Liliw, officially the Municipality of Liliw (), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 39,491 people. It is one of the highland towns forming the southern extremity of Laguna. It is situated at the foot of Mt. Banahaw. Liliw has a total land area of . It is bounded on the north-west by Santa Cruz; north-east by Magdalena; on the east by Majayjay; on the west by Nagcarlan; and on the south by Dolores, Quezon. Liliw is perhaps best known for its cold water spring resorts, native homemade sweets and a sizeable shoe industry that rivals that of Marikina. The town is also known for its baroque church and its Liliw-style houses. The local government is currently undertaking means to conserve its cultural heritage sites and has proposed to enact a legislation that would mandate the usage of the Liliwstyle architecture as the only means of construction and re-construction in the town. If the ordinance passes, Liliw will have a greater chance to become a heritage town, and further support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. History Founded in 1571 by Gat Tayaw, the small town of Liliw is nestled at the foot of Mount Banahaw, away from Santa Cruz, Laguna's capital. According to a story, Liliw got its name from a bird. It was said that Gat Tayaw and his followers decided to erect a bamboo pole and to name the town after the bird that would first alight at the top of the pole within four days. A crow, however, was the first bird to alight on the pole. A crow was considered bad and so Gat Tayaw and his men moved south and erected another bamboo pole. A beautiful bird alighted on the pole and sang, "Liw, Liw, Liw". Thus the town became Liliw. This is supported by first Tagalog dictionary written by Fr. San Buenaventura in 1613, under the dictionary entry 'lilio' stating "a type of bird, from which the town in Laguna under the Franciscan monks is named after." The spelling of the town's name from Lilio was changed on June 11, 1965, when the municipal council passed Resolution No. 38-S-65 which declared “Liliw” as the official name and spelling of the town. This was to avoid confusion in pronouncing and spelling the name of the town. Geography