailen (now General Aguinaldo) were incorporated into the municipality of Alfonso. 1915-Present. But  12 years later, on 1 January 1915, Mendez regained its independent status as a municipality of Cavite Province. Geography. The municipality of Mendez is located from Metro Manila and is accessible via Aguinaldo Highway. It is one of the smallest and upland towns of Cavite province. It is bounded to the north and east by Indang, to the south by Tagaytay, and to the west by Alfonso. Barangays. Mendez is politically subdivided into 24 barangays. Climate. While it shares a general climate as the rest of the province Mendez' climate, due to its proximity to Tagaytay, is tropical highland, with  low temperatures most especially during the early dry season. Demographics. In the , the population of Mendez, Cavite, was people, with a density of . Government. Elected officials. Municipal council (2019-2022)