Early history The ancestors of today's Ivatans descended from
Austronesians who migrated to the islands 4,000 years ago during the
Neolithic period. They lived in fortified mountain areas called
idjangs and drank sugar-cane wine, or
palek. They used gold as currency and were farmers, seafarers and boatbuilders. Batanes was a major site for the
Maritime Jade Road, one of the most extensive sea-based trade networks of a single geological material in the prehistoric world, operating for 3,000 years from 2000 BCE to 1000 CE.
Spanish colonial era In 1687, the British explorer, privateer, and naturalist
William Dampier visited the islands and named them in honour of prominent Dutch and British figures. Itbayat was named "Orange Isle" after
William of Orange. Batan was named "Grafton Isle" after
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton. Sabtang Isle was named "Monmouth Isle" after
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. During his stay in August and September 1687, Dampier made valuable observations about settlement types and subsistence of the inhabitants of the Batanes. He mentioned the existence of terraced and defended settlements on elevated terrain (now known as
ijang) and listed various types of types of tubers and vegetables, and pigs and goats as common food sources, but notably no wet rice or cattle. In 1783, the Spanish claimed Batanes as part of the Philippines under the rule of
Governor-General José Basco y Vargas. Batanes was ruled as part of the
Provincia de Cagayan. The Bashi Channel was increasingly used by English East India Company ships and the Spanish authorities brought the islands under their direct administration to keep them from falling under British control. The
Ivatan remained on their
idjang castle-fortresses for some time. In 1790, Governor Guerrero decreed that Ivatans were to live in the lowlands and leave their remote
idjang. In response, the mangpus, or indigenous Ivatan leaders, headed by the Ivatan
hero Aman Dangat, revolted against the Spanish invaders. Using guns, the Spanish ended the revolution, killing Aman Dangat and several other Ivatan leaders.
American colonial era Toward the end of the Spanish administration, Batanes was made a part of Cagayan. Due to historical reasons from that time, some segments of
Taiwan society argue that the islands should not belong to the Philippines. Batanes was created as a sub-province of Cagayan on August 20, 1907, with the approval of Act No. 1693. On May 20, 1909, the new American authorities organized it into an independent province, with the approval of Act No. 1952. During this time, additional public schools were constructed and more Ivatan became aware of their place in the Philippines. In 1920, the first wireless telegraph was installed, followed by an airfield in 1930. New roads were constructed and the Batanes High School was instituted around this time as well.
Japanese occupation Because of their strategic location, the islands were one of the first points occupied by the invading Japanese imperial forces at the outbreak of the
Pacific War. On the morning of December 8, 1941, the Batan Task Force from
Taiwan landed on the Batan Islands, which became the first American territory occupied by the Japanese. The objective of the invasion - to secure the small airfield outside Basco - was accomplished without resistance. Japanese fighters from Basco took part in the raid on
Clark Air Base the following day. Over the next several days, the success of the Japanese bombing of Clark Field rendered a base at Basco unnecessary, and on December 10, 1941, the naval combat force was withdrawn to participate in the
invasion of Camiguin. As part of an administrative reorganization, the province of Batanes was downgraded to a municipality of
Cagayan from 1942 to 1944. Upon its restoration,
Victor de Padua, an Ilocano who was one of the first School Superintendents on Batan, was made Provincial Governor. Early in 1945, the island was liberated by the Philippine Commonwealth forces of the 1st and 12th Infantry Divisions of the
Philippine Commonwealth Army.
Philippine independence Batanes was briefly marred by political violence during the
1969 presidential elections, when the
Philippine Constabulary's Special Forces allowed motorcycle-riding goons dubbed the "
Suzuki boys" to secure the victory of Rufino Antonio Jr., an ally of President
Ferdinand Marcos, as representative of the
Lone District of Batanes in the
House of Representatives of the Philippines through a campaign of terror and intimidation. The resulting outcry led to the
Supreme Court decrying the "rape of democracy" in the province, and annulled Antonio's victory in 1970 in favor of his rival, Jorge Abad. In 1984,
Pacita Abad, the foremost Ivatan visual artist, became the first woman to be awarded the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award, breaking 25 years of male dominance. In her acceptance speech, she said, "it was long overdue that Filipina women were recognized, as the Philippines was full of outstanding women" and referred proudly to her mother. and
coral and its roofing of
cogon grass. In 1993, the Batanes Protected Landscape and Seascape, which encompassed the entire province, was listed in the Tentative List of the Philippines for
UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription in the future. In 1997, the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) was passed in Philippine Congress. The law paved the way for the indigenous territorial rights of the Ivatans. The province has since promoted its Ivatan roots. Part of the Ilocano population has returned to mainland Luzon. On December 7, 2004,
Pacita Abad died after finishing her last international artwork while suffering from cancer. A minor dispute between the Philippines and Taiwan erupted in 2007, after
Taiwan Times published an editorial written by
Tamkang University professor Chen Hurng-yu, claiming that Taiwan has territorial claims over Batanes and encouraging the Taiwanese government to take over the province. This, despite the islands being first claimed by Spanish Philippines in 1783 and later incorporated and administered by the Philippines without any contesting nation since the 18th century. In 2025, the
Mahatao Forward Operating Base, a military facility operated by the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, was established in
Mahatao. ==Geography==