La Castellana, Negros Occidental

La Castellana, officially the Municipality of La Castellana, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 79,492 people.

Etymology
The town is named after the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, Spain.

History
According to popular belief, the early settlers of the town came from Marayo (now Pontevedra), calling their place of settlement as the village of "Lapak".

During the Spanish conquest of the Philippines, the Spaniards named the place "La Castellana" due to its similarity in vegetation with Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid, Spain. Under Spanish colonization, the Spaniards established haciendas and sugar plantations. These improved heavily on the local economy and soon many nationalities and natives flocked to the place to find work and opportunities. La Castellana became one of the major center of trade and commerce in the region.

Under the American colonial government, the municipality was formally established on January 1, 1918. It became a municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 101, as proclaimed by American Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison.

Geography
La Castellana lies at the base of Kanlaon Volcano, known for its natural springs and water falls. It is 65 km from Bacolod.

Barangays
La Castellana is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
 * Biaknabato
 * Cabacungan
 * Cabagnaan
 * Camandag
 * Lalagsan
 * Manghanoy
 * Mansalanao
 * Masulog
 * Nato
 * Puso
 * Robles (Poblacion)
 * Sag-Ang
 * Talaptap

Economy
La Castellana is an agricultural town engaged in sugarcane, rice, and banana farming.

Culture
La Castellana holds many festivals namely Bailes de Luces, Banana Festival and Senior San Vicente Ferrer Feast Day where devotees far and near attend to for healing. Caduhada Spring Resort is a popular tourist spot located in Sitio Mambangon, Barangay Cabacungan.