"At 2 UNESCO world heritage sites" a Vigan Travel Page by stamporama

This place is the best-preserved example in the country of how a town looked like back in the Spanish era (16th - 19th century). The town is off-limits to all motor vehicles and only horse-drawn carriages are allowed to ply the streets. Many of the ancestral homes now function as curio shops or souvenir stores, but a few also double as bed-and-breakfasts.

One house you should see is the home of the late Congressman Crisologo which is now a museum. It contains many historical artifacts from the early 20th century which were the personal belongings of the statesman. Incidentally, this guy was fatally shot in the town's St. Paul's cathedral and to this day, the gunman has not been caught or identified.

A house would have a massive wooden door which opened for carriages to enter, while a smaller one was for people. The ground floor served as garage, warehouse/storage or both. All family rooms were in the second floor. A grand staircase ascents to a big living room, surrounded by the bedrooms, dining and kitchen. Windows were made of wood and capiz shells and opened by sliding. Below them were sliding wooden vents that had slats to allow air in. Houses were built of stone to withstand the typhoons that regularly battered the north.

The construction of this baroque-style church was started in 1704 and was inaugurated in 1896, but it was already being used as a church even before it was completed. Similar churches of that era had their belfries built a short distance from the church.