How Vigan Was Saved From the Wrath of War

Eight hours and 405 kilometers later, the crack of breezy dawn opened our tired eyes just in time to see the magnificent view of the Quirino Bridge across the Abra River. Passing through sheer cliffs and verdant mountains, the Toyota Revo ran carefully along the Ilocos Highway. A few minutes later, we were already in Vigan, the only city inscribed in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage List.

Then an island surrounded by the China Sea, Abra River, Mestizo River, and the Govantes River, Vigan became a trading port bustling with trade and commerce long before Fernando Magallanes stumbled on Philippine shores. A flourishing community already existed then called Kabigaan after the bigaa, a taro plant that grew abundantly at the bank of the Mestizo River.

In 1572, Don Juan de Salcedo asked his grandfather, Governor General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the permission to explore the frontiers north of Manila. Given the blessing, Salcedo sailed from Manila, arrived in Kabigaan through the Mestizo River, and forged peace with the Bigueños after a little resistance.

From Kabigaan, Salcedo navigated the tip of Luzon and conquered Albay, Camarines, and Catanduanes. Upon his return as justicia mayor de esta Provincia de Ylocos, Salcedo founded the Villa Fernandina de Vigan in honor of King Philip II’s first-born son. Vigan then became the capital of the Province of Ylocos, which then composed of Abra, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and some parts of the Mountain Province. Years after, Augustinian friars pioneered the spread of Christianity and Roman Catholicism in the province.

Salcedo, following the colonial master plan of every encomienda in the archipelago, ordered the construction of a church at the center, a plaza adjacent to it, and an ayuntamiento municipal nearby. He instructed the Bigueños to build their houses near the church for the easy dispensation of their religious formation.

When the See of the then Diocese of Nueva Segovia transferred from Lal-lo, Cagayan, to Vigan in 1758, Vigan was renamed Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan in honor of King Ferdinand VI. From then on, in spite of harsh climate and poor parched land, Vigan became second to Manila in importance.

We then went to the cobbled-stone Crisologo Street, which was called pariancillo or pueblo de los sangleyes del parian, where wealthy Chinese-mestizos built their stately and imposing ancestral houses that reflect the artisanship of Sixteenth Century Ilocanos who developed a unique blend of Spanish, Mexican, Filipino, and Chinese architecture adapted for an earthquake prone tropics.