Kawit was the most thriving settlement prior to the coming of the Spanish. In fact, the town provided the first anchorage of the Spanish in the province, whence colonization and
proselytization of the Christian religion began, spreading to all corners of the province. It was established as a town in 1587 or, as recognized by laws, on August 1, 1600. For a long time, the place was called by the Spanish "Cavite el Viejo" or Old Cavite to distinguish it from "Cavite la Punta" or "Cavite el Puerto", the commercial port and naval base (now
Cavite City) whence came many Spanish marines on shore leave who made frequent visits to Cavite el Viejo, eventually turning it into a
red-light district. This seedy reputation of the town was erased when
Saint Mary Magdalene was made
patroness, under the spiritual supervision of the
Jesuits as ordered by
Miguel García Serrano,
O.S.A. (1618–1629), the fifth
Archbishop of Manila. The 1818 Spanish census showed the area had 1,855 native families and 55 Spanish-Filipino families. With the establishment in the wake of the
Philippine Revolution, the
Philippine Independent Church built a shrine to
Saint Michael, the Archangel in the
barrio of Binakayan in 1902. Cavite el Viejo was then a big town, comprising the municipality of Kawit today, Cavite la Punta (now Cavite City),
Noveleta (called Tierra Alta by the Spanish), and
Imus. Eventually, these three
barrios' populations grew and they eventually seceded to become independent municipalities. Aside from its role as the birthplace of independence, Kawit was also the site of the
Battle of Binakayan-Dalahican, one of several Filipino victories during the Revolution. In 1907, the town was renamed to Kawit, its present name, by virtue of Act No. 1718 by the
Philippine Commission. ==Geography==