Return to Ilocandia | Revisiting the Heritage Province of Ilocos Sur

Walking along the cobblestone roads and looking at the colonial stone houses in an old heritage city give us the feeling of going back to the past. It is also nostalgic seeing classic structures standing still until the contemporary time, which was preserved by the people, serving historical and cultural traces of the past in a certain town or city reflecting its local color.

In the commemoration of National Heritage Month 2025, let us explore and visit some of the cultural sites that reflect the traditions and history of the Ilocos Region.

The empty Calle Crisologo with classic and contemporary structures in a cobblestone street before sunrise.

The first stop in our tour for the first day is the historic city of Vigan. Known for its colonial houses preserved during the Spanish era with its classic architecture combined with European and Oriental influences, Belgian block roads, and the use of calesa as its mode of transportation, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.

Cozy cafes and fast food chains inspired by Spanish-era architecture became main attractions in the city.

Calesa, a horse carriage during the Spanish era, is the most common mode of transportation.

Furthermore, the city has founded in 1572 by conquistador Juan de Salcedo and named it as "Villa Fernandina de Vigan" in honor of Prince Ferdinand, son of King Philip II of Spain. Vigan is also the birthplace of Leona Florentino, the mother of Philippine women's literature and Elpidio Quirino, the sixth president of the Philippines. 

Some buildings in Calle Crisologo need to undergo renovation due to damages done by earthquake.

Early morning sunrise at Calle Crisologo.

The memorial marker of Jose Burgos (left) located in Plaza Salcedo and the monument of Leona Florentino in Calle Crisologo (right).

There are many renovations are still ongoing after an earthquake struck in the city in 2022, resulting into damages in old structures such as various old houses in Calle Crisologo, Vigan Cathedral, and even the church and its bell tower in its neighboring town of Bantay.

The panoramic view of Bantay Bell Tower as seen from Bantay Church grounds.

Bantay Bell Tower.

Bantay is located few kilometers away from Vigan which was one of the early towns in Ilocos Sur founded in 1593. It is also the home of Bantay Church (Saint Augustine Church) that houses the image of Apo Caridad (Our Lady of Charity). Furthermore, the church and the belltower are some of the oldest structures in the province. However, the church and the belltower were struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on 2022.

Bantay Bell Tower and the Foodmarks marker in Vigan.

There are still many heritage and historical sites in the province as we continue to explore it in the future and even revisiting the next destination - Ilocos Norte. 

Date of Travel: April 25, 2025

First Ilocandia Escapade | Exploring Ilocos Sur in a Rainy Day

As I woke up, I noticed that raindrops are drenching the windows of our bus. It is an exact opposite of the dry weather when we left Cavite as we go ahead to the North, even we reached our first stop over in Sison, Pangasinan. In fact, it was raining in Northern Luzon because of Habagat (southwest monsoon), however our tour continued as we proceeded to our first destination - Ilocos Sur. 

A cinematic effect of the strong waves hustling the rocks during the rainy weather in Ilocos Sur. 

The view deck as we entered the town of Santa, Ilocos Sur. 

The first town that captured my attention is Santa, Ilocos Sur. From the refreshing view of verdant rice fields and lush, green mountains to the view of the sea from the highway, it reminds me of the Coastal Road (part of Cavite Expressway or CAVITEX) where you can have a glimpse of the sea from the bus. In fact, the big, hustling waves hit the rocks and the gray sky teemed with the waters due to rainy weather in the place.

The view of the Old Quirino Bridge during that rainy day.

After the coastal town, we also have the chance to pass on Quirino Bridge. This arch bridge is preserved as a tourist attraction and located between two mountains, traversing the Abra River. Due to the bad weather, we weren't able to visit the old bridge, just passed the new Quirino Bridge. The bridge usually connects the towns of Santa and Bantay which is built to honor President Elpidio Quirino. It was destroyed by Super Typhoon Feria in 2001, but it was restored by the Chinese engineers in 2007 which is a stone throw replacement from the original bridge. Since 2009, the original bridge is currently preserved as a tourist attraction.

The vintage calesas aligned in the streets of Bantay.

The Neo-Gothic architectural style of the church mixed with Romanesque design.

A few minutes away from the bridge, we went to the town proper of Bantay, Ilocos Sur. We visited two tourist attractions in the town - the Bantay Church and the Bantay Bell Tower. The Saint Augustine Parish Church, also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity housing the miraculous image of Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Charity, as the patroness of Ilocandia on 1956. The church was establised in 1590, it is one of the oldest churches in Ilocos Region

The Bantay Church is one of the oldest churches in Ilocos Region built in 1590.

A closer look of the Bantay Bell Tower.

Adjacent to the church is the Bantay Bell Tower. This belfry on the hilltop is made up of bricks and mud which was used as a watchtower for invading the enemy forces during the World War II. This tower is overlooking the green pastures of the town and the neighboring province of Abra. 

The geese were aligned in the Baluarte while they were taking a rest.

Before we proceed to Ilocos Norte, we made it to the neighboring heritage city of Vigan where we visited the Baluarte, a zoo owned by the politician Luis "Chavit" Singson. There are very few animals in this park such as deer, lion, geese, parrots, and birds. 

Newly-made potteries ranging from different sizes from small pots to big clay jars.

The tourists are trying to make pottery in traditional style. 

Lastly, we went to the Pagburnayan Pottery Place, the iconic pottery place in the city where they used old and authentic methods in pottery. The term "burnay" is an earthenware jar which is crafted by potter's hands with the help of potter's wheel. It is made up of sand fired at a high-temperature in a huge brick and clay ground kiln. Burnay jars are used in fermenting fish sauce (bagoong), sugarcane vinegar and basi wine. 

Different jars and decorations can be found in the Pagburnayan Pottery Place.

This backyard is like an archaeological site where there are several burnay jars kept in this area.

After our day tour in Ilocos Sur, we took our lunch and traveled going to Ilocos Norte despite of the rainy weather. We are still seeing the rain is never stop pouring where there are flooded streets because of the bad weather condition carried by the southwest monsoon due to typhoon Luis which is found outside the country. As a result, the region particularly Ilocos Norte was under the state of calamity because of the weather condition. However, there are many tourists who are enjoying their stay in Ilocos despite of this weather. They enjoyed the sights and explored the culture of Ilocos Sur on that day.

Therefore, if I were given a chance to come back in Ilocos and make a tour in the summer season, definitely I will come back to savor the moments in Ilocandia. I need to explore more about their culture and tourist spots.

Date: August 25, 2018