Much of what Laguna is today is a product of a rich and colorful past. From the missionary-laden 1500s to the tumultuous 1800s, the province of Laguna has managed to survive wars and make a name for itself. Its past is a virtual part of the province of Laguna. Without it, the present is not.

Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, that famed Spanish explorer, ordered an expedition to Rizal in 1571. After Cainta and Taytay were conquered, the coastal towns of Laguna de Bay were next to be pacified. Six years later, Franciscan missionaries arrived in the Philippines. A year after, the provinces of Laguna, Rizal, Tayabas (now Quezon) and the Bicol Peninsula were evangelized. From 1850 to 1853, the towns of Bay, Caliraya, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Liliw, Pila, Sta. Cruz, Lumban, Pangil, and Siniloan were founded.

San Pablo de los Montes (now San Pablo City) boasted the best and the finest church and convent in the province after Franciscan Fray Hernando Cabrera founded the town in 1678. In 1688, the seat of the provincial government was moved from Bay to Pagsanjan. It wasn't until 1858 that Sta. Cruz became Laguna's capital.

When the British came in 1762, soldiers from Laguna fought the British in San Pablo and Lipa. They have sworn their fealty to the King of Spain and kept the Royal Treasury from being seized. In 1841, Apolinario de la Cruz founded "Cofradia de San Jose." It was a fanatical organization which spread throughout Laguna and defeated the Spanish governor's forces. But the Spanish government was quick in sending reinforcements to Laguna, and it was the firing squad for Apolinario de la Cruz.

There in the underground cemetery of Nagcarlan military leaders met secretly during the early months of 1896. The province was declared in a state of war when Governor General Ramon Blanco daclared martial law on August 30, 1896. A well-organized Spanish army pacified Laguna within a few days. During the same year, Emilio Jacinto was proclaimed "generalissimo of the north" by Andres Bonifacio. Jacinto was Commander of the Zone comprising the provinces of Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, and Nueva Ejica. Three years later in 1899, he was wounded in the thigh during an engagement with the Spaniards in Majayjay and was taken prisoner. He died in that town on April 16, 1899.

After the Philippine-Spanish War came the Philippine-American War. With Major General Elwell S. Otis at the helm, he ordered another general to take Sta. Cruz which was the center of the Filipino opposition in the province. Sta. Cruz was captured on April 10, 1899, Pagsanjan on the eleventh, and Longos and Paete on the twelfth.

In 1905, the "reign of terror" began. The condemned officers who did not surrender to the American forces launched the Laguna-Cavite-Batangas insurrection. Calling themselves the "Defenders of the Country" and "Protectors of the People," they caused devastations and ruins in the provinces.

On March 10, 1917, Laguna became a province by virtue of Republic Act 2711. Years of relative peace reigned until 1942 when the country was again besieged by another oppressive force. For three years, all towns of Laguna suffered under the Japanese. On March 15, 1945, the Americans, former oppressor now under the guise of savior, came and raided and blasted the churches, convents, municipal buildings and residences in the province. Laguna was liberated by the American liberation forces on April 1945.