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. …continue reading
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 & 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. …continue reading
Santa Maria Church, Ilocos Sur
It was my first time conquering Ilocos Sur, the land of my ancestors (mother side). My primary aim there together with my family was to have the grasp of the heritage that our Filipino ancestors left during the Spanish colonial era. Vigan City was one of them of course, but I have set my eyes towards one of the four baroque churches inscribed in the World Heritage List, the Santa Maria Church or Iglesia de Nuesta Señora de la Asuncion (Simbahan iti Asunta sa Ilokano).
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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! …continue reading
