Still, another account was that of a certain Augustinian named Father Cavada, who said that the first chapel in the islands with Saint Matthew as patron was built by the riverside in 1596 south of the present Población of the town, which was then only a Barrio of Tondo.

According to one account, when the Spaniards made a reconnaissance of Manila's environs, they saw the San Mateo floodplains and were enamored by the natural beauty of the place.

They decided to found a community there and one day, a Spanish scribe happened to stand on a mound with a book in one hand and a pen in the other.

His statuesque pose prompted a companion to laugh and comment how the scribe resembled Saint Matthew, referring to the usual manner the evangelist is depicted in art.

As described by Paluzie in a geographical book, this small Spanish town is near a high mountain (and) has a river that flowed through its center, which often floods but quickly recedes.

The present San Mateo is traversed by the Maly and Nangka rivers and its flood plains may have been a lush grazing area then.

The original image of Saint Matthew, which was housed in the destroyed Augustinian chapel, was translated to Barangay Dulongbayan (formerly llaya), where it was enshrined as patron of the village, which still keeps his feast on 21 September.

On 16 May 1687, the territory and convent of San Mateo were added to Pasig by the Augustinians, with the headquarters and residences of the mission at Mariquina (Marikina).

In 1699, the convent of Saint Augustine won a court case against native inhabitants with regard to a claim over a ranch in the district of San Mateo.

On 2 November, San Mateo would fall under the revolutionary forces led by Bonifacio, capturing the municipal hall and besieging the Spanish garrison in the town.

During the succeeding Philippine–American War, General Licerio Gerónimo's guerrilla bands from the foothills of San Mateo and Montalbán attacked American troops in October 1900.

A curious twist of history occurred when during the fighting, Gen. Henry Ware Lawton–who had captured the elusive Apache leader Geronimo–was in turn killed by a sharpshooter under Gen. Gerónimo.

Its real divisions then included the barrios of Ampid, Santa Ana, Guitnangbayan, Dulongbayan, Malanday, Guinayang and Maly.

However, due to constant development of the rural areas and the increase in population, the barrios of Guitnangbayan and Dulongbayan were divided into two sections.

San Mateo became a recipient of the new, democratized education system when Mr. Frank Green was assigned as the town’s first school supervisor, assisted by two Filipino teachers José Bernabé and Miguel Cristi.

Residents were advised by the Air Raid Warden to vacate the Población and seek refuge in Sitio Kalamyong on the west bank of the Marikina River.

However, one afternoon, a bomb on board an American Air Force plane was accidentally dropped on the refugee camp at Sitio Kalamyong, killing a hundred civilians.

60, Series of 2016 requesting Senate through its president, Franklin Drilon and the House of Representatives through its speaker, Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to co-sponsor a bill for San Mateo's conversion into a city and creation of a lone legislative district.

Through Presidential Proclamation 681, September 21, 2024 was declared a special non-working day in San Mateo, to commemorate the town's 452nd founding anniversary.

San Mateo is bordered by Quezon City to the west, Marikina and Antipolo to the south, and by the Municipality of Rodriguez (Montalban) to the north.

A Coca-Cola warehouse is also situated at Patiis Road corner GSIS Street (Daang Tubo) in Barangay Dulong Bayan 2.

San Mateo also primarily manufactures gravel and sand aggregates together with other construction supplies that are found in hardware shops distributed all over the municipality.

A major commercial area starts from the vicinity of the public market, bounded by the national road going to Rodriguez (Montalban) and Street of Daang Bakal in Barangay Guitnang Bayan 2.

This SM Supermall and the very first full-service mall of San Mateo opens on May 15, 2015, serving local residents and from neighboring areas.

That basketball court which stands today, surrounded by the Montalban Catholic Church and Cemetery, was once the railway station terminus of that particular line.

Today, the citizens are dependent on tricycles, jeepneys, Taxis, FX, Buses, and AUV's which contribute to the everyday unusual and unbearable traffic of Metropolitan Manila.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) implemented a route rationalization system for city buses.

[29] Completed and started operating in May 2007, the Manila Water North Septage Treatment Plant is located in Barangay Guitnang Bayan 2.

The project involves the construction of pumping station and reservoirs and the laying of 25 kilometers of water lines including mainlines and will benefit twelve existing subdivisions occupying a total land area of 27 hectares.

Andy Santiago, president of the San Mateo Sanitary Landfill and Development Corp., said it has given the green light for the 19-hectare facility in Rizal province to do business.