La Trinidad, Benguet

The valley encompassing La Trinidad was originally called "Benguet", a thriving community of Ibaloi migrants from Tinek.

[1] Natives traded local products, which included gold, with nearby lowland towns that had Dominican and Augustinian missions established.

At around 1616, the procurator general of Manila, Hemando de los Rios Coronel, became interested in the mountains' gold and proposed to expedite its search to the Spanish king.

Upon arriving at the mining community of Bua, the men found only a recently burned village, suggesting the natives fled with nothing for them to plunder.

Carreño was able to repel some Igorot assaults, building two forts; 'Fort Santiago' overlooking the present Santo Nino mines, and 'Fort del Rosario' in the Antamok-Itogon area.

The Igorots submitted to Spanish authorities only to strike back when the rainy season made it difficult to send manpower and new supplies, prompting the Spaniards to retreat.

In February of that year, Quirante took off with a huge expedition of 1,903 soldiers, carpenters, miners, smiths, slaves, clerks and some requisite clergy.

He rebuilt Fort Santiago, and examined five mines; four of which showed signs of having been abandoned by the Igorots: Arisey Bugayona, Baranaban, Antamog, and Conog.

The results showed no evidence of deposits rich enough to yield attractive profit, prompting Quirante to return to Manila with 400 baskets of ore to be sent to Mexico for further assaying.

The Real Audiencia decided to abandon the project because of mounting expenses, loss of life and the continued hostility of the Igorots and their land.

Despite popular acceptance that it was named as "a fitting tribute to Galvey’s wife - Doña Trinidad de Galvey" – recent research has revealed that credit should have probably gone to Scheidnagel, having been inspired by the three prominent adjacent hills (in effect, forming a Trinity: a religious icon of the Christian campaign) overlooking the Poblacion church, where the seat of government, the Cabecera, was established.

[14][1] In 1900, the American colonizers arrived, and La Trinidad was established as one of the 19 townships under the Benguet province upon the issuance of Act No.

[17] On June 23, 2016, La Trinidad was highlighted in the media when the first and largest community artwork in the Philippines, the STOBOSA Hillside Homes Artwork was unveiled, featuring hillside houses within the sitios of Stonehill, Botiwtiw and Sadjap of Barangay Balili painted with sunflower and abstract designs.

La Trinidad belongs under the Type I climate by the Coronas System of classification with distinct wet and dry seasons.

[58] Its proximity to the city of Baguio attracts tourists, primarily to the strawberry fields in the valley, and lesser to the Benguet Provincial Capitol and the Rose Gardens of barangay Bahong.

Eric G. Yap (since January 20, 2020)[61] La Trinidad, aside from the adjacent city of Baguio, is the center of higher education in Benguet province.

San Jose Parish Church (center) in Barangay Poblacion
Aerial view of La Trinidad, circa 1940s
La Trinidad valley as viewed from the Benguet Provincial Capitol
Pine trees within Mount Kalugong Eco-Park
Strawberry fields within the La Trinidad Valley
La Trinidad Municipal Hall
Benguet Provincial Capitol
Benguet State University
DOST Regional Office - CAR