Legazpi was originally a fishing settlement called Sawangan that occupied the mangrove swamps that is now the Legazpi Port, inhabited by fisher folk and farmers. The Mataas shell scoop was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. Other evidences of pre-Hispanic civilization include the Mataas shell scoop, which dates back to the Late Neolithic Period, found in Cagraray Island.
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Meanwhile, ancient burial jars and pottery were also found in Hoyop-Hoyopan Cave in Camalig. American anthropologist Henry Otley Beyer found jars, stone tools and shells from 100 to 500 BC in Sorsogon and Albay. Ancient inhabitants practiced rice cultivation, made fine gold jewelry and possessed silk, suggesting trade with China. The Spanish explorers found densely populated settlements with an abundance of gold and provisions in the southern Bicol peninsula. The area that is now Albay had a thriving civilization before the Spanish arrived.
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The city of Legazpi was named after Miguel López de Legazpi, the Basque Spanish conquistador who officially annexed the Philippine Islands to the Spanish Empire in 1565, and whose surname came from a town in Gipuzkoa, Spain. In the same year, Legazpi was also named "most business-friendly city" in the component city category by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The city also ranked first in infrastructure and second in economic dynamism. In 2018, Legazpi was ranked first in overall competitiveness among component cities by the National Competitiveness Council. Mayon Volcano, one of the Philippines' most popular icons and tourist destinations, is partly within the city's borders. The city is composed of two districts, Legazpi Port and the Old Albay District. It is the region's center of tourism, education, health services, commerce and transportation in the Bicol Region. Legazpi is the regional center and largest city of the Bicol Region, in terms of population. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 209,533. Legazpi, officially the City of Legazpi ( Central Bikol: Syudad nin Legazpi Tagalog: Lungsod ng Legazpi), formerly Legaspi City, is a 1st class Component city and capital of the province of Albay, Philippines.