Taal, turning back time

Near the breathtaking beauty of Taal Volcano is a town that has managed to stop time. The hill town of Taal, Batangas contains sites and scenery that are impervious to time and allows guests to visit the past, making entertaining discoveries about our country’s history.

Two hours from the hustle and bustle of the metro, the town of Taal is among the few surviving 19th century Philippine towns. The town is composed of ancestral houses and centuries-old churches that date back to the Spanish and American colonial eras yet are preserved in their original forms.

Rustic appeal of the 19TH century

The ancestral houses, the fresh air, and the nostalgic ambiance of Taal and its proximity to the metro set this place apart from the few remaining heritage towns in the country. The cluster of 19th century Spanish colonial stone houses (bahay na bato) have resulted in one of the most beautiful urbanscapes in the country.

A tour of the gracious and quaint town of Taal will lead to an entertaining exploration of the history of the country. As tourists make their rounds of the town, they will discover the pre-eminent stature of Taal in Philippine economic, political, and social history, for it was the most important urban center next to Manila in Spanish times.

Among the important discoveries for tourists is how much Taal contributed to the patriotic pursuits of its old landed gentry, who helped the country gain its independence. Some of these ancestral houses are still private residences. The ground floors are usually made of stone while the second floor is made of wood. Many of these houses are located near the town hall.

Remnants of the revolution

The early 20th century ancestral house of Don Gregorio Agoncillo is among the interesting heritage houses in Taal. Don Gregorio was an active supporter of the Philippine Revolution against the colonial government during the Spanish period.

The revolutionary hero also launched the modernization program of the sugar industry in Batangas which catapulted the economy of the province during his time into new heights. Aside from intricate antique items and interiors, another interesting fact about the house is that it was also the home of Marcela Agoncillo, the principal seamstress of the first and official flag of the Philippines.

Another distinguished heritage home in the town is the ancestral house of the Villavicencios. It is the home of Doña Gliceria Marella de Villavicencio, one of the heroic women who contributed great sums of money and energy to the revolution. She was named the Patroness General of the Revolutionary Host when the Philippine Republic announced its independence in 1898.

The interior of the Villavicencio house is painted with elaborate bright colors, while the ceiling is decorated with tin, embossed with a floral motif. Another interesting feature of the house is their hand-painted canvas walls. The designs on the wall are done in fashionable art nouveau style by Emilio Alvero, the era’s foremost architect, painter, and interior designer.

Hometown of miraculuos churches

Caysasay Church of Taal in Barrio Labac enshrines the miraculous 400-year-old image of Our Lady of Caysaysay. The miraculous image attracts legions of devotees from many parts of the country. It was in 1619, after a woman named Catalina Talayn witnessed an apparition on the rocky hillside of the village of Caysasay, that the image started to give out miracles.

The town of Taal also prides itself on having one of the largest Catholic Basilica in Asia, the Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours, more popularly known as Taal Basilica. The imposing church emanates an old-world simplicity and has a replica of Our Lady of Caysaysay. The Basilica was dedicated to the town’s patron saint St. Martin of Tours and was built in 1755 but was rebuilt a century later after it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1849.

A town of culture and heritage

Aside from a tour back in time, a visit to the town of Taal will not be complete without its famous delicacies and products. In order to have a complete experience of what it was like to be there during Spanish times, tasting local delicacies is something to look forward to. Tourists can indulge in the excellent tapang taal, the local version of adobo, and the scrumptious empanadang gulay. Taal also offers the tempting tableas (chocolate balls) and suman for afternoon merienda madness.

Taal’s public market contains stalls of their fine products which are known throughout the country. Guests can go through different stalls of hand- and machine-embroidered raw or finished barong tagalog, table linen, and fashion products.

La Isla Pilipinas Tours’ offers a splendid tour and the most complete "Taal Experience". E-mail La Isla Pilipinas through laisla_tours@yahoo.com and laislatours@gmail.com for reservations and more information regarding the tour.

[ Our Lady of Caysasay Church and Shrine Wiki ]