First Ilocandia Escapade | An Afternoon Visit in a Historic City of Vigan

The Philippines is noted for its several cultural heritage sites traced back to its history. Most of these places are preserved since the pre-colonial times such as the Banaue Rice Terraces, while others are maintained since the Spanish era. Therefore, these historical sites are visited by tourists in order to explore the history and culture of our country.

The UNESCO World Heritage City of Vigan in an afternoon visit.

In this blog, there are posts which are featured heritage cities which are preserved dating back from the Spanish colonial period. Some of these were visited and featured in blog such as Intramuros in Manila, Pila in Laguna and Taal in Batangas. These three heritage sites were featured in my blog which expressing my thoughts of traveling back in time because of the architecture in ancestral houses and structures which are made during Spanish colonial times. Therefore, I visited another heritage city which made my bucket list complete in this tour - the Heritage City of Vigan.

Vigan City is one of the New 7 Wonders Cities.

Before we go home to Cavite, we never missed the opportunity to visit this old Spanish city of Vigan. Located on the western coast of Ilocos Sur, Vigan is one of the few towns left in the Philippines whose old houses and structures are remained intact. The city is known for its sett pavements and a unique architecture of the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines. There are abundance of bahay na bato (literally house of stone) houses and an Earthquake Baroque church. In fact, the entire city was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage City after being declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. In 2015, Vigan City was officially recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities.

The Saint Paul Metropolitan Cathedral located in Plaza Salcedo.

The bell tower of Saint Paul Metropolitan Cathedral.

Before we begin the roaming tour in the city, we visited the Saint Paul Metropolitan Cathedral. It serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Nueva Segovia in Ilocos Sur. It was built in 1574 as a church made up of wood and the present day church was built from 1790 to 1800 under the supervision of Augustinians.

Plaza Salcedo

Plaza Burgos

Ilocos Sur Provincial Capitol

The church is located within the Plaza Salcedo which featured a dancing fountain and light show in the evening and an adjacent plaza called Plaza Burgos which is noted for its food stalls. You can also find the Ilocos Sur Provincial Capitol within the vicinity of the town center.

Faded walls and capis windows are evidences of the 

There are many tourists walked in this century-old street.

It is amusing to see Mamang Sorbetero (ice cream vendor) with his ice cream cart.

The Kalesa or horse-drawn carriage is very common in the Philippines until today.

The sights and sounds of Calle Crisologo.

Then, we entered at the Calle Crisologo, the most popular ancestral street in Vigan. You have this time traveling back in time because of the stone houses which were preserved since the Spanish era. The sett pavements (also known as Belgian blocks or sampietrino) which are common during the colonial era and the calesa (a horse drawn carriage) is the most common mode of transportation in the street. Seeing those bahay na bato (stone houses) made and preserved since the Spanish era are quite amusing because it remained intact in the actual place. Nowadays, the ancestral houses are business establishments, historical museums and transient houses and hotels, however, the structure and architecture remained intact.

The Ilocos Sur Provincial Tourism Office.

The ancestral house of Leona Florentino, the first female Filipino poet and her son, Isabelo Delos Reyes
the first Filipino who organized a labor union.

Aside from roaming along the old streets of Calle Crisologo, you may also visit the ancestral house of Leona Florentino, the first Filipina poetess and noted for her poems such as "Blasted Hopes." Her son, Isabelo Delos Reyes played an important role in history which he organized the first labor union in the Philippines and he did a major role in the Aglipayan Church. Today, there are two establishments shared in their ancestral house - a restaurant named Cafe Leona and the Ilocos Sur Provincial Office. In addition, Elpidio Quirino was also born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

An afternoon scene in Calle Crisologo.

We've done a lot of things in this place from souvenir shopping, photo sessions, and strolling in the streets of Calle Crisologo. We enjoyed the last part of our Ilocos Tour and definitely, memories will be treasured and if we were given a chance to come back, definitely, we will grab the opportunity to explore more about the Ilocandia. 

Date: August 27, 2018