Monday, April 13, 2015

CEBU: Historical Highlights

  I was 3 years old when I last went to Cebu, so the city tour was first on my itinerary. We were accompanied by our relatives from the Cupin clan, making our tour more fun and productive. Our first stop was the Mactan shrine just a few kms from Be Resorts. There is no entrance fee to this park so you could just walk in  to ecplore tha place.
Magellan Shrine
         This is what you'll first see when you enter. the Magellan  Shrine. This was built sometime in 1866 to give honor to the Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.They believed this was the exact point where Magellan was killed in the year 1521

        On a covered area just across Magellan's Shrine is a painting illustrating  the Battle of Mactan. In front of the painting is another commemorative marker and written on it is "Here on April 27,1521 Lapu-Lapu and his men repulsed the spanish invaders, killing their leader, Ferdinand Magellan. Thus Lapu-Lapu became the first Filipino to have repelled European aggression"

Lapu-Lapu Shrine
          A few steps from the Magellan Shrine is the Lapu-lapu Shrine. A statue of Rajah Lapu- lapu who at that time was the native chieftain of Mactan Island. He was said to be the one who defeated Magellan during the battle. Though one tour guide told us that there have been rumors that Ferdinand Magellan was not killed by Lapu - lapu himself but by one of his men.Yet since he was the team leader the credit was given. After that historic event there were no more stories written about Lapu-lapu

           In the Area you'll be able to buy souvineirs & Pasalubongs like handmade bracelets, refrigerator magnets,keychains,Shirts and many more. Nearby is where you can try Cebu's "Sutukil" which stands for Sugba, Tula and Kilaw. Sugba means grilling, Tula means stewing or simmering in broth while Kilaw means eating food.


      Next stop was the Heritage of Cebu Statue. This was built by Eduardo Castrillo to commemorate the history of Cebu starting with the Epic Battle of Mactan where Lapu - Lapu killed Magellan. The statue is made from concrete, bronze,brass and steel. Depicted in the statue are the scenes of rajah Humabon's Baptism.Sto Nino Procession & The Battle of Mactan. There is no entrance fee for this. there is a caretaker that would explain to you everything and open the gate for you.


    Just a few steps from the Heritage of Cebu Monument is the Yap San Diego House. It is believed to be one of the oldest houses in Cebu. Owned by a Chinese Merchant Don Juan Yap, later on his daughter Maria married Don Mariano San Diego. This was built sometime between 1675 - 1700 and is currently taken care by Maria's great grandson Val San Diego. This home has such ancestral value everything was well preserved and you can really see how thee way of life was at those times.


  If Manila has Intramuros Cebu has Fort San Pedro, which was  a military defense structure built during the command of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. Inside our different Museums where you can see models of the ships. There is also one where you can see all postage stamps from the earlier years. There are also relics of the spanish flags & outfits found as remains from battles . There are also paintings of the former leaders and photos of how cebu looked like back in the days. This place will just give you a quick flashback of our history.

    Usually this places are included in your City tour or if you have relatives or friends in Cebu might as well just ask them if they can tour you around that way it'll be more fun.


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