Tayum

Records show that Tayum got its name after the indigo plant which was commonly known to the Ilocanos as Tayum-Tayum. There was a time when indigo flourished in Tayum, then a source of wealth to the Ilocanos. In Barangay Deet, half kilometer away from the town proper, there was a big vat (Pagtimbugan) used in decaying the plant into a blue-black dye called ngila. The dye was used to color yams of cotton. At the beginning of the century, however, a powder dye from the Aniline Factories of Germany came into popular use among Ilocano weavers, causing the death of the indigo industry.

The earliest historical accounts of Tayum date back to 1626 when one adventurous priest, Father Juan Pareja, organized Tayum, also known as Bukaw. Sometime in 1569, an Augustinian Priest, Father Gabriel Alvarez, constructed a temporary chapel in Tayum during the time of his expedition to Lepanto. It was however in 1725 when Tayum was formally organized as a political unit under the Spanish Regime. Don Vidal Banganan served as the first Gobernadorcillo.

From a mere visita of Bangued, Tayum transformed into an independent mission in 1807 with the construction of the solid brick-walled church under the successive Augustinian missions. The church was dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria whose feastday is celebrated every 25th day of November. In 1904, Tayum reverted to a barrio of Bangued, due to the deterioration of peace and order at the time. Tayum ended as a barrio on December 31, 1907, with the designation of Don Pio Balmaceda y Belmonte as Teniente del barrio. Balmaceda organized his men in effectively curbing lawlessness thus restoring the town’s peacefulness. Shortly afterwards, it regained its town status with Don Manuel Brillantes as it first president.

Tayum is located at 17°37′N 120°40′E.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 61.14 square kilometres (23.61 sq mi) [2] constituting 1.47% of the 4,165.25-square-kilometre- (1,608.21 sq mi) total area of Abra.

Tayum is politically subdivided into 11 barangays.[5]

In the 2015 census, Tayum had a population of 14,467. [3] The population density was 240 inhabitants per square kilometre (620/sq mi).

The main mode of public transportation are tricycles and jeepneys.

• Santa Catalina de Alejandria Parish Church

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tayum, Abra.

• Tayum Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Municipality of Tayum