Much like the Province of Oriental Mindoro to which it belongs, Puerto Galera is very rich in history. The literal translations of its name is "Port of Galleons", which it received from the Spanish seafarers in the 16th Century, who used it as a safe haven during their journeys to the Orient. However its history as a galleon trade destination dates as far back as the prosperous years of the 10th century. For any modern travel it is clear to see upon entering the Puerto Galera by boat why this was already a popular destination for merchant vessels hundreds of years ago. The excellent natural harbor - which even now is considered one of the most beautiful and safest in the world - has crystal clear waters and is fully protected from typhoons (the East Asian version of the hurricane) by the hills and mountains surrounding it. As trade developed, Puerto Galera became a regular stopover for merchant vessels sailing along the important trade routes of the near East and the rest of the Philippines. The Muelle Bay area - Indian coast, Indochinese coats, China, Sumatra, Java now part of town proper - was used extensively for dock repairs and as a safe anchorage for all types of sailing vessels. Here, too, a lot of merchant ships docked to trade with the natives.
Puerto Galera was such an important port that some historians even believe that the name "Mindoro" was derived from Minolo, one of Puerto Galera's old settlements. There are claims, too, that the 16th century references to Mindoro often only meant the harbor of Minolo. Also spelled Minoro, Minolo was a small coastal settlement northwest of Poblacion in present-day Puerto Galera. Then the center of trading, Chinese merchants bartered with the natives of Minolo, exchanging glazed porcelains for gold, jade, corals, shells, birds, rattan, and other forest products that were abundant in the island. An Excavation of an ancient grave site near Minolo lends proof to this. Antiques unearthed there were traced back to the 10th and 15th centuries, mainly from China, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, a more established and maybe more romantic belief is that the name "Mindoro" was derived from the Spanish "Mina de Oro" or Gold Mine. Whether the Spanish found a lot of gold on the island is not clearly know, although there are even on this day people who try to make their fortune by gold panning not so far from Puerto Galera. This belief surely for the base for a lot of interesting folklore.
As the Spanish conquerors had earlier discovered, the natural harbor of Puerto Galera provides a perfect protection from typhoons and storms. In 1574 the Spanish founded Puerto Galera as one of their major trade centers in the Philippines, and soon after made it into an important base. Through the centuries, the Spanish used Puerto Galera as a safe harbor for their galleons (the Spanish name Puerto Galera means simply harbor of galleons). Even before that time, as early as the 10th century, the area of Puerto Galera was a strategic point in the sea trade among India, China, Indonesia, and Japan. And even today, Puerto Galera serves as a safe harbor for fishing boats, yachts, ferries and cargo ships when a typhoon sweeps through the central Philippines.
The center of Puerto Galera has numerous restaurants and inns, plus a thriving t-shirt and flour-sack clothing industry. Other attrractions are the small museum in the compound of the Catholic Church which displays valuable Chinese artifacts and porcelain dishes excavated from nearby Bayanan, and an impresive collection of shells. The marble Cross at Muelle is a landmark in memory of the crew of a Spanish warship which sank in 1879.
