In that same year, Father Juan de Placencia and Diego Oropesa built the first church structure, which was believed to be made of nipa and bamboo.

The towns, which fell under its political jurisdiction, were San Jose del Monte, Bocaue, Valenzuela (formerly Polo), Obando, Marilao, Santa Maria and Pandi.

It was also regarded as the unofficial capital of the province, being the hub of activities brought about by the establishment of the market center and the presence of the Spanish military detachment.

During the revolution, which was set off by the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal in 1896, Meycauayan contributed its share in the fight against the Spanish conquistadores.

[5][6] In 1949, a big fire razed the market center and several business establishments in the town, causing setbacks to the development of the municipality.

[7] The first was filed by district representative Angelito Sarmiento,[8] seeking the conversion of the then-municipality of Meycauayan into a component city, which was signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on March 5, 2001 as Republic Act No.

For the second time, in another attempt for conversion, district representative Reylina Nicolas authored House Bill 4397 (dated July 24, 2006), which was later signed into law by President Arroyo as RA No.

It was noted that compared to the first plebiscite, the second showed that only more than a hundred voters were added to those in favor of the conversion, as well as a sharp decline in the number of those who were against.

[7] With the ratification, Meycauayan became Bulacan's third component city, following San Jose del Monte in 2000, and Malolos, whose loss in its cityhood bid in 1999 was reversed following a recount.

[7] Today, the city of Meycauayan has transformed into a major economic and industrial hub in the Province of Bulacan and the rest of Region III.

The members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, often referred to as councilors are either elected or ex-officio and includes a city's vice mayor who serves as the presiding officer.

In 2016, the total net income for Meycauayan is worth Php 6.875 billion, making it the richest in the province of Bulacan and 18th-highest-income city in the Philippines.

After a nine-day novena, the fiesta culminates with a colorful fluvial procession in honor of the "Mahal na Señor", an image of the Crucified Christ venerated on the island of Liputan.

The image, along with those of the Virgin and St. Joseph, are placed on a pagoda, a makeshift bamboo bier constructed on boats and decorated with buntings.

They come mostly from Christians with their religious denominations and orders like the Catholic Church, the Born-again, the Baptists, and the Iglesia ni Cristo, while the city also has mosques and centers for Islam.

[29] Florentino Blanco, town mayor from 1987 to 1992, ran in 1995 but was disqualified by the Supreme Court for vote buying on July 21, 1997.

Blanco was replaced by Vice Mayor Eduardo Nolasco in an acting capacity, serving out the remainder of his term.

In its report, "The World’s Worst Polluted Places" for 2007, Pure Earth said: "Industrial waste is haphazardly dumped into the Meycauayan, Marilao and Obando River system, a source of drinking and agricultural water supplies for the 250,000 people living in and around"[31][32] the Meycauayan-Marilao area.