Ilocos

Vigan

The City of Vigan (Ilokano: Ciudad ti Bigan; Tagalog: Vīgân; Chinese: 美岸; pinyin: Měi'àn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bîgá) is a 5th class city in the province ofIlocos Sur, Philippines. It is the capital of the Province of Ilocos Sur. The city is located on the western coast of the large island of Luzon, facing the South China Sea.

It is a World Heritage Site in that it is one of the few Hispanic 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, it has a population of 47,246 people in 9,193 households.

Former Philippine president Elpidio Quirino, the sixth president 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.

Geography

Vigan can be found 120 23’ 15’’ east longitude and 17 34’ 30’’ north latitude. It is in the northern part of Luzon, the Philippines’ largest island. It serves as the capital of Ilocos Sur and has been a major political and trading center since before the Spanish colonizers arrived in the Philippines.

Its favorable geographical features and location continues to make it a very accessible center. It is only 408 kilometers away from Manila, 45 kilometers away from Laoag City, and 139 kilometers away from San Fernando, La Union, the regional capital.

Festivals

[edit]Semana Santa

St. Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral is the venue of religious rites during the Holy Week. The Good Friday procession features decorated carrozas bearing life-size statues of Spanish vintage. On Easter Sunday, the dawn celebration depicting the Resurrection of Christ, called "Sabet", is a scene to behold.

[edit]Viva Vigan Arts and Industry Festival

Every first week of May, Vigan plays host to visitors for this festival featuring painting and product exhibits, a Calesa parade, and other cultural activities.