VIGAN KALESA TOUR PART THREE- FR. BURGOS MUSEUM

VIGAN KALESA TOUR PART THREE- FR. BURGOS MUSEUM

Our next kalesa stop is the nearby Padre Burgos Museum. Entrance fee is ten (Php 10) pesos. The museum is managed by staff from the National Museum. You can either explore the artifacts yourself or have a guide join you free of charge.

The Burgos Museum is open the entire week except for Mondays and holidays. Museum hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
                                                 
Fr. Burgos Museum in Vigan, Ilocos Sur is a two-storey ancestral house of the martyr-priest Padre Jose Burgos. The house was built in 1788 and owned by his grandparents Don Juan Gonzales and Doña Florentina Gascon. Despite the limited funds of the city, the museum has maintained its 19th century interior and its well-preserved kitchen.

                           

Antique collections and dioramas of local historical events can be found here along with a hall of fame for the Ilocano heroes and achievers.

                                                          Earthen Jars from yesteryears.       

                   This is their rain gears! The ever reliable salakot and rain coat with gasera.

                                

Fr. Jose Burgos museum contains his memorabilia along with an excellent collection of archaeological and ethnological finds such as a series of paintings dating back to Basi Revolt and records of the native reactions to colonialism.

The hot and cold water dispenser of Fr. Jose Burgos' Family

This is the flat iron during Fr. Jose Burgos time. It was my first time to see a round flat iron like this:-)

Where to stay?

There are numerous options for accommodation in Vigan. Prices are very reasonable, typically around P 2500 pesos for a descent accommodations. Cheaper accommodation is available. The Villa Angela Heritage Hotel offers a good antique feel, but there are numerous quality options.

How to get there?

By plane via PAL. Upon landing in Laoag City visit Fort Ilocandia and enjoy the swimming pool and amenities they offer. Take a bus or hire a vehicle to take you to Vigan city which is about two (2) hours away.

By bus from Manila (about 8 hours).

Partas Transportation Co. Inc., located at #816 Aurora Boulevard, corner Arayat, Cubao, Quezon City. Buses leave Manila every hour.

Air-conditioned Bus Fare is P600. For more info call 724-98-20/ 725-17-40.

Other buses

Tip: Go to San Fernando, La Union first and enjoy the San Juan Surf Beach then get a bus to Vigan which takes 2-3 hours. Ask a local as to where the bus station is located.

How many days should I stay?

Overnight if you arrive early is sufficient to see most of the sights.

Tips and Comments 

• Bagnet is delicious in Vigan. 
• Buy at the local market it is cheaper there! 
• I personally like the design of the shirts at Casa Rica.
• You could haggle with the kutchero so don't be afraid to make tawad hindi tuwad ha ha ha! Joke!

VIGAN KALESA TOUR PART TWO- AROUND TOWN

Plaza Salcedo Kalesa Station in front of St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral.

We passed by Vigan Municipal Hall

 

I like the McDo Building. It has a church like bell tower .

Vigan Builders Bank in front of Plaza Salcedo 

Vigan Cathedral 

 House of ex-Congressman Ronald Singson

 

 

Where to stay?

There are numerous options for accommodation in Vigan. Prices are reasonable, typically around P 2500 pesos for a descent accommodations. Cheaper accommodation is available. The Villa Angela Heritage Hotel offers a good antique feel, but there are numerous quality options. 

How to get there?
 
By plane via PAL. Upon landing visit Fort Ilocandia and enjoy the swimming pool and amenities they offer. 

By bus from Manila (about 8 hours). 

Partas Transportation Co. Inc., located at #816 Aurora Boulevard, corner Arayat, Cubao, Quezon City. Buses leave Manila every hour.
Air-conditioned Bus Fare is P 600. For more info call 724-98-20/ 725-17-40.


Tip:  Go to San Fernando, La Union first and enjoy the San Juan Surf Beach then get a bus to Vigan which takes 2-3 hours.  Ask a local as to where the bus station is located.

How many days should I stay?

Overnight if you arrive early is sufficient to see most of the sights.

Tips and Comments

Bagnet is delicious in Vigan. Buy at the local market it is cheaper there!


I like the design of the shirts at Casa Rica.

VIGAN KALESA TOUR

I was always fascinated with the old charm of Vigan. Vigan for me is the land of Bagnet and Longganisa. Omg! They make me tulo laway! Ha ha ha! Yummy yum yum!  I had a wonderful time roaming around in Vigan aboard a kalesa or horse drawn carriage which you could rent for P200 -300 per hour depending on your tawad skills. I was able to rent one for P200/ hour @ Plaza Salcedo in front of the Vigan Cathedral.

My first stop is the Vigan Cathedral.

The Vigan Cathedral also known as St. Paul's Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. During the Spanish times (1525), the Spaniards chose Vigan as their center of government. It was called the Villa Hernandina then the Spaniards built the Cathedral on this site in 1574 (by Juan de Salcedo) and was damaged in the earthquakes of 1619 and 1627. A second was built here in 1641 and the present baroque-style church was built in the 1800's.

The Cathedral withstood many earthquakes, the latest was in 1990. The church is kept beautifully by the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. They just recently painted the Cathedral and it stands great with it's fresh creamy-white  look.

 ARZOBISPADO DE NUEVA SEGOVIA

 The priest live in the convent beside the church.

 

Diocese of Nueva Segovia.

VIGAN, ILOCOS SUR: My Burnay Making Adventure

VIGAN, ILOCOS SUR: My Burnay Making Adventure

Pagburnayan Pottery Making in Vigan, Ilocos Sur is a popular destination among tourists.

When in Vigan, do what the Vigans do! 

I readily agreed when the Manong Kutsero (horse drawn carriage driver) ask me if I wanted to visit the Pagburnayan Factory. 

Arriving in the factory in a kalesa ( Horse drawn Carriage) distinguished tourists from locals. Not only because the locals know how to speak Ilocano but also because they usually ride the tricycle or walk around town.

I was filled with awe when I saw hundreds if not thousands of Burnay upon entering the factory! The burnay is an earthenware jar crafted by a potter’s hands with the aid of a potter’s wheel. It uses fine sand (anay) as a tempering material and fired at a high temperature in a huge brick-and-clay ground kiln that makes it is harder and more durable than other terra cotta. According to the Manong Kalesa driver who also serves as my guide, the local bagoong (fish sauce), sugarcane vinegar and basi wine would not taste as good if not fermented in stoneware burnay jars.

Burnay technology was brought to Vigan by Chinese artisans, who, according to Vigan folk historian Damaso King, came from Kwi-Sao, Chun-chiu province in Mainland China. As such, it may have existed in the area even before the coming of the Spaniards in 1572. These Chinese artisans who set up this cottage industry depended on the natives for their clay supply and labor.Fidel Go, owner of the Ruby Pottery and descendant of the first Chinese potter who came to Vigan, has his own account of the burnay industry’s history in Vigan.

Burnay Making

According to him, burnay technology was introduced to Vigan around 1890 by Pedro Go, a Chinese settler from Chinkang, in Fukien, Mainland China. He set up his camarin (jar factory) along what is now known as Rivero Street in Brgy. VIII. Around 1916, Ongkai Go, son of Pedro Go’s brother, came to the Philippines and worked with him, then went back to China to marry when he was 18 years old.

Ongkai came back to the Philippines around 1922, now with his cousin Igan Go, to set up their own jar factory, which is now known as Ruby Pottery. At such time, there were five (5) burnay factories in Vigan – that of Pedro Go, of Igan Go, and of relatives Ramon Go (owner of RG Jar Factory), Buki Go, and Domingo Go. The separate camarin of the last four (4) were all along what is now known as Gomez Street in Brgy. VII.

Fidel Go is the son of the late Ongkai and inherited the Ruby Pottery from Igan Go. He was awarded the Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Folk Artist Award) of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts in 1990 for continuing the craft he inherited and for himself knowing all the rudiments of the craft. He claims that between the two (2) surviving Chinese-owned jar factories, he is the only one (now with one of his sons) who still does pottery himself.

Zosima Amistad, wife of Pedro Amistad, the proprietor-potter of NP Jar Factory, supplies supplementary information to Fidel Go’s story.

She remembers that there used to be seven (7) jar factories (presumably at a time when Pedro Go’s camarin already went out of operation). Aside from the four (4) already mentioned, there were those of Filipinos Jovencio Adora along the present Katipunan Street, Nicolas Amistad, and Evaristo Amistad whose camarin were near the southern end of Rizal Street.

Nicolas Amistad and Evaristo Amistad were the son and nephew of Iban Amistad respectively. Iban Amistad learned the craft while working as cook of one of the Chinese factory owners. According to Zosima, Iban learned to mold jars in the potter’s wheel while his Chinese master went away to gamble. He then taught his son Nicolas who later set up the NP Jar Factory. Nicolas’ son, Pedro Amistad, inherited the said jar factory and like Fidel Go, himself molds jars, sometimes with the help of one son.

Today’s Barangay VII is still more popularly known as Pagburnayan, which literally means “place where burnay is made”. This section was so aptly called because all the burnay camarin (cottage factories) were located in this southwesternmost part of the poblacion.

But about 15 years ago, there were only four (4) burnay factories left in Vigan. Three (3) belonged to Barangay VII’s jurisdiction, and one (1) under Barangay VIII, but all were neighbors.

However, one of the burnay factories (that within Barangay VIII) ceased its operations in the last decade. Presently, three (3) burnay factories remain: RG Jar Factory, Ruby Pottery, and NP Jar Factory. These burnay factories are the only ones found throughout the country.

At present, a variety of burnay products are made, mostly for decorative functions. These are jars of different shapes, sizes and designs, plant pots, ashtrays and others.

These are marketed within the country and abroad. The factory owners’ business contacts, other local and foreign traders order the jars with specifications or purchase these on the spot. About four (4) traders from Bulacan and some others from Manila frequent the jar factories in Vigan. It is said that the Bulacan Garden in Manila is the strongest dealer of burnay. Other Filipino and foreign exporters also patronize the Vigan burnay jars.

Volume purchases or orders are bought at discounts and are transported to other places by hired freight service. In one instance, Ruby Pottery delivered three freight loads of jars to an international shipping line to satisfy the order of a foreigner businessman who would take these to Belgium. While exportation is not yet regular, demand continues to expand to other foreign countries (e.g. Great Britain).

Local and foreign tourists also buy jars directly from any of these factories. Since Pagburnayan is a must-see section in Vigan tours, jars, especially the miniatures, are easily sold. The miniatures have a potential for expansion as they are bought and resold with some value added, as in converting these into painted decorative items.

Source: "Lifted from the Vigan Ethnographic Studies by VMP Socio-Cultural Team"