Wawa was already a prosperous settlement when Spanish colonists took control of the town in the year 1561, from then on calling it Guagua, which is a Hispanised form of the original name.

Early inhabitants opted to stay in the town because it was here that they could engage in barter trade with people from different islands, along with other means of livelihood like fishing and farming.

The navigable river with which the town was endowed allowed shipping vessels to transport commodities to and from other chief localities, particularly the imperial Manila.

After their near-total slaughter, the Chinese lived in relative peace while they freely practiced their craft and mingled hand-in-hand with the local residents.

In 1908, Colegio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (now Saint Mary's Academy) in Barangay San Roque was established in a two-storey building in downtown, donated by a charitable matron.

In November 1959, nine rural barrios (now barangays) of Guagua were granted a 50-year electrification franchise, with the electricity provided by the National Power Corporation.

[6] At the overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986, the local government carried out a sustainable development program to address the town's destitute state.

In general, the soils of Guagua are of recent alluvial origin consisting of fine sand, silt loam and hydrosol.

The average chemical analysis of its top soils is : nitrogen, 0.02 to 0.1; phosphorus, 0.06 to 0.28; potassium, 0.46 to 1.74; organic carbon, 0.41 to 3.02; and pH value (acidity and alkalinity), 5.61 to 6.99.

The climate and topographical features of the vast land of Guagua make it ideal for the growing of fruit trees and vegetables.

Roman Catholic 88%, Iglesia ni Cristo 5%, Members Church of God International 3%, Seventh-day Adventists 2%, Others (Including Protestantism, Aglipayan, Buddhism, Islam and Other Religionist) 2%.Poverty Incidence of Guagua Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] The town of Guagua belongs to the Second district of Pampanga, along with the towns in the south-western part of the province.

The town has interesting culture and heritage attractions and landmarks, including Rufino Santos Catholic Center, Capt.

The Cathedral-type church is located immediately adjacent to the Guagua Municipal Building and houses the Cardinal Santos Catholic Center and the Immaculate Conception Parochial School.