Aroroy, officially the Municipality of Aroroy, is a 1st class

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Masbate Masbate, officially the Province of Masbate ( Masbateño: ''Probinsya san Masbate''; tl, Lalawigan ng Masbate), is an island province in the Philippines located near the midsection of the nation's archipelago. Its provincial capital is Masbate C ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 88,351 people. The town is known for the

Kalanay Cave The Kalanay Cave is a small cave located on the Masbate Island, island of Masbate in central Philippines. The cave is located specifically at the northwest coast of the island within the municipality of Aroroy, Masbate, Aroroy. The artifacts recov ...

, one of the most important archaeological sites in Masbate province.

Etymology

The town of Aroroy (''Al-Oroy'' its former name), which came from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

word for

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

-''"oro"'', was established back in 1822 upon the arrival of a Chinese expedition. The Chinese fleet was composed of seven vessels called " pancos". They entered Lanang River, which is part of Puerto Barrera, the former name of the area now covered by Aroroy. A Moro named Talcum guided this expedition. They were sent by the Chinese merchants who came to Aroroy to explore for gold coins near Lanang River.

History

Landing Fields - Philippines - Masbate Island - NARA - 68160724

During that time, when the present

province was still part of the province of Ibalon (present-day

Albay Albay,