Mendez, officially the Municipality of Mendez-Nuñez (Tagalog: Bayan ng Mendez), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,879 people.[4]
Etymology
The municipality of Mendez-Nuñez was originally known as "Gahitan", one of the many barrios of Indang. The name was derived from the word "gahit" meaning "to cut", because the people then had to cut down tall and thick cogon grass that abounded in the place in order to clear areas for agricultural and residential purpose.
History
As time went on, the number of houses in Gahitan increased so that the sitio eventually became a barrio and finally a full-fledged town on 1 December 1875, thanks to Governor-GeneralJose Malcampo y Monje (1874-1877). Malcampo incorporated the three barrios of Gahitan, Palocpoc and Anuling into one independent municipality called Méndez Núñez, after a Spanish naval officer and close friend, Commodore Casto Méndez Núñez. In 1856, when they were still Spanish naval officers, Malcampo and Mendez-Nuñez, established the first Masonic lodge in Kawit under a charter from the Grand Lodge of Portugal. The friendship of these two officers had been tested in many a battle against Muslim pirates in Mindanao.
Pedro Aure was the gobernadorcillo of Mendez during its first year as a municipality in 1876. Cayetano Aure, perhaps a relative of Pedro, was the first and only capitan municipal of Mendez during the First Philippine Republic (1899-1901). Pedro's son, Marcelino Aure, became a famous general during the Philippine Revolution. His nom de guerre was Alapaap (Cloud).
Mendez continued to be a municipality from 1875 to October 15, 1903 when, under Act No. 947 of the Philippine Commission reduced the 23 municipalities of Cavite to eleven. Mendez and Bailen (now General Emilio Aguinaldo) were incorporated into the municipality of Alfonso.[6]
But 12 years later, on January 1, 1915, Mendez regained its independent status as a municipality of Cavite.[7]
Geography
The municipality of Mendez is located 66 kilometers (41 mi) from Metro Manila and is accessible via Aguinaldo Highway. It is one of the smallest and upland towns of Cavite province. It is bounded to the north and east by Indang, to the south by Tagaytay, and to the west by Alfonso.
Barangays
Mendez is politically subdivided into 24 barangays.[8] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
While it shares a general climate as the rest of the province Mendez' climate, due to its proximity to Tagaytay City, is tropical highland, with low temperatures most especially during the early dry season.
In the 2020 census, the population of Mendez, Cavite, was 34,879 people,[4] with a density of 810 inhabitants per square kilometre or 2,100 inhabitants per square mile.
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