After we were done with the Intramuros Open House tour, we went to the San Agustin Museum, located adjacent to the 16th century San Agustin Church, the oldest church in the Philippines.
The museum filled with religious artifacts, antique pieces of furniture, carvings, large paintings, ancient manuscripts, even an extensive collection of flora and fauna documentation is a sight to behold. A vast collection of well preserved treasure trove established and maintained by the Order of Augustinian friars, one of the first Christian missionaries to settle in the Philippines.
Entrance fee is 200 pesos.
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| The 16th century San Agustin Church - the oldest stone church in the Philippines |
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| The remains of artist Juan Luna is buried in the crypt section of the San Agustin Museum |
Around two blocks away is Bahay Tsinoy: Museum of Chinese in Philippine Life. Finally, it was open after we tried several times in the past to visit. The display is housed in a loft style setting that depicts the saga of the Chinese settlers who made our nation, their home.
Entrance is 100 pesos.
Way before the Spanish colonizers came to our land, the Chinese merchants engaged in the barter trade. Sangley as the Chinese were called by Spain were separated and forced to live in miserable conditions in a compound named Parian. Due to the oppression, several Chinese rebeled against the Spanish. The Parian massacre or the Sangley Rebellion in 1603 led to the slaughter of 20,000 Chinese by the Spanish forces. A dark chapter in our history.
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