Vigan City
Encyclopedia
The City of Vigan is a 5th class city in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. It is the capital of the Province of Ilocos Sur. The city is located on the western coast of the large island of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...

, facing the West Philippine Sea.

It is a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

 in that it is one of the few Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

 towns left in the Philippines, and is well-known for its cobblestone streets, and a unique architecture that fuses Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction, with colonial European architecture.

According to the latest Philippines census
Philippines census
The Philippines census is a regularly occurring and official count of the human population of a certain local administrative unit in the Philippines...

, it has a population of 47,246 people in 9,193 households.

Former Philippine president Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Rivera Quirino was a Filipino politician, and the sixth President of the Philippines.A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur from 1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 1925–1931...

, the 6th president of the Philippines
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...

, was born in Vigan, at the current location of the Provincial Jail (his father was a warden); and resided in the Syquia Mansion.

Etymology

The area of Vigan was originally a settlement of traders coming from the Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...

 Province, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

. At the time of Spanish colonisation, the Chinese settlers, whose language was Southern Fujianese (Min Nan
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....

, often referred to as "Hokkien" by most Filipinos), referred to the area as "Bee Gan" (美岸 ; Mandarin pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...

: Měi Àn), which means "Beautiful Shore." Since the Castillian and Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...

 Spanish conquistadors interchanged V and the B to refer to the B sound, they spelled the Hokkien Chinese name "Bee Gan" (美岸) as "Vigan", which is the name used to this day.

Vigan's Chinese heritage is still evident from the numerous elite Chinese creole families who come from the area, many of whom adopted Hispanic family names. Others, such as the Sy-Quia family, have retained Chinese-derived surnames, though most, if not all, of the Christian Chinese creole families fully Hispanicised themselves culturally.

The most commonly known source of the city's name is from the Biga'a plant, which once grew abundantly along the banks of the Meztiso River, from which captain Juan de Salcedo
Juan de Salcedo
Juan de Salcedo was a Spanish conquistador. He was born in Mexico in 1549 and he was the grandson of Miguel López de Legazpi and brother of Felipe de Salcedo. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in 1565...

 derived the city's name (after a misunderstanding with the locals, thinking he was asking the name of the plants).

Other names

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
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

. 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" ("Ferdinand's City of Vigan").

History

Vigan is an island which is separated from the mainland by three bodies of water: the Abra River, the Mestizo River, and the Govantes River. The city is unique in the Philippines because it is one of many extensive surviving Philippine historic cities, dating back to the 16th century.

Vigan was a coastal trading post long before the Spaniards arrived; Chinese traders sailing from the South China Sea came to Isla de Vigan (Island of Vigan) via the Mestizo River that surrounded the island. On board their ships were sea-faring merchants that came to trade goods from other Asian kingdoms in exchange for gold, beeswax, and other mountain products brought by the indigenous peoples from the Cordilleras region.

In the book The Philippine Island (Vol. III, p. 276, Blair and Robertson) two letters from Governor General Guido de Lavezaris
Guido de Lavezaris
Guido de Lavezaris was the second Spanish Governor General of the Philippines. He succeeded Miguel López de Legazpi in 1572 as governor, and was succeeded by Francisco de Sande on August 25, 1575.-Early life:...

 to King Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

 mention: "It seemed best to send Captain Juan de Salcedo with 70 or 80 soldiers to explore the coast of Los Ilocano on the shores of the river called Bigan." The Spaniards marched north from Manila on May 20, 1572 and arrived in Vigan on June 12, 1572.

Thus, after the successful expedition and the exploration of the North, Juan de Salcedo founded "Villa Fernandina de Vigan" in honor of King Philip II’s son, Prince Ferdinand, who died at the age of four. From Vigan, Salcedo rounded the tip of Luzon and proceeded to pacify Camarines, Albay, and Catanduanes.

As a reward for his services to the King of Spain, Salcedo was awarded the old province of Ilocos which consisted of the modern provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union and a part of Mountain Province as his hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...

 (estate), and was accorded the title of "Justicia Mayor de esta Provincia de Ylocos" (Province Mayor of Ilocos).

In 1576, Salcedo returned to the capital of his encomienda
Encomienda
The encomienda was a system that was employed mainly by the Spanish crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate Native American labor....

 (trusteeship), Vigan, bringing with him his soldiers, and some Augustinian missionaries to pioneer the evangelization of the Ilocos region. He established a Spanish city for the purpose of controlling the neighboring country.

Governor General Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas, in his Account of encomienda dated in Manila on May 31, 1591 states: "The town of Vigan called Villa Fernandina consisted of Spanish settlers; a priest; a Justice Alcalde Mayor (Governor); and a Deputy. The King collects 800 tributes (equivalent to 3,200 subjects)." During this period, Vigan was composed of 19 barrios (districts).

Between 1645 to 1660, Vigan was divided into 21 Cavezas de Barrios (Town Mayors) as mentioned in the Libro de Casamiento (Book of Marriage); from the records of the parish house of Vigan found in its Archives. Separated from the indigenous population; the Chinese migrants were residents in a neighbourhood called pariancillo, Los Sangleyes del parian (The Sangleyes of Parian); and the Spanish settlers were residents in a town called Los Españoles de la Villa (The Town of the Spaniards).
During the Philippine Revolution of 1896 to 1898, Philippine Revolutionary forces were retaken in Vigan and they supported by the Ilocano rebels and they defeated and attacking the Spanish Colonial forces and started the Siege of Vigan, after the main siege, the Philippine Revolutionary forces and Ilocano rebel groups was saluted victory and they captured in Vigan and they defeated and surrendering Spanish troops. Started the Philippine-American War from 1899 to 1901, American Colonial troops recaptured in Vigan and fought the main battles against the Philippine Revolutionary troops and Ilocano rebels begins the Battle of Vigan, after the main battles, the American troops are successful victories and they captured in Vigan and they Philippine Revolutionary troops and Ilocano rebels was defeated before the American Occupation.

During World War II, the Japanese air raid planes invaded in Vigan on December 1941 and through the entered of the Japanese troops was occupied in Vigan in 1942.

The local military rebuilt of the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was found active on 1942 to 1946, the Philippine Constabulary was found active on 1944 to 1946 and the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines - Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL) was found active on 1942 to 1946 and stationed of the military general headquarters in Vigan. The conflicts and engagements was the assigned to combat the armed forces of the Japanese Imperial military insurgency in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon. Before the Post-Japanese Invasion to the liberation of the Philippines and beginning the Anti-Japanese military operations in two major provinces of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon from 1942 to 1945 and helping the local Ilocano guerrilla groups against the Japanese Imperial forces.

The combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth ground troops liberated and invaded in Vigan and aiding to supported by the Ilocano resistance and they defeats and attacking Imperial Japanese forces during the Liberation of Vigan on 1945. After the fall to liberate, the combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth ground troops including Ilocano guerrilla groups was successful victories and captured in Vigan and defeating Japanese troops after the war.

Districts

Vigan City is subdivided into 39 barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...

s or barangay
Barangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

s.

  • Ayusan Norte
  • Ayusan Sur
  • Barrio I (Población)
  • Barrio II (Aminance)
  • Barrio III (Población)
  • Barrio IV (Solid West)
  • Barrio V (Pagapartian)
  • Barrio VI (Pagpandayan)
  • Barraca
  • Beddeng Laud
  • Beddeng Daya
  • Bongtolan
  • Bulala

  • Cabalangegan
  • Cabaroan Daya
  • Cabaroan Laud
  • Camangaan
  • Capangpangan
  • Mindoro
  • Nagsangalan
  • Pantay Daya
  • Pantay Fatima
  • Pantay Laud
  • Paoa
  • Paratong
  • Pong-ol

  • Purok-a-bassit
  • Purok-a-dakkel
  • Raois
  • Rugsuanan
  • Salindeg
  • San José
  • San Julian Norte
  • San Julian Sur
  • San Pedro
  • Tamag
  • Barrio VII (Pagburnayan)
  • Barrio VIII (Sta. Elena/Cabasaan)
  • Barrio IX (Cuta)


Points of interest

  • Vigan Cathedral/St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral - the seat of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. Burial place of the great Ilocano poet Leona Florentino
    Leona Florentino
    Leona Florentino was a Filipino poet in the Spanish and Ilocano languages. She is considered as the "mother of Philippine women's literature" and the "bridge from oral to literary tradition"....

    . It also houses the replica of the Miraculous Santo Cristo Milagroso (the original being in Sinait, Ilocos Sur
    Sinait, Ilocos Sur
    Sinait is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 24,896 people in 5,131 households....

    ).
  • Archbishop's Residence - Located next to the Vigan Cathedral, it is the only Archbishop's Residence still in use that was built during the Spanish Era.
  • Father Jose Burgos
    José Burgos
    José Apolonio Burgos y García was a Filipino mestizo secular priest, accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th century...

    ' Residence - Located almost behind the Provincial Capitol. The birthplace of Father Jose Burgos, one of the three martyred Filipino priests at Bagumbayan (GOMBURZA).
  • Plaza Burgos - dedicated to the memory of Father Jose Burgos. Located beside the Vigan Cathedral.
  • Vigan Empanadaan - a reserved location where visitors can sample Vigan's famous empanada; as well as sinanglao (traditional hotpot made of beef innards). Located at the eastern part of Plaza Burgos.
  • Baluarte - a mini-zoo located in Salindeg where visitors can see a variety of animals (including tigers and ostriches).
  • Pagburnayan - a barrio in Vigan where tourists can see how the famous Vigan jars (burnay) are made.
  • Hidden Garden - Located in Bulala (a barrio known for its making of bricks, pots, and other objects made of clay), it is a wonderland of greenery, with a mini-snack bar nestled somewhere in the middle.
  • Quezon Avenue - the business center of Vigan
  • Plaza Salcedo - dedicated to the memory of the great conquistador Juan de Salcedo
    Juan de Salcedo
    Juan de Salcedo was a Spanish conquistador. He was born in Mexico in 1549 and he was the grandson of Miguel López de Legazpi and brother of Felipe de Salcedo. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in 1565...

    . Located in front of the Vigan Cathedral.
  • Mena Crisologo Street/Vigan Heritage Village - what Vigan City is known for--a street lined with Spanish Era houses and cobble-stoned streets, which led to Vigan's inscription in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Tourists can buy souvenirs or even ride a calesa (horse-drawn buggy).
  • Syquia Mansion - the Vigan residence of Elpidio Quirino
    Elpidio Quirino
    Elpidio Rivera Quirino was a Filipino politician, and the sixth President of the Philippines.A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur from 1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 1925–1931...

    , 6th President of the Philippines.
  • Crisologo Museum - the residence of the Crisologo family in Vigan converted into a museum.
  • Quema House - the residence of the Quema family, considered by sociologist Fernando Zialcita as most representative of 18th-century Philippine architectural style.

Major schools based in Vigan

  • University of Northern Philippines
    University of Northern Philippines
    The University of Northern Philippines ' is a state university located in Barangay Tamag, in the City of Vigan in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. It is the first and oldest state university in Northern Luzon, tracing its roots to 1906, which is older than the University of the Philippines...

     - Located in Barangay Tamag, it is the oldest State University in Northern Luzon, which was founded by virtue of Republic Act 4449, authored by the late Congressman Floro Crisologo
  • Saint Paul College of Ilocos Sur (formerly Rosary College) - the oldest privately-funded school in Ilocos Sur, founded by the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres
    Chartres
    Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...

     in Vigan. Its former campus near the Vigan Cathedral is now the site of a shopping mall, having recently fully transferred to nearby Bantay. It has recently joined the Saint Paul University System.
  • Divine Word College of Vigan
    Divine Word College of Vigan
    The Divine Word College of Vigan or DWCV is a private, Catholic, co-educational institution of higher learning run by the Society of the Divine Word or SVD in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, Philippines. Currently, it is being dubbed as the most strategically located higher academic institution in the City...

     - the second oldest privately-funded school in Ilocos Sur, founded by priests belonging to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). It is located just behind the Vigan Cathedral.
  • Macro Colleges Inc. - Formerly the first in Ilocos Sur to offer computer-based services, it evolved into the first computer college in the province. It was established by five pioneering Ilocanos whose vision was to provide quality computer education to the youth of Ilocos Sur. Established in a shop along Salcedo Street, it has transferred to nearby Bantay as the school expanded.

Communications and mass media

Vigan City is home to three AM radio stations and three FM stations. However, Bantay town, part of Metro Vigan, is the official address of the cable provider Eagle Vision which is the home of such cable channels: UPS-18, CORE TV, and Iluko Heritage Channel. ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...

 Vigan also holds their office address in Bantay. The city is also the home of some of the local print publications in the province, notably Timek ti Amianan, published by the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia.

TV stations

  • ABS-CBN: Channel 11
  • NBN: Channel 4
  • Studio 23: Channel 34 (Pending Request from NTC)

Cable providers and cable stations

  • Vigan Satellite
  • Eagle Vision CATV Systems
  • UPS-18
  • CORE TV
  • Iluko Heritage Channel (IHC)
  • Unlimited Ilocos

FM radio stations

  • 94.1 DWVN Magik FM, located in Vigan, owned by the Century Broadcasting Network
  • 98.9 DWIS J FM (although is based in Bantay), owned by the Southern Broadcasting Network
  • 105.5 DWNP UNP Campus Radio - billed as the only education-oriented radio station in Ilocos Sur, it is owned and operated by the University of Northern Philippines
    University of Northern Philippines
    The University of Northern Philippines ' is a state university located in Barangay Tamag, in the City of Vigan in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. It is the first and oldest state university in Northern Luzon, tracing its roots to 1906, which is older than the University of the Philippines...

    .

AM radio stations

  • DWRS - Commando Radio, founded as part of the Solidnorth Broadcasting System, still located in Tamag since its incorporation in the 80s. It is now a part of Radio Mindanao Network
    Radio Mindanao Network
    RMN is the largest radio network in the Philippines with almost 60 company-owned AM & FM radio stations located around the Philippines. Radio Mindanao Network remains the legal name of the radio network, while Radyo Mo Nationwide is the slogan of the network. The network's first radio station was...

    .
  • DZVV
    DZVV
    Bombo Radyo Vigan is an AM radio station owned by the Consolidated Broadcasting System, Inc., a network owned by Bombo Radyo Philippines, in Vigan City...

     - owned by Consolidated Broadcasting System, which is part of Bombo Radyo Philippines
    Bombo Radyo Philippines
    Bombo Radyo Philippines is one of the largest radio networks in the Philippines spanning across 20 major provinces. It is a conglomeration of three smaller radio networks: Newsounds Broadcasting Network, Inc. , Mindanao licensee; Consolidated Broadcasting System , Visayas licensee; and People's...

     Network. "VV" means "Voice of Vigan," it was once located on the current site of La Mirada Spa and Restaurant but has transferred to its current location along with its radio mast (formerly located at the banks of the Govantes River, near its boundary with Bantay
    Bantay, Ilocos Sur
    Bantay is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the latest census , it has a population of 35,439 people in 6,001 households.-Barangays:...

    )) in Tamag
  • DZNS - owned by the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, part of the Catholic Media Network
    Catholic Media Network
    Catholic Media Network, also known as CMN, is a Catholic radio network in the Philippines.-History:CMN was previously known as Philippine Federation of Catholic Broadcasters...

    , located in Pantay Daya. "NS" means "New Sound" and "Nueva Segovia."
  • DZXE - "Radyo Tirador," owned by Fairwaves Broadcasting Network, now currently off-air; located just a few meters from the gate of Northern Tobacco Redrying Plant in Mira Hills. A former affiliate station of ABS-CBN
    ABS-CBN
    ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...

    's DZMM
    DZMM
    ABS-CBN DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 is the flagship AM station of ABS–CBN Corporation in the Philippines. The station's studio is located at the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center, Sgt. Esguerra Ave., cor. Mo. Ignacia St., Diliman, Quezon City, while the transmitter is located at F. Navarette St., Obando, Bulacan...

    AM radio station.

External links

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