Transformations of a Historical Town- Vigan

Philippines is one of the richest countries in the world brought by its fresh natural environment & resources which gained much attention to other powerful countries. From the colonization of Spaniards & Japanese to the Americans. The different countries that tried to conquer and own our country had different reasons in coming to our land, but because of the courage and bravery showed by our dear heroes and forefathers, we are now enjoying the freedom they have fought for. Although, foreigners have tried to colonize our country, they have shared also their own cultures to our predecessors and until now, it is still seen in our historical cities. One of the cities that have preserved such beautiful cultures and heritage is Vigan.

I live in the Bario of San Julian Sur, which is one of the 39 Barrios composing Vigan. Many changes had taken place from time to time that changed the rich culture of Vigan.

The city of Vigan in Ilocos Sur was called Kabig-Bigaan to Vigan to Ciudad Fernandina De Vigan. It is an island, which used to be detached from the mainland by three rivers - the great Abra River, the Mestizo River and the Govantes River. It is the countries most extensive and surviving historic city from the 15th century Spanish Colonial Period. Of all the countries that colonized our country, the Spanish colonizers were the one who had the left many contributions in our town. The city of Vigan still reveals the ethnicity of the Spaniards. During the time before I was born, the way of living of the Bigueños was different from now. Although the city is still known for its unique architecture and oriental building designs and houses made out of stones and windows-out of capiz- Bahay na Bato, the town slowly altered itself into a modern type of housing and way of living. During the time of my grandparents, they told me that there are more Spanish houses present than today. Before, the modes of transportation of the people in Vigan, especially in Barrios were “pasagad”, “kariton” and the well-known “kalesa” while in the mainland, they have those old-fashioned cars brought by the Spaniards. Now, what you see all the time are up-to-the-minute luxury cars and motorcycles. Seldom, we see an Ilocano riding a kalesa, but often tourists ride this kind of transportation-which is a perfect pair for their tour around the city. Way back during this time, education was only for men, only few women are given the chance to learn. They believed that women should only stay in their houses either helping their mother, serving their husband or taking care of their kids. But then, there was the time when women have given the chance to prove that they should not only stay in houses but also to learn as much as the men do. At this time, there is equality between the male and female- which is a good transformation. During the time of Spanish colonization, learning the Spanish linguistics was a part of the curriculum in most schools and universities. It is expected that Bigueños also practiced speaking Spanish language and with their fresh Iloco dialect. Chavacano- a Creole language based largely on Spanish vocabulary is also used. Nowadays different verbal practices are heard everyday- there’s the ‘gay-lingo’ by third-sex males and street-words acquired in big cities. During this earlier period, inhabitants wear vintage type of clothing which is very good to look at especially for women. They picture the “mahinhin” type of a girl. Females wear the traditional cloth which is the Baro’t Saya with a touch of Spanish design while males wear their Barong. Mestizas or women who belong in wealthy families wear the Spanish type of clothing and accessories like mantilla and peineta. The cloth fabrics used for making traditional Spanish clothes were rich and heavy, with decorations in gold and silver thread with jewels or pearls. At present, people are so liberated especially on the part of females. People are now practicing either undersized clothes/dress or loose pants and shirts. People do this for the same reason- for fashion purposes. Cuisines present during the colonization were also blended with Spanish dishes like the Paella or Arroz Valenciana, but in Barrios, the food is largely composed of root crops, vegetables & some meat simply cooked in clay stoves. Delicacies are also a favorite food during merienda like bibingka, tupig, patupat and boiled kamote or kahoy. Currently, due to the modernization of the country, it had brought varieties of foods & cuisines. Children are being presented with different kinds of fast foods and eat few or not traditional foods. Relationship between parents & their children was also affected. In general, Filipinos were pleased because of their respect for elderly manner, but now, this attitude has faded. Today, children show no respect and bad attitude towards their parents.

All of the changes in the culture of every Bigueños were brought by the high-modernization of the country which is acquired to other nations. It is natural for us to go with the flow of the environment. Hopefully, some of the cultures of a Bigueño is still and will be preserve and well-look-after by the next coming generations.