SouthWalk - A Date with Time: Heritage Tour in Carcar, Cebu

Good day dear #SteemIt friends. On our kick off post for SouthWalk, we made a quick visit to the interesting town of Argao. As we all know, Argao is among the many places in Cebu that you should not miss to visit.

On this time around, we are going to take you to another interesting and fascinating place in Cebu.

Heritage City of Cebu is what it is known for, Carcar is among the few places in Cebu where you can get a glimpse of old colonial structures and old ancestral homes. The city is named after a town in Norther Spain and is considered one of the oldest towns in Cebu.

In terms of progress rate, the city of Carcar is not far behind but what makes this city very interesting are the heritage sites they have. Century-old structures are still evident until now. The people really preserved them well.

Ready to travel back in time? Come and let's explore the Heritage City of Cebu, Carcar City.

First stop...

St. Catherine of Alexandria Church.

This church is one of the few uniquely-designed colonial churches in country. It was constructed in 1860 and is the second oldest church in Cebu next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño

Carcar Museum

This museum is said to be dispensary before. The most interesting part on this museum is the chronological events that took place in Carcar ages before up to present.

Upland Elementary School

Constructed in the year 1905, this school served as a prison during the World War 2. It said to be the oldest public school in Cebu.

Convent

Considered as on of the oldest rectory in Cebu. This convent is built beside the St. Catherine Church.

Thrilled? This is just a fraction of the tour. We've all seen what's in the town complex of Carcar. When you walk a couple of meters from the town complex, you will be transported into a more older Carcar. Welcome to the heritage stretch of Santa Catalina Street.

First off is the ever famous Balay na Tisa of Carcar

This is the most notable house in the stretch of Santa Catalina Street. The Sarmiento-Osmeña House or the Balay na Tisa is considered as one oldest stone residential structure in Carcar.

Next one is the Dakong Balay. This house is noted for being the biggest ancestral house in town.

Another interesting house is the Mercado Mansion. Declared as a heritage house just 9 years ago, this mansion was once owned by Mariano Mercardo, Carcar's first mayor, hence the name Mercado Mansion.

Other colonial houses like the Sato House, Silva House, Yap House, Marfori-Cui House, Juario-Villarosa House, Mateo Noel House, Congressman Noel House, Aleonar House and the Ang Dakong Balay are still present in the area.

There hasn't been enough details of how these houses were established but if you are very eager to dig deeper into each of this old houses' history and its family stories, you may check and take a moment to read the articles on this website.

Trust me, it will blow your mind. It left me in awe, i bet you will too :)