Spanish Female Bullfighters in Iloilo

Spanish Female Bullfighters in Iloilo  A rare example of Felix Laureano’s Iloilo photo studio work (along Calle Iznart), Senoritas toreras de la cuadrilla del apodera de Armengol, is proof that Iloilo by the mid-19th century not only attracted European opera singers but also female bullfighters from Spain. Only Manila and Iloilo boasted of having bullrings … Read more

Felix Laureano: The First Filipino Photographer

Felix Laureano: The First Filipino Photographer Felix Laureano was born on November 20, 1866, in Patnongon, Antique into a prominent landowning family. His mother, Norverta Laureano, was a businesswoman while his father, Manuel Asencio, was a friar from Zamora, Spain. Laureano, along with his siblings (Santiago, Maria, Consolacion, Vicente, Trinidad, and Jesusa), grew up in … Read more

Heritage Churches of Iloilo

Heritage Churches of Iloilo Iglesia features the work of Ilonggo artist Cristhom Selibio Setubal who uses found and disposed objects to recreate the likeness of Iloilo heritage churches. Through waste materials like aluminum sheets, espresso pods, computer parts, beads, chicken wire, and copper wire, he creatively highlights the details of these well-loved structures. Setubal’s process … Read more

Gold in Precolonial Philippines

Gold in Precolonial Philippines Gold or Bulawan was abundant in the pre-colonial Philippines. The archipelago’s early inhabitants wore gold lavishly. Iloilo is linked to the “gold routes” in the Philippines, from the mines of Northern Luzon through gold-rich Paracale in Bicol, going southward to the Visayas where Cebu and Panay dominate the trade. During the … Read more

Father Jacinto Zamora

Among the three martyr priests, the least is known about Father Jacinto Zamora. His memory is even maligned by allegations that he enjoyed gambling and that it was supposedly why he became implicated in the Cavite Mutiny. However, he is remembered by his descendants as being loyal to his duties. On one occasion, according to … Read more