Cavite got its name comes from a Filipino word "Kawit" (which means "Hook.") owing to the hook-shaped land on the Old Spanish map. The land was formerly known as "Tangway" where Spanish authorities contructed a fort from which the city of Cavite rose. Archeological evidence in coastal areas shows prehistorical settlements. According to local folklore, the earliest settlers of Cavite came from Borneo. In the 1600s, encomiendas or Spanish Royal land grants were given in Cavite and Marsgondon. Jesuit priests brought in settlers from Mollucas. These settlers, known as "Mardicas," settled in Ternate and Maragondon.

Other settlements grew and by the turn of the century, Cavite towns were already trading with one another. Traditional industries began to thrive as Manila's commerce grew. In 1872, Filipinos launched its revolt againts Spain. Three Filipino priests--Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez,and Jacinto Zamora--were implicated in the Cavite mutiny when 200 Filipinos staged a rebellion within Spanish garrisons. In 28 August 1896, when the revolution against Spain broke out, Cavite became a became a bloody theater of war. Led by Emilio Aguinaldo, Caviteños made lightning raids on Spanish headquarters, and soon liberated the entire province. Aguinaldo commanded the Revolution to its successful end:the proclamation of the first Republic in Asia, the Republic of the Philippines, on 12 June 1898 in Kawit.

Cavite proudly stands as a place with a glorious past. Its warm and friendly people, whose ancestors came down with a noble cause, manifest industry and patience in various skills and professions, openly receptive to the entry and exchange of culture and technology that are of value to the province.

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