PADRE JOSE BURGOS NATIONAL MUSEUM

Padre Jose Burgos National Museum located in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, was once the ancestral house of Father Jose Burgos who was one of the three martyr priests known as GOMBURZA executed by the Spanish in 1872. It was built in 1788 and owned by his grandparents Don Juan Gonzales and Dona Florentina Gascon. The local government of Vigan has funded the museum to maintain its 19th century interior and its well-preserved kitchen.

A musical instrument housed in the museum

This museum houses an extensive collection of Ilocano artifacts, including a series of 14 paintings by the locally famed painter Don Esteban Villanueva depicting the 1807 Basi Revolt. Some other displays that can be found here are the weavings, Tingguian (Itneg) jewellery, musical instruments, pottery, photos of Easter processions and elaborate furniture and fixtures.

The facade of the museum

The original materials of the roof were made of clay tiles. But today, it has been replaced with corrugated galvanized iron sheets except in the kitchen where the clay roof is still well-preserved. The indigenous window system is made of several layers of sliding window panels. Suffused lights enter the spacious room through the capiz incorporated at the wood frame panels. The ventanillas are shielded by finely crafted wooden balusters. The diamond patterned persianas allow the breeze to flow into the interior of the house and at the same time shut out the brilliant sun.

The well-crafted bed

Indeed, the museum really showcases the rich culture of what life was then through its furnishings: from its hallway, spacious living room, well-crafted beds with canopies, musical instruments, bags, farming tools, kitchen and its wares and equipments, dining area for the mighty owner and the servants, veranda and azotea, the model of Pechili Trading Junk or the Chinese Shantung Junk – like a galleon used for fishing and trading and some diorama picturing the historical events related to some heroic scenarios of some Ilocano heroes, namely: the execution of the Fathers Burgos, Gomez and Zamora in 1872; the Battle of the Tirad Pass and a few others.

The dining room

For visiting tourists, the museum is open from Monday to Friday and by appointment on weekends and holidays. Museum hours are 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. then 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission fee is P20.00 for adult and P10.00 for 12 years old and below.

The model of Pechili Trading Junk or the Chinese Shantung Junk – like a galleon used for fishing and trading