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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 2024 census, it has a population of 54,498 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 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 was a wedding gift from 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.
The trading town of Vigan was near the settlement founded by Salcedo, which he named Villa Fernandina ("Town of Ferdinand"), in honor of Prince Ferdinand, the firstborn son of King Philip II of Spain. Villa Fernandina was originally meant to be the capital of Salcedo's encomienda, but it suffered from outbreaks of disease early in its history. It was later merged with the bigger trading town of Vigan, and was administered by a single alcalde mayor. Eventually, the name of Villa Fernandina became attached to Vigan. As the city grew, and the seat of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia transferred to Vigan, it was later renamed Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan ("Ferdinand's City of Vigan/Fernandine City of Vigan").
During the pre-colonial period, Vigan was a coastal trading post frequented by trade ships of Austronesian, Arab, Indian, Chinese, and (mainly) Japanese traders (similar to other trading towns along the Ilocos region like Aparri, Candon, and Lingayen). Traders sailing from the South China Sea came to Isla de Vigan (Island of Vigan) via the Mestizo River that surrounded it.
Due to silting of the Mestizo River, Vigan is no longer separated from the mainland, therefore no longer an island.
In the book The Philippine Island (Vol. III, p. 276, Blair and Robertson) two letters from Governor-General Guido de Lavezaris to King Philip II of Spain mention: "It seemed best to send Captain Juan de Salcedo with 70 or 80 soldiers to explore the coast of Los Ilocanos on the shores of the river called Bigan." The Spaniards led by Salcedo marched north from Manila on May 20, 1572. They arrived in Vigan on June 13, 1572.
Thus, after the successful expedition and the exploration of the North, Juan de Salcedo founded "Villa Fernandina de Vigan" in honor of King Philip II's son, Prince Ferdinand, who died at the age of four. From Vigan, Salcedo rounded the tip of Luzón and proceeded to pacify Camarines, Albay, and Catanduanes. As a reward for his services to the King of Spain, Salcedo was awarded the old province of Ilocos, which consisted of the modern provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union and part of Mountain Province as his hacienda (estate), and was accorded the title of Justicia Mayor de esta Provincia de Ylocos (Province Mayor of Ilocos).
In 1574, Salcedo returned to the capital of his encomienda (trusteeship), Vigan, bringing with him his soldiers and some Augustinian missionaries to pioneer the evangelization of the Ilocos region. He established a Spanish city for the purpose of controlling the neighboring country.
Governor General Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas, in his account of encomienda dated in Manila on May 31, 1591, states: "The town of Vigan called Villa Fernandina consisted of Spanish settlers; a priest; a Justice Alcalde Mayor (Governor); and a Deputy. The King collects 800 tributes (equivalent to 3,200 subjects)." During this period, Vigan was composed of 19 barrios (districts).
Between 1645 and 1660, Vigan was divided into 21 Cabezas de Barrio (Town Mayors) as mentioned in the Libro de Casamiento (Book of Marriage); from the records of the parish house of Vigan found in its archives. Separated from the indigenous population, the Chinese migrants were residents in a neighbourhood called El Pariancillo, los Sangleyes del parian (The Sangleyes of the Parian); and the Spanish settlers were residents in a town called Los Españoles de la Villa (The Town Spaniards). The Spaniards consisted of about 60 Spanish Households. The region of Ilocos where Vigan is located is also recorded to have had 631 Spanish-Filipino families. It also had 44,852 native families. Specifically, the city of Vigan alone, excluding the other towns of Ilocos had the lion's share of Ilocos' Spanish-Filipino population as the 1818 Spanish census showed Vigan alone had 6,849 native families co-progressing with 421 Spanish-Filipino families.
In 1755, Bp. Juan de la Fuente Yepes made a request to the King Fernando VI to move the Diocese of Nueva Segovia to Villa Fernandina due to the deteriorating status of Lal-lo in Cagayan. In 1758, with the Royal Decree signed by Fernando VI, Villa Fernadina became Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan and the See of Nueva Segovia was transferred from Lal-lo. The bell ensconced within the belfry of Vigan, has the imprinted words of the decree. Wherever the clang of the bell reaches, it marks the territory of Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan. In 1849, Leona Florentino, the mother of Philippine women's literature, was born in Vigan.
During the Philippine Revolution, revolutionary forces under Manuel Tinio, supported by the Ilocano rebels, attacked and defeated the Spanish colonial forces and captured the city in the Siege of Vigan. During the Philippine–American War, American forces led by Commander McCracken and Lt. Col. James Parker occupied the town in November 1899.
At the onset of World War II, Vigan was among the first locations in the Philippines invaded by the Imperial Japanese Army on December 10, 1941. The invasion force landed at Mindoro Beach in Vigan to secure airstrips and communications in Northern Luzon. During the occupation, the historic town served as a military garrison for Japanese forces.
Unlike Manila, Baguio, and Cebu, Vigan was spared from destruction during the liberation of the Philippines in 1945. Local historical accounts attribute this to negotiations between Belgian missionary Father Joseph Billiet and Japanese commander Captain Fujiro Takahashi, who agreed to spare the town from a scorched-earth strategy prior to the Japanese retreat.
The Japanese forces withdrew without burning the town, allowing combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth forces, alongside Ilocano guerrilla fighters, to liberate Vigan intact. The preservation of its Spanish colonial architecture became the primary basis for its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
In 1999, Vigan was listed by UNESCO as the best preserved example of Spanish colonial towns in Asia. Its architecture is the conglomeration of cultural elements from the Philippines, China, and Spain, making it unique in the world.
On December 27, 2000, then-President Joseph Estrada signed Republic Act No. 8988, which "revalidated and recognized" Vigan's city status originally granted by virtue of the Royal Decree of September 7, 1757, issued by King Ferdinand VI of Spain. The act served as Vigan's modern city charter, converting the municipality into a component city of Ilocos Sur. On January 22, 2001, voters ratified the law in a local plebiscite, officially making Vigan the first city in the province.
On December 7, 2014, Vigan was officially chosen as one of the New7Wonders Cities, alongside Beirut, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, and La Paz. The global campaign, organized by the New7Wonders Foundation, recognized the city for its unique heritage, preservation efforts, and cultural significance. A formal inauguration plaque was unveiled in Vigan in May 2015 to commemorate its designation.
On July 27, 2022, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Luzon, damaging the city's UNESCO World Heritage sites including the Vigan Cathedral and old-century houses, as well as few power lines toppled along Calle Crisologo.
The City of Vigan is situated 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.
Vigan is situated 403.88 kilometres (250.96 mi) from the capital city of Manila.
Its 2,511 hectares (6,200 acres) of land consists mostly of plains with gentle hills. Its boundaries on the north, east, south, and west are the municipalities of Bantay, Santa, Caoayan, and Santa Catalina, respectively. The South China Sea is on its southwest portion.
Majority of its land, 60 percent of it, is used for agriculture. Around 32 percent is made up of residential area, nearly three percent are for commercial and industrial use, and around one percent is for institutional purposes. There are also forest reserves and fishponds included in Vigan's land area.
Vigan is made up of 39 barangays. Thirty of them are classified as rural, but they occupy only 2,366 hectares. The remaining nine are classified as poblacion barangays and are together 144.75 hectares big.
The barangays of Pagburnayan, Paoa, and Tamag are on the area of rolling plains. On the other hand, portions of Barangays Tamag and the barangays of Bulala and Salindeg are found on the city's hilly parts.
Its most dominant hill feature is the Vigan Gap Hill in the eastern part, just 10 kilometers away from the city. Vigan used to be separated from the rest of the mainland by the rivers of Abra, Mestizo and Govantes, making it an island during that time. The Govantes River cuts the current Vigan plain from North to South.
The large Abra and Mestizo rivers, together with the rivers of Bantay, Bantaoay, Nauman and Santo Tomas serve as part of a network that drain the Vigan plains. These rivers are not only important in safekeeping the city from floods, they also served as important ways of transport for trade-related activities from the 15th century to the 19th century, that helped make Vigan a thriving center. The most vital of these rivers is said to be the Mestizo River which was used by the small vessels to transport goods and people.
There is a faulting trend in the Vigan plain that ends in Santa Catalina.
The land area of Vigan is generally flat. Slopes of 20 are found at Barangay V, Tamag, and Paoa. There are no forest reserves in the city in terms of potential and raw materials. Bamboo is the only forest product in Vigan.
There are five soil types in the city. First, the Bantay Loam, located at the southern portion of Raois, has a land area of 36.67 hectares, and is good as pastureland. The second, Umingan sandy, with a land area of 1191.57 hectares, is good for upland rice and vegetables. The third, San Manuel clay loam, which is best for bananas, cotton and vegetables, has an area of 1244.57 hectares. The fourth, Bantog clay—considered as the most significant type for soil, and the best clay material for making pots, jars and all earthenware, has a land area of 31.65 hectares. The fifth, beach sand, with a land area of 7.28 hectares, is generally found on the shores of all the beaches of Vigan, and is best for coconut plantation.
Vigan is politically subdivided into 39 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Vigan”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.