The Creation of the World and Mankind: A Pangasinan Myth

Long before the world knew the names of rivers, mountains, or seas, there was only the void—silent and dark. From this vast nothingness, Ama Gaolay, the Supreme Deity, stirred. With a single breath, he summoned light, sound, and time into existence.

Ama Gaolay’s dwelling was an invisible palace that rode the clouds when he wished to travel across the earth. On ordinary days, his palace rested atop Pangasinan’s tallest mountain— which is now called Mount San Isidro, which is located in Labrador, Pangasinan.

From his divine essence, he bore two sons: Agueo, the morose and taciturn Sun God, and Bulan, the merry and mischievous Moon God. Agueo burned bright with the fire of strength and life, while Bulan shimmered with the calm of mystery and reflection. Though opposites in nature, Ama Gaolay loved them both dearly. Yet he saw that light and darkness alone could not shape a living world.

So he breathed once more, and from his breath came the Anitos—divine spirits charged with guarding and guiding the realms to come.

To the land, he sent the Anitos of Dalin—guardians of mountains, valleys, and plains. At their touch, the mountains rose, forests thickened, and rivers carved winding paths through fertile soil. To the sea, Ama Gaolay sent the Anitos of Dayat, who dove into the deep and wove the ocean currents, raised coral palaces, and gave voice to the tides.

With earth and sea now shaped, Ama Gaolay desired life.

One day, Agueo descended from the sky and touched the land with his golden light. Where his rays kissed the earth, grains of sand began to glow, and from them, the first men and women emerged—radiant, strong, and warm-hearted like their father, the sun.

Not long after, Bulan, curious about his brother’s creation, descended at night and touched the sea with his silver light. The waves shimmered, and from the foaming surf rose beings of deep thought and gentle spirits—children of the moon and the sea, as mysterious and reflective as their father.

However, these men and women, shaped by Agueo and Bulan, inherited their creators’ distinct temperaments. As they married and intermarried, their descendants came to bear a wondrous mix of personalities—some fierce and passionate like the sun, others calm and contemplative like the moon.

Ama Gaolay rejoiced in this new race—Mankind, born of sun and land, and of moon and sea—two halves of one soul. But he also saw that humankind was fragile and wild, caught between light and shadow, tide and soil.

So he summoned the Anitos once more.

To the Anitos of Dalin, he said:

“Guide those who live and walk the land. Teach them to grow rice, to hunt, and to honor the forests.”

To the Anitos of Dayat, he said:

“Guard those who live and journey by water. Show them how to fish, to sail, and to respect the power of the sea.”

Thus, balance was brought to the earth.

The children of Agueo and Bulan spread across Pangasinan, settling by the rivers and seas, in the valleys and hills. They sang to the sun at dawn, and whispered to the moon at night. They gave offerings to the Anitos and lived in harmony with the world shaped by Ama Gaolay.

And to this day, when the sun rises over the golden rice fields and the moon casts a silver path across the Lingayen Gulf, the people of Pangasinan remember who they are—children of sky and earth, of flame and tide, forever watched by the Anitos, and forever loved by Ama Gaolay.