Asia Images / John Lander Photography

  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
  • Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Books
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x
All Galleries
Download Add to Cart
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Vigan Images 12 images Created 10 Feb 2010

Vigan offers a picturesque glimpse into the Philippines colonial past. The ancestral houses were mostly built by Chinese traders using a mixture of Filipino, Asian and Spanish architectural styles. The fact that the town is so well preserved has earned it UNESCO World Heritage Status. Vigan had long been an important trading post for Chinese before the Spanish conquest in 1572. After colonization, Vigan grew to become a center of Spanish political and religious power in Northern Luzon
View: 100 | All

Loading ()...

  • Burnay Pottery out for its Final Drying Session - Burnay is a type of earthenware crafted with fine sand for tempering and is fired at  high temperature in huge ground kilns which makes it more durable than other types of terracotta.  Local fish sauce, and sugarcane vinegar would not taste as good if not fermented in stoneware burnay jars. Burnay technique was brought to Vigan by Chinese artisans.
    vigan-potters-07.jpg
  • Skateboarders at Plaza Burgos  - with a childrens park and food court that sells local foods Plaza Burgos is favorite spot for locals to hang out.
    burgos-plaza-vigan-1.jpg
  • Vigan Cathedral, also known as St Paul's Cathedral is an earthquake baroque church built in 1574.  Commissioned by Spaniard Juan de Salcedo but was unfortunately destroyed by an earthquake. The current church was constructed in 1790 and was finished in 1800.  Cathedral features Neo-Gothic and pseudo Romanesque motifs. The baroque styled church has thick buttresses to support it through both earthquakes and typhoons
    vigan-cathedral-4.jpg
  • Filipino potter turning the pottery wheel manually - Burnay is a type of earthenware crafted by a potter's hands with the aid of a potter's wheel using sand for tempering and is fired at a high temperature in huge  kilns that makes it more durable than other terra cotta. It is said that the burnay technique was brought to Vigan by Chinese artisans.
    vigan-potter-02.jpg
  • Vigan Architectural Detail - Vigan is a World Heritage Site as the best preserved Spanish colonial town in the Philippines and is well known for its cobblestone streets, and  unique architecture that fuses Philippine and Chinese building design, and construction with Spanish colonial architecture.  The city's full name at the time of its Spanish foundation was "Villa Fernandina", or "Town of Ferdinand", in honour of Prince Ferdinand, the firstborn son of King Philip II of Spain. As the city grew, and the seat of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia transferred to Vigan, it was later re-named "Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan"
    vigan-architecture-01.jpg
  • Vigan Burgos Plaza Vase - as the best preserved Spanish colonial town in the Philippines Vigan is well known for its cobblestone streets and  unique architecture that fuses Philippine and Chinese design with Spanish colonial architecture.
    burgos-plaza-vigan-3.jpg
  • Scultpure of Jesus with a Giant Wooden Cross with a decidedly brown complexion
    black-jesus-statue-01.jpg
  • Crisologo Street, Vigan Historical District -Vigan is the only town in the Philippines that has retained ts Spanish colonial architecture with a distinct identity of its own.  Vigan's mestizo district was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site as the "Historic Town of Vigan."  Calle Crisologo is one of the main attractions in the city of Vigan. It is a well preserved cobblestone street a few hundred meters in length and lined with many old restored buildings taking visitors back a century or two during the Spanish colonial period.
    crisologo-street-vigan-7.jpg
  • Vigan Cathedral Bellfry - St Paul's Cathedral in Vigan is an earthquake baroque church built in 1574.  The cathedral itself features Neo-Gothic and pseudo Romanesque motifs. The belfry next door towers over Plaza Burgos.
    vigan-belfry-03.jpg
  • Windows made of capiz shells were originally chosen because it was cheaper to make windows of capiz than glass during the Spanish Colonial period of the Philippines.  They continued to be made, however, thanks to their ability to allow enough light through and their strength in holding up to typhoons.
    capiz-shell-windows-01.jpg
  • Filipinos are a musical people, who love to sing.  Entertainers from the Philippines can be found in almost any hotel lobby or club from Tokyo to Shanghai.  Not only is there a long, musical history in the Philippines but the country is renowned for its hand-made accoustic guitars, especially those made on Mactan Island near Cebu.
    filipino-guitar-player-02.jpg
  • Vigan is a well preserved Spanish colonial town in Ilocos, in the north of the Philippines.  Its showcase is  Calle Crisologo in the Mestizo District  which is lined with many old restored buildings taking visitors back a century or two during the Spanish colonial period.
    vigan-architecture-02.jpg