. Santa Mesa was situated in the
alluvial deposits at the confluence of
Pasig and
San Juan Rivers. It was owned by a Jesuits religious order during the Spanish era, and it is in this period that Santa Mesa got its name. Santa Mesa is better known for its role in the
Philippine–American War, in which the area became a battlefield during the
Philippine–American War. The conflict started when Pvt. William W. Grayson shot a
Filipino soldier in San Juan Bridge between Santa Mesa and San Juan. In late 2003, the
National Historical Commission of the Philippines had determined that the conflict did not happen on San Juan Bridge, but at the juncture of Sociego and Silencio Streets. A 2023 study done by Ronnie Miravite Casalmir however placed the correct location of the first shot of the Philippine-American War at the corner of Sociego St. and Tomas Arguelles St., not at Sociego-Silencio where they erroneously have the marker. Up until the early
American period, Santa Mesa was one of the
barrios that comprised Sampaloc, which was a town of the defunct
province of Manila before it was absorbed by the city of Manila upon its chartering in 1901. In 1903, Santa Mesa became a separate religious district out of Sampaloc when the first and oldest parish in the Philippines in honor of its titular, the Sagrado Corazon de Jesus del Misericordia, was established. It also became the cradle of devotion to the Sagrado Corazon in the Archdiocese of Manila. The parish is now known as the Old Santa Mesa, extending from V. Mapa to Santa Mesa Boulevard. The neighborhood was composed of wealthy and aristocratic Spanish and Filipino families who built summer houses, examples of which are the Sociego Mansion, formerly home of the Tuason family, and the Carriedo Mansion (currently known as the Antique House in Pureza), formerly home of Governor General
Francisco Carriedo y Peredo who spearheaded the clean water system of the City of Manila. Affluent families were attracted to Santa Mesa's cooler climate and the picturesque streets that were lined with
ylang-ylang trees along Santa Mesa Boulevard. The abundance of these trees started a perfume industry in Santa Mesa—flowers were harvested, pressed and the oil were exported in great quantities to perfumeries in France. The small community became the location of the hospital to treat the wounded during
World War II. The town experienced its growth after the war. Santa Mesa was the site of a 1950s suburban development because of its proximity to central Manila. The Santa Mesa Market was constructed around this period. It was a big shopping complex, and became popular for the selling of Post eXchange or PX Goods from U.S. bases in the Philippines, which is why it was called Stop & Shop. The national census still considers Santa Mesa as a part of Sampaloc for statistical purposes. == Geography ==