Siquijor

Siquijor is a of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor. To the north of Siquijor is Cebu, west to Negros, northeast is Bohol, and to the south, across the Bohol Sea, is Mindanao.Siquijor is the third smallest province in the country, in terms of population as well as land area (after Camiguin and Batanes). For a time it was a subprovince of Negros Oriental.During the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, the Spaniards called the island Isla del Fuego (Island of Fire). Siquijor is commonly associated with mystic traditions that the island's growing tourism industry capitalizes on.Siquijor became an independent province on 17 September 1971, by virtue of Republic Act 6398. The capital, formerly Larena, was transferred to the municipality of Siquijor in 1972 by Proclamation No. 1075.HistoryPrecolonial EraPrior to colonization, the island kingdom or polity was called 'Katagusan', from tugas, the molave trees that cover the hills, which abounded the island along with fireflies. During this time, the people of the kingdom was already in contact with Chinese traders, as seen through archaeological evidence including Chinese ceramics and other objects. The art of traditional healing and traditional witchcraft belief systems also developed within this period. During the arrival of the Spanish, the ruler of the island was named joejie by the colonialization of nobieres.