Before the conquest of Laguna Lake region. Nagcarlan was headed by a valiant datu named Gat Lakilaw. Its conversion to Christianity began in 1578 through the efforts of Fr. Juan de Plasensia and Fr. Diego Oropesa, both Franciscan missionaries. The community formally became a pueblo in 1583 under Fr. Tomas de Miranda, who brought Nagcarlan the first seeds of wheat ever on Philippine soil..
It was in this town that Fr. Plasencia wrote the first “Diccionario Hispano-Tagalog” in 1579. Ten years later, he wrote the manuscript of “Costumbrez de los Tagalog”, which according to Franciscan documents, served as a guide for the Alcaldes Mayores for effective and righteous governance.
In 1595, Don Juan Banol, then Alcalde Mayor of Laguna, visited Nagcarlan and appointed the town’s first Gobernadorcillo in the person of Gaspar Cahupa, a native, who served until 1687.
In 1851, Fr. Vicente Belloc, a Franciscan missionary who served as Nagcarlan parish priest for twenty years, led the construction of the Underground Cemetery. The only one of its kind in the country, this cemetery was used as exclusive burial ground for Spanish friars. It later served as a secret meeting place of Filipino revolutionaries . The Historic pact of “Biac-na-Bato” was first planned by Pedro Paterno and Gen. Severino Taino of the “Maluningning” command during their secret meeting in this cemetery in 1897.
The “Brains of the Katipunan” Gen. Emilio Jacinto, wounded after an encounter in Majayjay, Laguna was captured in Nagcarlan 1898.
The town’s main industries are:
The municipality is projected to be the “VEGETABLE BOWL OF SOUTHERN LUZON”. The town is also vying to be the “Newest Trade Center of Laguna” for its favorable amenities and low prices of commodities like meat and vegetables.