VIGAN City is the capital of the Province of llocos Sur, 405 km. north of Manila. The City is strategically located at the mouth of the Abra River and, for more than three centuries was the center of political, religious, social and cultural activities in the north.

It was a coastal trading post in the pre-colonial era where goods,  mostly from the Cordilleras, and from other Asian and Middle  Eastern  kingdoms, were bartered with gold, beeswax and other products. Some Chinese traders decided to settle in Vigan and intermarried with the natives, thus starting the multi-cultural bloodline of the Biguenos.

Vigan was made the capital of most of northwestern Luzon in 1572 by Juan de Salcedo, grandson of the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The expanse of Salcedo's territory was called Ylocos, from looc' (or coves) were most of the pre-Hispanic settlements were found. Ylocos then extended from Bangui
(present-day Abra Province, also then known as Abra de Vigan) in the northeast to Namacpacan (Luna, La Union) in the south. Augustinian friars pioneered the Christianization of the Ylocos region. In 1758, the seat of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia which covered the entire northern Luzon was transferred to Vigan from Lal-lo, Cagayan by virtue of a Royal Decree, elevating Vigan's status to that of a city. Vigan was thus named Ciudad Femandina in honor of King Ferdinand of Spain.

Vigan became a hotbed of social unrest against colonial abuses. Among those who led the patriotic cause and influenced the course of our destiny were the Biguenos Fr. Jose Burgos (martyr-priest), the poetess and literary Leona Florentine, her son Isabelo de los Reyes (champion of workers' causes) and Elpidio
Quirino, 2nd President of the Republic. 

The St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral
The only cathedral in llocos Sur, St. Paul's Metropolitan Cathedral was built by the Augustinians in 1790-1800 in what is now termed 'earthquake baroque' style (quake-proof, ornate). It has three naves, twelve altars and a choir loft. Chinese influence is evident in details found in its baptistry altar, the China-forged communion handrails, a pair of Pu Dogs and moldings on its facade. Most of the original church interior features and artifacts are still in place. The octagonal belfry is located 15 meters south of the cathedral. 

Calle Crisologo at the Kamestizoan District
Further south of the Cathedral, one finds the stretch of Calle Crisologo lined with ancestral houses. These houses, built by the B/guenosof Chinese ancestry engaged in trade, barter and manufacture of the indigo dye, abel (woven) fabric, gold, tobacco and other goods. Being the only surviving colonial town in the
country, Vigan has more than 180 ancestral houses and historical landmarks tightly strung along the narrow streets of the old Mestizo District, popularly known then as Kasanglayan (Chinese quarters).

These structures, a blend of Asian, European and Latin American influences, reflect the artistic and technological craftsmanship of the 18th and 19th century native artisans. With massive posts and walls of brick and plaster, red tile roofs, imposing doorways, grand staircases, broad narra floorboards, sliding capiz windows and ventanillas, these artisans have developed and architectural style adapted to the humid, earthquake-prone tropics.