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Calesa de Vigan

I’ve reiterated before that we only have a short half-day stay in Vigan City in Ilocos Sur. Bitin! But I’ve enjoyed it a lot…that I’m craving for coming back at Vigan in the near future. The laidback and charming heritage city in fairness can be toured within half-a-day, just like what we did last year…with several stops, appreciating Vigan’s nostalgic beauty. Tok-tok-tok-tok, the stomping of horses surrounds the city, somehow giving an ambiance of going back through time…Vigan in a calesa tour.

Plaza Salcedo & Plaza Burgos: Starting Lap

We’ve started the day at Plaza Salcedo, the largest plaza in town. (See related article of Plaza Salcedo) I’ve appreciated the beauty of the heart of Vigan’s power and urbanity. Plaza Salcedo has a wide plaza with a lagoon. Surrounding it is: the provincial capitol, the city hall, and the cathedral, Plaza Maestro shopping arcade and One Mart. Like every Philippine town, the plaza is the most important place during the Spanish colonial era.

Plaza Salcedo, Vigan, Ilocos Sur

On the other hand, Plaza Burgos is located on the southern side of the Cathedral and north of the Vigan Heritage Village of Calle Crisologo. It’s smaller yet it’s a venue for socio-civic activities. It is also here were you can find tourist calesas or horse-drawn carriages. And guess what, the cucheros or calesa-drivers are honest (and I like it!). No hidden fees, they’ll say the price of half-a-day tour around downtown Vigan straightforward. And guess what, its only P250 for the 2 hour trip (8am to 10am)! Incredibly cheaper than their Manila counterparts! And they’re friendly too. Nasingpet ti cucheros!

Along the way to Burnayan

Up ahead, Padre Burgos Museum

Vigan is like just any other Philippine city beyond its heritage charm. I really love the laidback atmosphere as we passed by the Capitolio and through Padre Burgos’s old house. In fairness for Vigan, despite the encroachment of modernity, calesas are still part of the public mode of transportation although they cater more to tourist nowadays. Bigueños on the other hand use tricycles or walking. The streets are narrow, a sign of being an old city planned during the time of the Spanish colonial era.

Burnayan

The burnayan or pottery place is a one stop shop for pottery and any souvenirs from Vigan. It is located at the corner of Liberation Boulevard and Gomez Street.

Burnays of Vigan

Burnay – Ilocano for pot(s). Vigan’s own pot and clay jars…big clay jars I mean. Creating one takes time and skill…with earth forged with water and hardened by fire. It is a distinct mark of the Bigueos.

Liberation Boulevard

Quite a unique name though. This boulevard runs through east to west. It is one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares. It connects the commercial district at Quezon Avenue, the city’s public market, the old cemetery, Vigan Heritage village in Calle Crisologo and the residential areas. A number of bus stations such as Domimion, Partas and Farias pass by this street. This boulevard is usually packed with tricycles, cars and calesas. This is the only area in Vigan where you could experience that traffic congestion that only big cities offer.

Traffic congestion near Vigan Public Market

One landmark in this boulevard though is the old cemetery of Vigan locally called as Bassit Cemetery and the capilla/camposanto. The old graveyard site, along with its baroque chapel, still functions as one of Bigueos’ resting place. The camposanto is whitewashed and the graveyard is still surrounded by its Spanish colonial stone fences. It’s giving a taste of what Philippines were a century ago.

Cemetery Chapel of Bassit (Simbaan a Bassit), Vigan City

Vigan City Public Market / Tiendahan

Locally called “Tiendahan,” this is Vigan’s central public market. This is where you can virtually buy almost any delicacy that Ilocanos can offer. We bought our bagnet here (dried pork deep fried) as well as the sukang Iloko (Ilocano rice vinegar).

Vigan City Public Market

Museo Crisologo

We’re on our way to Calle Crisologo. But before that street, we passed by another Crisologo place in Vigan…which is just along Liberation Boulevard. The ancestral house of the powerful Crisologo clan was turned into a museum. The house, home of solon Floro Crisologo, features the family’s photos, memorabilia and the display on his assassination in 1970s by unknown gunmen. Floro was one of those who worked towards enacting the Tobacco Law (Ilocos’s famed cash crop is tobacco) and the establishment of SSS or Social Security System in the Philippines.

Outside Museo Crisologo

After that brief visit in one of the houses of Vigan’s prominent families, we’re on our way to Calle Crisologo…the climax of the calesa trip at Vigan.

And…it’s just only past ten in the morning! I just love the crisp Ilokano weather!

Wen Manong! Speaketh and ye shall receiveth bargaineth!

Our mamang cuchero in Vigan

Looking for bargain in Ilocos? I know Ilocano is one of the most difficult languages that I have to learn (despite that my lineage is also of Ilocano blood…mom’s Ilocana) but just only say these words and your wallet’s wounds shall be healed:

Buy – Gumatang.

How much is it? – Mano daytoy?

Can you lower the price? Mabalin nga ilaklakam basit ti presyo na manang/manong/adding? (manong, manang or adding refers to the person).

Cheap – Nalaka.

Expensive – Nagngina met.

Thanks – Agyamanak; Thank you very much – agyamanak unay.

I hope these words can bring you bargain souvenirs.

More photos here of Museo Crisologo Inside:

And through the streets of Vigan:

And the Calesa Route that we took a year ago:


View Vigan Calesa Route in a larger map

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Plaza Salcedo & Vigan Cathedral, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

The plaza or town square has been the core of every Spanish colonial settlement in the Philippines. The plaza can be a venue of anything, from carnivals, fairs to public execution. Surrounding it are mostly important edifices of local authority. The heritage city of Vigan, the capital of Ilocos Sur, has one of the finest classical examples of the plaza complex…a heritage of urban planning in the Philippines.

Plaza Salcedo

Plaza Salcedo and Ilocos Sur Provincial Capitol, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

Perhaps, the first glimpse of Vigan would probably be at Plaza Salcedo and several imposing yet important edifices that surround the spacious plaza. The Plaza itself was named after the Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo, who explored the northern part of Luzon island, todo en nombre de España (all in the name of Spain) in the late 16^th century.

It is in this area where you can find the ecclesiastical, the provincial and the city authorities…all in one area. Indeed, this is Ciudad Fernandina’s seat of power. This plaza does not only have the usual monuments and trees, but also have a towering obelisk in the middle of a reflecting pool! (Too bad the pool was dried up for cleaning when we went there).

Monument at Plaza Salcedo, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

Today, together with the edifices of power comes the edifices of commerce…Mart One and Plaza Maestro, both shopping areas in Vigan, still utilized the predominant bahay na bato and baroque architecture to adapt in its surroundings. Even Jolibee and McDonalds nearby has also the same motif!

From this point on, you can go anywhere in Vigan City…to its commercial district along Quezon Avenue, to the picture-and-movie-perfect heritage houses along Calle Crisologo. Truly, Plaza Salcedo is the core of the Heritage City of Vigan.

Vigan Cathedral

Vigan Cathedral and Belfry

Saint Paul Metropolitan Cathedral or much known as Vigan Cathedral is a baroque church basked in cream and white stands at the eastern edge of the plaza. A wooden church was erected here in 1574 by the command of the conquistador Juan de Salcedo. The present stone church was built in 1641 and became a cathedral when the Archdiocesan seat of power of Nueva Segovia transferred from modern-day Lal-lo in Cagayan province to Villa Fernandina or Vigan in 1758. The church became a bastion of Filipino revolutionaries under Colonel Juan Villamor in 1896 and by the American colonial troops under Lieutenant Colonel James Parker in 1899. The interior of the cathedral is well lit with a tone of classical beige and cream. The retablo is rather simple compared to some of its counterparts, yet eloquent as most baroque altars are.

Vigan Cathedral Belfry

And because of the constant threat of earthquakes that rattle Ilocandia, the friars that designed the cathedral has had the belfry separated from the main church itself. Some say, this is to prevent excessive damage to the church during earthquakes since most of the time, the campanarios or belfries fall first during a trembler.

Inside Vigan Cathedral

Today, the cathedral is a venue for the religious devotion of Ilocano and Filipino Catholics. I heard that the Holy Week here is a must see for all who love antiquity and culture.

Arzobispado de Nueva Segovia

Arzobispado de Nueva Segovia

Also known as the Archbishop’s Palace of Nueva Segovia, this is the seat of power and the official residence of the archbishop of Nueva Segovia…which holds authority to most of present day parishes all throughout Ilocandia and some parts of Cordillera. The diocese of Nueva Segovia was made through the Papal Bull of Pope Clement VIII and the efforts of Bishop Domingo de Salazar in Madrid in 1595. Fray Miguel de Benavides OSA became its first bishop…and as I’ve said earlier, the first site was at Lal-lo in Cagayan.

Chinese Foo Dogs at the Side of the Main Doorway of the Archbishop's Palace in Vigan

The current archbishop’s palace, a classical example of Spanish colonial architecture, was built in 1783 to 1790…yes folks its more than 200 years old and it’s still standing! It has witnessed the occupation of the revolucionarios in 1896 and the American occupation in 1899. The Ecclesiastical Court was once located here until 1890.

The Archbishop's Palace and Manong Sorbetero

By the way, if you have the eye for detail…you might be wondering why there are Chinese foo dogs at the side of the main doorway? Like San Agustin Church in Intramuros Manila, Cebu Cathedral and many more, most probable explanation would be the employment of Chinese laborers during the construction of the edifice. And please correct me if I’m wrong but the Chinese believe that foo dogs are guardians of the house.

Ilocos Sur Capitol and City Hall of Vigan

(Note: Tell me if you’re nose-bleeding or bored, hehe!)

Provincial Capitol of Ilocos Sur, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

Like all plaza complexes in the country, state power is also located besides the plaza. On the western side of the plaza…opposite of the majestic Vigan Cathedral, is the Provincial Capitol of Ilocos Sur. The capitol was built during the American Occupation in the Philippines. While much of Vigan is under Don Quixote’s influence in terms of architecture, the capitol was influenced by Uncle Sam’s frenzy over neo-classical buildings like those seen in Washington DC and even in the newer government buildings in Manila during that time. The capitol’s façade is dominated by its two Doric columns…and by the time we went there, they painted it in warm pastel earth colors…a reflection of the Ilocano’s colour of culture, of hard work and resourcefulness.

City Hall of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

While the provincial capitol of Ilocos Sur belongs to the league of neo-classical provincial capitols in the country, the City Hall of Vigan is somehow reminiscent of the old presidencias or municipal halls during the Spanish colonial period. Basked in blue, it is the seat of city government of Vigan.

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More photos of Plaza Salcedo, Vigan Cathedral, Provincial Capitol, City Hall of Vigan and the surrounding buildings of the Plaza here:

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Morning came, well…early m0rning…after that long exhausting journey from Manila. We reached Vigan at around midnight with almost all of the hotels and inns fully booked! Talk about vacation during Christmas season! Anyway, we’ve managed to find a roadside hotel in the outskirts of Vigan City, in the town of Bantay.

And yes, the cocks crowed and that rustic Cordilleras dominate the landscape that is distinctly Ilocandia! First stop, Bantay Church…Oh well, before you enter the cabisera of Ilocos Sur province, you’ll have to pass by Bantay…pero kung tutuusin parang kabilang barangay lang ng Vigan ang Bantay, both town/city centers are so near each other!

Anyway, one thing that really attracts me with Ilocos so much are those antiquated Catholic churches which dates back when Don Quixote ruled the islands. Mostly made of red bricks and stone, it stood the elements of time and nature. And before you enter the UNESCO’s World Heritage City of Vigan, Bantay, as the town’s name suggest, seems to be a vanguard of these centuries-old heritage houses of Vigan and the rest of Ilocandia.

Nag-bantay Ditoy! Bantay Church and Belfry

The Lady of Charity (or La Nuestra Señora de la Caridad) forever guards the citizens of this town as the legend says. Only the Bantayeños can carry the said image and forever it’ll stay, therefore the name Bantay. That morning, we head on to Bantay Church with its trademark gothic architecture in its main church and the landmark stand-alone belfry situated on top of a hill overlooking the town proper and the city of Vigan. Like the rest of the campanarios in Ilocos, one of the major reasons why it was build separate from the church is to prevent collateral damage to the place of worship since the belfries usually fall first before the rest of the establishment.

Just at the foot of the belfry hill, the Church of San Agustin is one of Ilocandia’s oldest. Built sometime in late 16th Century by Agustinian friars, it managed to survived several earthquakes in the region but was damaged during World War II and the damaged facade was later restored in the 1950′s. Distinctively made mostly of red bricks and lime, the church and even the beflry exhibits gothic, romaneque and baroque features with the fromer dominating in both interiors and the facade f the main church.

In January 1956, the Papal Nuncio crowned the legendary image of La Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, the guardian and the patron saint of Bantay.

Guarding the River: Quirino Bridge

Somehow I’ve seen Juday’s movie together with the late Rico Yan being shot in this overly-dramatic yet somehow magnificent bridge. The Quirino Bridge itself os not an engineering marvel like that of Brooklyn Bridge or Millau Viaduct of France but its setting and awesomely serene landscape makes the said infra a landmark in its own right.

Before approaching the bridge, you’ll marvel the ruggedness of northern Luzon’s coastline, with dramatic and rustic mountains kissing the South China Sea before endering a valley seemingly dwarfed by the gargantuan hills.

Built in steel-arch type, it sits guard dwarfed by the mountain guardians of the land of the Tinggians and of Abra River. named after former president of the Philippines Elpidio Quirino.

A portion of it was destroyed by Typhoon Feria in 2001 which made hard for the Ilocanos and tourists to access Vigan and Laoag to the rest of Luzon, putting the importance of this bridge to commerce and every lives of Ilocanos. A few months later it was later restored, but the section that was destroyed didn’t regained its former arched glory. However, life went back to normal at Apo Singson’s land.

Just a few meters downstream of Abra River, the so-called under-construction Singson Bridge, which is higher than the Quirino Bridge, would be the new link of Ilocos yet the Quirino Bridge would still remain its grand old charm.

Its a remarkable welcome sign for weary visitors to the heart of the rugged yet beautiful Ilocandia, shared by the towns of Bantay in the northern banks and Santa in the south.

Just as these two landmarks in Bantay, Ilocos Sur would run out of words in describing it, what more for the rest of Ilocandia. Her rugged beauty is really alluring and her strength is her people. More to come in Ilocandia.

Pictures of Bantay Church and Belfry, click here or view the slideshow:

Pictures of Quirino Bridge, click here or view the slideshow below: