Christmas in Zamboanga City (Feliz Navidad!)

History of Zamboanga City (Zamboanga Peninsula)

The earliest people or the original natives of Zamboanga are the Subanen. 

The Subanen people's name for Zamboanga, 'Sung Lupa', means 'Pointed Land'.

Speculation that the name of zamboanga comes from the word 'Jambangan', meaning the 'Land of Flowers', is met by others insisting the name derives from the word 'Saguan' or 'Sambuan', A Malay word for the paddle used by natives to paddle the vintas in the sea. Still another possible origin is 'Sambon' which refers to herbal plants that grew abundantly in the city. Badjao, Samal, Tausug and the Yakan tribes from Malayan descent settled in the same part of Mindanao in the early 14th century.