It seems that in 1665 the Spanish governor of the Philippines, Governor-General D. Diego de Salcedo, sent an expedition from Manila into northern Luzon.  Some time during the three years the expedition was out its influence was felt in Fidelisan and Tanolang, two pueblos in the western part of the Bontoc culture area, for history says they paid tribute.[9] It is not probable that any considerable party from the expedition penetrated the Igorot mountain country as far as the above pueblos.

After the year 1700 expeditions occasionally reached Cayan, which, until about twenty-five years ago, as has been stated, was a Spanish capital.  In 1852 the entire territory of present Lepanto-Bontoc and a large part of northern Nueva Vizcaya were organized as an independent “distrito,” under the name of “Valle de Cayan;"[10] and a few years later, though the author does not give the date, Bontoc was established as an independent “distrito.”

The Spaniards and Ilokano in and about Bontoc Province say that it was about fifty years ago that the Spaniards first came to Bontoc.  The time agrees very accurately with the time of the establishment of the district.  From then until 1899 there was a Spanish garrison of 200 or 300 men stationed in Bontoc pueblo.  Christian Ilokano from the west coast of northern Luzon and the Christian Tagalog from Manila and vicinity were the soldiers.

The Spanish comandante of the “distrito,” the head of the political-military government, resided there, and there were also a few Spanish army officers and an army chaplain.  A large garrison was quartered in Cervantes; there was a church in both Bontoc and Cervantes.  In the district of Bontoc there was a Spanish post at Sagada, between the two capitals, Bontoc and Cervantes.  Farther to the east was a post at Tukukan and Sakasakan, and farther east, at Basao, there was a post, a church, and a priest.

Most of the pueblos had Ilokano presidentes.  The Igorot say that the Spaniards did little for them except to shoot them.  There is yet a long, heavy wooden stock in Bontoc pueblo in which the Igorot were imprisoned.  Igorot women were made the mistresses of both officers and soldiers.  Work, food, fuel, and lumber were not always paid for.  All persons 18 or more years old were required to pay an annual tax of 50 cents or an equivalent value in rice.  A day’s wage was only 5 cents, so each family was required to pay an equivalent of twenty days’ labor annually.  In wild towns the principal men were told to bring in so many thousand bunches of palay —­ the unthreshed rice.  If it was not all brought in, the soldiers frequently went for it, accompanied by Igorot warriors; they gathered up the rice, and sometimes burned the entire pueblo.  Apad, the principal man of Tinglayan, was confined six years in Spanish jails at Bontoc and Vigan because he repeatedly failed to compel his people to bring in the amount of palay assessed them.

They say there were three small guardhouses on the outskirts of Bontoc pueblo, and armed Igorot from an outside town were not allowed to enter.  They were disarmed, and came and went under guard.