The place now called Sinait was once the base of pirates known locally as "tirong." These seafaring people had wrestling games known as "sin-nait." Dropping one of the 'n's, it became the name of the municipality.
The ancestral houses were built mostly by rich Chinese traders. These great big houses are made of thick brick walls and plastering with red clay. Tile roofs are made to survive earthquakes. The Mestizo district where more than a hundred houses line side by side along Calle Crisologo.
