Kuta Watu

Kuta Watu, the stone fort that gave Cotabato its name, stood in the lowlands of the Pulangi River near its mouth on Illana Bay. Here the great river divides into channels crossing a fertile floodplain. Maguindanao, the name of its people and sultanate, refers to those who dwell in the flooded country. Boats on the river connected the delta with communities farther inland.

In the seventeenth century Sultan Kudarat built alliances against Spanish expeditions, drawing support from leaders around the gulf and beyond. The sultanate's influence extended along the lower river, although the rulers of Buayan farther upstream retained their own authority. Through the eighteenth century the balance of power among these riverine leaders changed, and several upstream rulers assumed the title of sultan themselves.