Perez, Dan Gil D.

BSBA-1A
MTH 7:30-11:30

VIGAN CITY
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 Vigan City is a World Heritage Site and is one the few Hispanic towns left in the
Philippines. It is a city here in the Philippines, on the west cost of Luzon Island in the Province
of Ilocos Sur. Vigan City itself is already a tourist destination but there are other tourist spots
that this city has to offer such as Vigan Heritage Village, Baluarte and Plaza Salcedo. You can
see anywhere, the Spanish-time houses and streets.

Calesas (horse-drawn buggy) is one of the unique feature that Vigan offers, through these
calesas, you can visit or have a ride anywhere in the city and of course, a lot of souvenir shops
are also in the street of the city in which you can buy something to serve as your own
remembrance and/or a present to your family, friends or relatives.

Its boundaries on the North, East, South, and West are the municipalities of Bantay,
Santa, Caoayan, and Sta. Catalina, respectively. Agriculture is still the mainstay of the local
economy of the city even if it is the trading hub of the province. There are plenty of farm
products that the city has to offer, it includes rice, tobacco, rootcrops, vegetables, livestock and
poultry. Fishing is an important source of income especially in the coastal area, they also get
supplies of fishes in the fishponds.

In connection to these products and services that Vigan City offers, the city also offers
much potential to attract not only medium to large enterprises but also those small ones.
Processing of agriproducts, manufacturing construction materials and establishing world-class
tourist facilities such as hotels and accommodations considering the increase of number of the
visitors and tourists that visiting/staying in the city are examples of profitable business
opportunities in the city.
 Vigan is one of the Philippines’ most beautiful cities, as it showcases the Spanish
heritage of the country. When talking about a planned Spanish colonial town in Asia, Vigan City
is the best-preserved example which is established in the 16 th Century. It’s architecture reflects
the coming together of cultural elements from elsewhere in the Philippines and from China with
those of Europe and Mexico to create a unique culture and townscape without parallels anywhere
in East and South-East Asia.

Vigan has a historical center called the heritage village, which is listed on the UNESCO
World Heritage list for its very well preserved Spanish monumental buildings and its unique
Spanish colonial history in Asia. Also, Vigan was an important coastal trading post in pre-
colonial times and up until now, Vigan possesses a number of significant public buildings, which
also show multi-cultural influences and contributes to the domestic and commercial architecture.

Most of the buildings present in Vigan City symbolize and showcases different stories
happened in the past. Most of the existing buildings were probably built in the mid-18 th to late
19th centuries. Up until now, the people in Vigan still preserves the Hispanic Colonial Character
particularly its grid street pattern and historic urban lay out. On the other hand, having been
completely altered to new uses, may structures have lost their authenticity because of lack of
traditional building materials such as wood and lime for mortar and plaster were all obtained
from surrounding areas. Nonetheless, it is still known for its unique architecture that fuses
Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction with colonial European architecture

To sum it up, Vigan city showcases a huge historical and cultural importance for up until
now, visiting the place still makes the people remember of the Spanish Colonial period. Vigan
grew under the Spanish control and became a political, cultural, commercial and religious center
of the north.
References:

Historic City of Vigan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2020, from

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/502/

Official Website of Vigan City. (2016). Retrieved April 21, 2020, from

http://vigancity.gov.ph/

Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2020, from

https://philippinescities.com/vigan-city-ilocos-sur/

Vigan.ph. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.vigan.ph/