established as a pueblo by the Friars. Juan de Plasencia and Diego Oropesa. Due to a death of the prior of Paete at that time, Paete was annexed to the Convent of Lumban. Then in 1600, Paete became a barrio of Pangil. In 1602, Paete became independent town having its own convent and was christened Pueblo de San Lorenzo in honor of the town's first patron saint. The pueblo consisted not only of Paete, but included the neighboring towns of Pakil, San Antonio, Longos and Kalayaan. In 1671, Fray Francisco Soller reenacted the Via Crucis to resuscitate the people's waning faith. He carried a cross from the town proper up to Mt. Ping-as in Pakil. In 1676, when Pakil became a separate pueblo, the townspeople of Paete wanted crosses of their own, so they built and located them in sitio Santa Ana, and named the site Tatlong Krus (Three Crosses). Paete regained its full township status only in 1850. American Colonial Era In 1899, American forces launched the Laguna campaign to subjugate the whole province and squelch insurrection. On the last leg of the campaign on April 12, an American battalion of 200 men invaded Paete but met strong resistance from an inexperienced force of less than 50 men. The town was subdued but it proved to be a costly battle for the Americans. World War II and Japanese Occupation In 1942, Japanese troops occupied Paete, local recognized guerrillas and ongoing troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units were sieges and conflicts in Paete was fought against the Imperial Japanese military and local collaborators from 1942 to 1944 until retreat by local guerrillas from the Japanese hands. In 1945, combined Filipino and American soldiers, as well as recognized guerrillas liberated Paete and defeat by the Japanese and ended in World War II. Geography Barangays Paete is politically subdivided into 9 barangays: Barangay 1 - Ibaba del Sur Barangay 2 - Maytoong Barangay 3 - Ermita Barangay 4 - Quinale Barangay 5 - Ilaya del Sur Barangay 6 - Ilaya del Norte Barangay 7 - Bagumbayan Barangay 8 - Bangkusay Barangay 9 - Ibaba del Norte Climate Demographics In the 2020 census, the population of Paete was 24,945 people, with a density of . Religion The only Catholic Church in the town is the Saint James the Apostle Parish Church which was first built in 1646. Paete is also a pilgrimage