Antipolo, Component city in Rizal Province, Philippines
Antipolo is a component city in Rizal Province on the island of Luzon, located east of Metro Manila and spread across several hills and valleys. The city comprises sixteen barangays and combines densely populated residential areas with greener elevated zones that overlook the plain below.
The settlement received its first church structure in the seventeenth century and developed into a pilgrimage destination for believers from across the region. The city administration gained expanded responsibilities in the late twentieth century and became a self-governing urban unit.
The Virgin of Antipolo, brought from Acapulco in 1626, remains central to religious practices and attracts Catholic devotees to the city.
Access to the city runs along several main roads leading east from Manila, which often experience heavy congestion during rush hours. Visitors should allow extra time for travel on weekends and religious holidays, when pilgrims increase the flow of traffic.
The local name refers to the breadfruit tree that once grew throughout the area and provided food for early inhabitants. Today only a few of these trees remain as reminders of the original vegetation on the slopes.
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