Category: Arts, Places and Events
Vigan is the town in our Ilocos Sur that I love most because of its serenity and milieu. Whenever my family and I visit it, I feel that we were transported back in the Spanish regime. My father is originally from Laoag, Ilocos Norte so whenever we have a Christmas vacation, we see to it that we stop by Vigan and enjoy the sights.
I was very curious about Vigan’s architecture so I researched about it and consequently decided to make a reaction paper about the beautiful town. I learned that it was founded in the 16th century and according to the Vigan’s official website, Vigan is the best-preserved example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia. Its architecture reflects the coming together of cultural elements from elsewhere in the Philippines, from China and from Europe, resulting in a culture and townscape that have no parallel anywhere in East and South-East Asia.
The people describe Vigan as a "place like no other". Its uniqueness lies in the townscape which is a blend of various influences of Asian, European and Latin American. Being the only surviving colonial town in the country, Vigan has more strung along the narrow streets of the old Mestizo District, popularly known in the olden days as Kasanglayan (Chinese Quarters).
Vigan, according to UNESCO, was earlier known as " Ciudad Fernandina" from 1758 to late 19th century, is the oldest surviving Spanish colonial city in the country. It has auspiciously escaped the bombs of World War II unlike its sister cities, Manila and Cebu.
How and why it has survived the wrath of war is a fascinating story on its own. The photograph on the left is a well know street in the town called “ Calle Crisologo”. Vehicles are not allowed to pass by certain streets such as this. The reason they banned the vehicles from passing was mainly to preserve the ambience of the streets and to safeguard the road from being damaged since it was made up of tiles.
I was very curious about Vigan’s architecture so I researched about it and consequently decided to make a reaction paper about the beautiful town. I learned that it was founded in the 16th century and according to the Vigan’s official website, Vigan is the best-preserved example of a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia. Its architecture reflects the coming together of cultural elements from elsewhere in the Philippines, from China and from Europe, resulting in a culture and townscape that have no parallel anywhere in East and South-East Asia.
The people describe Vigan as a "place like no other". Its uniqueness lies in the townscape which is a blend of various influences of Asian, European and Latin American. Being the only surviving colonial town in the country, Vigan has more strung along the narrow streets of the old Mestizo District, popularly known in the olden days as Kasanglayan (Chinese Quarters).
Vigan, according to UNESCO, was earlier known as " Ciudad Fernandina" from 1758 to late 19th century, is the oldest surviving Spanish colonial city in the country. It has auspiciously escaped the bombs of World War II unlike its sister cities, Manila and Cebu.
How and why it has survived the wrath of war is a fascinating story on its own. The photograph on the left is a well know street in the town called “ Calle Crisologo”. Vehicles are not allowed to pass by certain streets such as this. The reason they banned the vehicles from passing was mainly to preserve the ambience of the streets and to safeguard the road from being damaged since it was made up of tiles.
Vigan brings images of old-fashioned houses, cobbled narrow streets, calesas and friendly faces peering out of large windows; a place where "time stood still". Yet, despite all the romantic images this place provokes, much is still unfamiliar about Vigan. Two years ago, we rented a calesa and had a tour around Vigan. It was really enjoyable because our family and relatives had the chance to witness the old houses and the old churches. Majority of the houses had windows made from Capiz. The tour was like being in a movie “Rizal” or “Noli Me Tangere”. I felt that I was one of the characters there riding the calesa in streets that reminded me of the past. Moreover, we had the chance to buy different antique furniture’s from the shops and bought big jars from the burnayan which you can see in the photograph below.
Vigan came from the Ilocano word "kabiga-an" pertaining to the plant "biga" abounds. Biga is a tuberous plant (alocadia indica) that once grew along the banks of its rivers.
Vigan was once a thriving center for trade and commerce among the people of Ilocandia and the Cordilleras. It is situated at the delta of the Abra River (now the Mestizo and Govantes Rivers) going to the South China Sea. This position at the mouth of the river most probably afforded its existence as it was a fluvial harbor connected to the China Sea, making trade possible with other islands and with China.
Today, Vigan was recently included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1999 and converted into a component city last January 21, 2001. In partnership with the government of Spain, the Vigan Master Plan is in the process for the revitalization of the historic Vigan.
Written By: Lani Diana Santos
Date: March 17, 2003
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