Alternatively, the word may also mean "itchy", attributed to the lipang kalabaw plant (Dendrocnide meyeniana) that once grew in the area.

[14] Parts of Makati were once subject to the pre-Hispanic Kingdom of Namayan, whose capital is now in the Santa Ana district of Manila.

Parts of Makati became a visita of the then-town of Santa Ana de Sapa in 1578, during the Spanish colonial era.

In 1608, he and his wife Ana de Herrera donated half of land to the Jesuits, with the condition of building a church in honor of his namesake, Saint Peter the Apostle, and endowed 14,000 pesos for its construction.

[15] While under the jurisdiction of the Franciscan friars during the 17th century, it was established as a town on June 1, 1670 under the name San Pedro Macati out of Santa Ana de Sapa.

[27] It regained its pre-war status as a municipality of Rizal when the City of Greater Manila was dissolved by President Sergio Osmeña effective August 1, 1945.

[28] After the destruction that the Second World War brought upon Manila, and the subsequent closure of Nielson Field, the town grew rapidly, and real estate values boomed.

[30][31] On November 7, 1975, Makati was separated from Rizal province to become part of the National Capital Region as a component municipality.

[43] Makati was the setting of what is believed to be the single biggest case of involuntary disappearance during martial law[44][45][46] – the case of the "Southern Tagalog 10" – ten activists from the nearby Southern Tagalog region, mostly in their twenties,[47] who were abducted in late July 1977 at the Makati Medical Center.

[48] Following the assassination of opposition senator Benigno Aquino Jr. on August 21, 1983, Makati became a nexus for protests against the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos.

His political rival and successor, Corazon Aquino–the wife of the deceased senator Aquino–became the eleventh and first female president of the Philippines.

[51] The proclamation was contested by Taguig because it altered the municipality's boundaries unconstitutionally, which resulted in a three-decade long territorial dispute.

The resulting standoff lasted from December 2 to 9 and contributed to massive financial losses incurred due to the paralysis in the economic hub.

According to local authorities, the homemade bomb originated from the restroom of a restaurant and affected an adjacent video arcade.

There is a possibility that Makati may be reduced back to a single congressional district but pending legislation, the status quo of its existence is expected to prevail.

The Global Climate Risk Index 2021 lists the Philippines as one of countries most affected by catastrophes due to extreme weather events.

[65] Makati is a low-lying, coastal city vulnerable to natural calamities intensified by climate change, such as typhoons, floods, and landslides.

[67] In August 2022, the city government declared a climate emergency, amid rising sea levels and global temperature changes.

The count was later reduced to 292,743 in 2023 based on the same census when the Embo barangays were transferred to Taguig as a result of the cities' territorial dispute ruling.

PBCom Tower along Ayala Avenue was the country's tallest office building from 2001 to 2017, with a total ground-to-architectural-top height of 259 meters (850 ft).

The city's only professional sports team was the Makati OKBet Kings, which joined the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League in its second season.

The site of Circuit Makati was also previously occupied by the Santa Ana Park, a racetrack whose operations were transferred to Naic, Cavite, in 2009.

The University of Makati Stadium, now part of Taguig, was the home venue of Philippines Football League club Kaya F.C.–Makati until the team's move to Iloilo City.

Located in Forbes Park is the Santuario de San Antonio, a popular church for weddings in the Makati area.

The campaign is part of Ayala's ongoing US$1.5 billion redevelopment masterplan for Makati, which began in 2011 and divides the city into six distinct hubs for business, lifestyle, entertainment and transport.

[104] Major roads in Metro Manila surround Makati, such as Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), located in the southwestern part of the city, the Osmeña Highway and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), collectively known as South Superhighway (SSH), and the Skyway, which is built on top of both roads.

In 2013, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) worked on a feasibility study for a $1.75 billion monorail project.

The proposed 12.56-kilometer (7.80 mi) elevated monorail is envisioned to connect Makati, Bonifacio Global City and Pasay through MRT Line 3, as well as Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The present alignment being considered starts from the Guadalupe MRT station, enters Bonifacio Global City through the north gate and ends at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

[108] The Intra-City Subway project was later stalled in 2023 due to the transfer of the Embo barangays to Taguig, which won the territorial dispute with Makati.