Terraced Rice Cultivation in the Philippines

Timeline

1. c. 1000–1521Central Cordillera mountain range · Cordillera Administrative RegionMountain communities enclosed terraces with stone walls and diverted mountain springs for irrigation, forming a production landscape linking forest–settlement–farmland, and coordinated canal building and harvests through councils of elders and sacrificial systems.
2. 1551–1560Cebu and Visayan mission stations · Cebu ProvinceSpanish chronicles and missionary reports began describing Philippine mountain rice cultivation and terrace landscapes; colonial authorities regarded rice as tribute and trade goods, and the terrace system continued to be maintained by indigenous communities under colonial pressure.
3. 1565Mountain terrace areas of Luzon, Philippines · Ifugao ProvinceUnder Spanish and American colonial rule, terraced rice cultivation both supplied local food and faced land taxes, cash-crop competition, and population outflow; since the 20th century it has been listed as cultural heritage and continuously restored.