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Vigan is famous for its burnay jars that have been used as storage material for various wares since the precolonial era. This venue makes these jars, which are made of carabao-kneaded clay and fire-blasted in a huge kiln and allows visitors to try their hand in making their own jars.
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This cemetery chapel found at the southern end of Quezon Avenue has a bell-gable design, the only one of its kind in the Ilocos Region. The chapel's name is an Ilocano term meaning "small church."
used to be the home of assassinated Congressman Floro Crisologo and wife Carmeling, former governor of Ilocos Sur. It contains Crisologo memorabilia.
also known as the Ayala Museum, this showcases the memorabilia of martyred priest Jose Burgos. Behind the house is the national museum (formerly the Ilocos Sur Provincial Jail), housing other ethnic and Ilocano artifacts such as artifacts, weapons, kitchen utensils, basketry, costumes, jewellery and Burgos memorabilia. There are also some dioramas showing important events in the history of Ilocos Sur, and a mini library. It just so happens to be where the Philippines' first Ilocano president, Elpidio Quirino, was born, his father having been a jail warden.
It is what Vigan City is known for — streets lined with Spanish Era ancestral houses (with ancient tile roofs, massive hardwood floors, balustrades and azoteas in varying Spanish, Mexican, and Chinese architectural styles) and cobblestone 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). This street is also known as Vigan Heritage Village.
offers a wonderful glimpse into the Philippines' colonial past. The ancestral houses were mostly built by Chinese traders using a mixture of local, Asian and Spanish architectural styles. Movie fans recognize the streets from the movie Born on the Fourth of July. If someone looks closely, there are still evidence left from the shooting, e.g. signs in Spanish but hastily and thinly painted over with white paint.
west of the cathedral features a 17th-century monument to Juan de Salcedo, and was also the site of resistance leader Gabriela Silang's public hanging in 1763. Also within the site at the lagoon is the Vigan Dancing Fountain. This Korean-engineered attraction is the first of its kind in the country, and rivals the Bellagio Water Fountains in Las Vegas, Nevada.