Unveiling Iloilo's Heritage at Museo Iloilo

Hello everyone!

Don't get me wrong. I love museums and everything they represent. I still believe that the first step you should do in order to understand the place you visited is to visit a museum. I even believed that museum dates are romantic. I would rather you bring me to a museum for our date than to a fancy restaurant.

It took me a year to share this because I was so hesitant in sharing a museum post. I still haven't shared our visit to the National Museum of Fine Arts because of the same reason. I don't know if I'll be able to give justice to the experience because I really enjoyed all my museum visits. It's just that sometimes it can't be helped that museum posts become like a Wikipedia article or an AI-generated post.

Anyway, I have to share a personal context of this post because as I said, I really don't want it to became a monotonous Wikipedia article. Just read on at the later part if you want to be bombed by trivia.

So @itskareninamoi and I visited Iloilo last January 2024. It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision to book for Iloilo before our Taiwan trip. She had her CEB Super Pass that was almost expired, so she had to book for a trip anywhere in the Philippines or else it would just go to waste. I, on the other hand, wanted to visit Iloilo for a long time because I'm always amazed of how the city is managed. It was also the time when it was announced that Iloilo became the UNESCO's first Creative City of Gastronomy in the Philippines.

One thing about the Ilonggos is their love for their culture and heritage, so part of our itinerary is museum hopping. We visited a lot of museums that on our first day alone and I already got contented by the National Museum of Philippine Maritime History. Knowing @itskareninamoi, her itinerary is always jam-packed. While I was already catching my breath at Iloilo City Hall, she wanted to visit the Museum of Philippine Economic History.

_{At the forefront is the uniform used by some "military general" (I'm not sure) during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. Next to it is a small religious figure. At the back of the military uniform, housed in a glass pyramid, is a stash of Japanese-issued Philippine peso or derisively termed "Mickey Mouse Money". At the background is the collection of weaponries using during the Filipino-Spanish war.}

I'll share about those two museums in a separate post. I wanted to share about Museo Iloilo because we visited this one on our last day in the city, so I already got a some proper rest. I can say I really enjoyed this part of our Iloilo adventure.

With everything I just said, here's my perspective about Museo Iloilo (Iloilo Museum):

Museo Iloilo is categorized as a provincial museum that's located near the Iloilo Provincial Capitol. It has an entrance fee of Php 50.00. Being the first of its kind, it shows the deep connection of the Ilonggos to their history and culture. The museum houses the permanent exhibits from weaponries to religious relics.

_{These are the weaponries and armories used during the Filipino-Spanish war in 1800s. Entitled "The Test of Valor", it shows the Ilonggos fighting spirit and longing for independence, as well as their role in achieving Philippine independence from the colonizers.}

_{This is a collection of potteries called banga or tapayan. Banga is a staple in a Filipino kitchen as it was used for storing drinking water. Some are stone-age potteries for various uses while a few of them are traded potteries from China and Thailand. Also located further at the back are wooden coffins used as secondary burial vessels.}

_{Another set of banga together with plates and bowls from China. It shows that Iloilo is part of the thriving trading hubs in the Philippines way back before Spanish colonization.}

_{Chinawares together with the traditional garments worn by Filipino women before and during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines.}

Museo Iloilo's space is not too large. For me, it's even small for a museum, but its priceless collection is extensive from pre-colonial era until the present day. I think that's more than to enough showcase the Ilonggo's cultural heritage.

_{These are historical photos of Iloilo, providing us with a glimpse into the city's past architecture and way of life. I love looking at these photos because it shows the evolution of the city.}

_{These are statues of the Ati People of Iloilo and Panay. They're the indigenous ethnic group known to be the first to settle the Philippines 30,000 years ago.}

_{Paghahabi or weaving was a famous activity for women during the Spanish colonial period. Weaving communities flourished in the Visayas especially when Iloilo Port was opened in 1855. A popular woven fabric found in Panay is patadyong. It's a tube-like garment that can be worn in a variety of ways.}

Iloilo City is known for its Baroque churches like the San Joaquin Church and Miagao Church. It shows the deep devotion of the Ilonggos to their faith. The religious icons are preserved in the museum because it has always been and always will be part of the culture and history of Iloilo.

_{These religious artifacts stood the test of time. Some are hundreds of years old and are still preserved in the museum.}

Museo Iloilo is a venue for different art exhibits. At the time of our visit, they were having an art exhibit and an art sale at the same time of the following artists: Cezar Arro, Brando Banga, Margaux Blas, John Paul Castillo, Edmar Colmo, Tyrone Dave Espinosa, Jun Orland Espinosa, Rommel Garde, Frank Alexi Nobleza, and Jan Michael Tauro.

I'm not yet sophisticated enough to share something about their art, so I'll just leave those photos above as is. Overall, our visit to Museo Iloilo was immersive and I had this deep appreciation to the history and culture of Iloilo.

I guess that's all for this post! See you!

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer, so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.}

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