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Vigan
Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (Ilocano: Siudad ti Vigan; Filipino: Lungsod ng Vigan; Spanish: Ciudad de Vigan), is a component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people.
Located on the western coast of the large island of Luzon, facing the South China Sea, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is one of the few Spanish colonial towns left in the Philippines whose old structures have mostly remained intact. It is well known for its sett pavements and a unique architecture of the Spanish Philippines colonial era which fuses native Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction, with colonial Spanish architecture that is still abundant in the area, mainly the bahay na bato houses and an Earthquake Baroque church.
It is known as the birthplace of Elpidio Quirino, the 6th President of the Philippines. He was born at the former location of the Provincial Jail (his father was a warden). He also resided in the Syquia Mansion, which is a wedding gift of his in-laws to his wife.
The entire city of Vigan was later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage City after being declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC).
In May 2015, Vigan was officially recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities together with Beirut, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, and La Paz.
The origin of the name "Vigan" is pre-colonial. It was also spelled "Bigan" in Spanish colonial records (including in the 1734 Velarde map). It is derived from Ilocano bigàan (or kabigàan), literally "the place where bíga abounds". Bíga is the common name of the giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhizos) in Ilocano.
This is reflected in the Spanish-era coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia (of which Vigan was the seat of the episcopal see) which depicts a flowering Alocasia macrorrhizos proper.
The meaning of "Vigan" is also a common subject of folk etymologies, of which there are two popular accounts. One claiming it originated from a misunderstood question (a common trope in Filipino place-name folk etymologies); and another which claims it came from Chinese bí-gān (美岸), meaning "beautiful shore" (allegedly from the gold dust in the seashore). Neither of these accounts have historical or academic evidence.
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Vigan AI simulator
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Vigan
Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (Ilocano: Siudad ti Vigan; Filipino: Lungsod ng Vigan; Spanish: Ciudad de Vigan), is a component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people.
Located on the western coast of the large island of Luzon, facing the South China Sea, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is one of the few Spanish colonial towns left in the Philippines whose old structures have mostly remained intact. It is well known for its sett pavements and a unique architecture of the Spanish Philippines colonial era which fuses native Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction, with colonial Spanish architecture that is still abundant in the area, mainly the bahay na bato houses and an Earthquake Baroque church.
It is known as the birthplace of Elpidio Quirino, the 6th President of the Philippines. He was born at the former location of the Provincial Jail (his father was a warden). He also resided in the Syquia Mansion, which is a wedding gift of his in-laws to his wife.
The entire city of Vigan was later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage City after being declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC).
In May 2015, Vigan was officially recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities together with Beirut, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, and La Paz.
The origin of the name "Vigan" is pre-colonial. It was also spelled "Bigan" in Spanish colonial records (including in the 1734 Velarde map). It is derived from Ilocano bigàan (or kabigàan), literally "the place where bíga abounds". Bíga is the common name of the giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhizos) in Ilocano.
This is reflected in the Spanish-era coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia (of which Vigan was the seat of the episcopal see) which depicts a flowering Alocasia macrorrhizos proper.
The meaning of "Vigan" is also a common subject of folk etymologies, of which there are two popular accounts. One claiming it originated from a misunderstood question (a common trope in Filipino place-name folk etymologies); and another which claims it came from Chinese bí-gān (美岸), meaning "beautiful shore" (allegedly from the gold dust in the seashore). Neither of these accounts have historical or academic evidence.