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Calle Crisologo, Vigan City, Philippines

You haven’t been to Vigan if you didn’t set on foot at Calle Crisologo. This is the heart and soul of Spanish colonial Philippine village of Vigan. This brought the city to its prestige as part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Indeed, Calle Crisologo, or sometimes called Vigan Heritage Village, transports people back into time when the Philippines was under Madre España.

The streetscape, spanning from Burgos Plaza towards Liberation Avenue, is lined with old bahay-na-bato houses, mostly made of brick or stone at the ground floor and hard wood on its second floor. The complete row of aged ancestral houses survived the onslaught of Mother Nature, wars and Father Time himself. Most of the roofs of the houses though are made of galvanized iron, only a few still use tejas or tiles.

The street is paved in cobblestone, much like any old urban cores during the Spanish colonial era. It is a vestige of colonial Europe in Asian setting.

A Calle Crisologo antique shop

As mentioned earlier, the bahay-na-bato houses are made of stone, brick or masonry in the first level while the second floor, made of hard wood. Houses back then were like this since they use the first floor, not as a residential floor, but as a bodega and garaje for their calesas. Some make their ground level floors as commercial shops. The second floor on the other hand was used as the residential area. It seems to have brought the bahay kubo aspect.

Hero, the calesa horse, Calle Crisologo, Vigan

Our calesa stopped here. I was amazed with the number of heritage houses…the streetscape…everything! As if I was brought back a hundred years ago…minus the tourists though.

House under renovation, Calle Crisologo, Vigan

Today, Calle Crisologo is frequently used as a shooting location for local films and TV shows. I saw this at Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s film “Jose Rizal” and CCP’s “Noli me Tangere” series. The well-preserved streetscape and houses has brought tourists by the thousands every year. Houses were turned into antique shops or commercial establishments. It gave jobs to local Bigueños and Ilocanos and has boosted Vigan’s economy and commerce. Although the presence of tourists has brought “artificiality” in the area, this proves that old houses can be used for today’s benefit. Not only it teaches us our history and heritage as a Filipino nation, but on how we can create a sustainable living with our heritage held high!

It’s 11:30AM. Time to hit the road again and go back to Manila…(passing by La Union province though for a brief visit). We bid our cucheros farewell at Burgos Plaza, paid them and thanked them for their service. I shall return! Veni Vidi Vicci Vigan!

More photos of Calle Crisologo here:

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