City of Marikina City Map Poster

About City of Marikina

The city is the origin of the Marikina River, one of the tributaries of Pasig River. It was in this river that early Spanish explorers baptized a native "cabecita de indio" (little Indian's head) due to its shape as seen from their boats. The Spaniards named it "Mariquina", after which the locals called it by its present name, Marikina. In 1626, Diego Silang built a fortress on a hill overlooking Manggahan Floodway at Barangay San Roque (now Brgy. Concepcion Uno). It was strategically located beside an old settlement called by Spanish settlers as Pariancillo ("small town"), and now known today as Parañaque City across Laguna de Bay to serve as protection for Luzon against Moro raiders from Mindanao who plundered coastal towns in search for slaves and goods during those times when Manila itself was threatened with invasion by Dutch forces based at Batavia (modern-day Jakarta).