Bolinao "was" a part of Zambales

On the northeastern tip of the Zambales peninsula is a cape called Bolinao. It was originally a part of Zambales province but is now a part of Pangasinan province. With the passage of Public Act No. 1004 of the Philippine Commission on November 30, 1903, Bolinao became a part of the Province of Pangasinan.

The precise year Bolinao was founded is unknown to historians but the town was thought to have been founded owing to a Spanish Royal Decree. According to records, the first community was established by Spanish Captain Pedro Lombi with around 100 people.

The people of Bolinao were characterized as “warlike” and “ferocious”, however, there are also some who are peaceful according to the Spaniards.

In his book Relations of the Philippines, Miguel de Loarca mentioned events from 1582-1583:

“Next comes Bolinao, also inhabited by the Zambales, but the province belongs to His Majesty. It has a population of about 400 peaceful Indians, besides, many more who lived among the mountains. The latter are a warlike people whose only delight and satisfaction is in waging war and cutting off one another’s head which they hang up in their houses. The men who can display the most numerous heads in his house is most respected and feared by all. They cultivate the land through only small tracts. They are like Chichineous of Nueva España who cannot be subdued except that the villagers of Bolinao. The people recognize a God in heaven but in times of trouble and sickness, they invoke their dead ancestors like the people of Visayas".

The Balingasay Burial Site

As the graves were discovered, archaeologists saw that there was no grave stratigraphy present at the excavation site. The potteries used as grave furniture were proof that the site has not been used as a “formal burial site” for a very long time which means that no one has ever buried a body in that site succeeding the graves that were found in it. Burials were grouped together in close proximity in several areas of the site, which may indicate that family ties had a role in the burial patterns.

Orientation

The bones' predominant directions of orientation were southeast, east, and northeast. There wasn't a single skeleton that was facing west.

Rural Christians share the view that the west is an irreverent direction, this is also true for the cultural minorities in the region. When building their homes, Balingasay carpenters in particular, and the residents of the barrio ensures to have the front of the house and the steps specifically looking towards the east as this is an "additional assurance of abundance and good fortune". The Balingasay River flows in the same general direction during high tide, with a minor deviation to either the southeast or northeast depending on how the river curves.