Tayabas is a 6th class component city in the province of Quezon, Philippines. Known almost exclusively for its Lambanog and coconut plantations, Tayabas is a place that still somewhat reflects its rich history and culture.
Being home to the Minor Basilica of St. Michael The Archangel (the church with the longest aisle in the country), 20 Spanish stone bridges, a number of heritage houses and other notable historical landmarks, Tayabas acts as an undisturbed time capsule of its noble past. This makes it a potential candidate for being included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
A NOBLE HISTORY
Just like most of the country before the Spaniards arrived, Tayabas had a barangay system of governance. Headed by a village chief and advised by a council of elders, families form into clusters and go about their business taking care of the land and hunting for food to be shared for everyone in the tribe.
Soon, the Spaniards arrived and Tayabas was evangelized by one Fray Juan de Peñalosa in 1573. However, the building of Christian Pueblos would not occur until 1578, when two Franciscan Missionaries, Juan de Placencia and Diego de Oropeza, evangelized and established the town proper. Following the reduccion system that facilitates an area for Spanish Colonization, the Spaniards required the locals to go to the center (centro) of the town and build their own houses there, very similar to Spain’s very own pueblos.
These pueblos had very wide streets, straight and were very well-paved. According to French traveler and historian, Jean Mallat, they were also very clean. The houses in the pueblo were made of stones and water was supplied through the use of aquaducts.
Back in the day, the cabecera (the seat of provincial governance) was located in Unisan in 1673. But thanks largely to Moro attacks and bandit raids, the cabecera was moved to the pueblo of Tayabas in 1651. Known as La Provincia De Tayabas, the people enjoyed Mt Banahaw’s blessing of cold mountain spring water and was a major contributor to its agricultural success at the time. With mountain spring water flowing straight from Mt Banahaw, hundreds of canals leading to rice paddies and other crops.
Thanks in large part to the volcanic soil that’s prevalent in the region, Tayabas enjoys a rather fertile production of rice, coconut and other crops. From the coconut comes material such as oil, vinegar, pitch, tuba (the nectar of coconut flower) and bonote (coconut husk). There was also a production of hemp fibers, tortoise shell boxes, bafta cloth and mats. These goods were traded in the cabecera along with the rest of the province.
Back then, the Spanish Monarch recognized some of its territory as villas, a classification meant to denote significance over other territories. In the Philippines, only eight provinces earned the title of villa, namely (and in order): La Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus de Cebu (Cebu in 1565), La Villa de Santiago de Libon (Albay,1573), La Villa Fernandina de Vigan (Ilocos in 1574), La Villa Rica de Arevalo (Iloilo in 1581), La Noble Villa de Pila (Laguna in 1610), La Muy Noble Villa de Tayabas (Tayabas in 1703), La Villa de Bacolor (Pampanga in 1765), and La Villa de Lipa (Batangas in 1887). Because of the thriving economic advantage it held and its fervent belief in the Catholic Faith, only Tayabas earned the title of The Most Noble Villa out of the eight villas mentioned. Upon being awarded this prestigious title, its culture’s growth soon followed with arts, plays, dance, and poetry being created and shared in town.
There were massive infrastructural developments in the town too with bridges, chapels, cemeteries, government buildings and schools. Most of these works of architecture are still present today.
A HERITAGE THAT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME
Tayabas has managed to preserve some infrastructure projects from its noble villa era. They reflect the ingenuity and skill of the people that conceptualized and designed them. These heritage sites are fervent reminders of Tayabas’ history and are also markers of its identity for its current inhabitants.
Minor Basilica of St. Michael The Archangel
The San Miguel Archangel Basilica Minore is one of the more popular tourist attractions in Tayabas. Apart from having the longest aisle in the country at around 103 meters long, this church also has a fascinating history.
It was first built with bamboo, nipa and anahaw, materials native to the Tayabas in 1585 by the Franciscan friars who helped evangelize the area at the time As time passed, it became made out of chalk only to be destroyed by an earthquake in 1743. It was eventually reconstructed and by that time, it grew larger with its design being largely influenced by the Baroque style of architecture. By 1894, its then chalk roof was replaced with steel. It is currently considered one of the most beautiful churches in the country.
Nuestra Señora de las Angustias
The oldest church in Tayabas is said to have been built at around 1838 and is described as having a small cloister, a reasonably-sized presbytery with a sacristy to its right. There were four windows of capiz and glass decorating its walls. In 1945, it was destroyed by the bombings of World War 2. Eventually, thanks in large part to its walls that served as a helpful guide, it was restored into what it is now.
Casa De Comunidad De Tayabas
Built as a guesthouse for traveling dignitaries in the Spanish Era, the Casa De Comunidad eventually became a garrison for Filipino Soldiers during World War 2. It was also bombed in 1945. In the year 2000, it was reconstructed by the National Historical Institute. It now acts as a museum and local library that occasionally plays host to many historical and cultural activities.
Malagonlong Bridge And Other Spanish Colonial Bridges
The Malagonlong Bridge crosses the Dumacaa River and connects Barangay Mateuna and Lakawan to the eastern side of Tayabas along with municipalities Mauban and Pagbilao. This stone-arch bridge has a total length of 136 meters and is currently under the protection of the local government unit of the municipality of Tayabas.
Built during the years of 1840 and 1850 under the direction of one Fray Antonio Mateos who served as the Ministro del Pueblo of Tayabas, it was built with 100,000 adobe blocks. While all Spanish colonial bridges in Tayabas are declared National Cultural Landmarks by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the Malagonlong Bridge is a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage.
Because of their capacity to connect different peoples and trades of different regions closer to each other, bridges are one of the most important indicators of how a civilization grows and how cultures get enriched. Other notable Spanish Colonial bridges include the Puente de Alitao, an adobe bridge built in 1793. It’s also the earliest surviving colonial bridge in Tayabas, the Puente de Reina Isabel II which was a colonial bridge built to honor Queen Isabel II of Spain and the Puente de San Francisco de Asís, located in Domoit River, Barangay Domoit, which was built in 1854.
Other Spanish Colonial bridges include the Puente de Gibanga, Puente de Lakawan, Puente de Mate, Puente de la Ese, Puente de las Despedidas, Puente de Tumuloy, Puente de la Princesa, Puente de Baawin, Puente de Baguio, Puente de Bai, Puente de Calumpang, Puentecito de Malao-a, Puentecito de Putol, Puente de Ubli, Puente de Urbiztondo
These architectural marvels of Tayabas stand the test of time and some of them serve as good tourist spots. More than their aesthetic value however, these sites serve as a fervent reminder of the municipality’s noble background.
A JOYFUL AND FAITHFUL PEOPLE
The late President Manuel L. Quezon once mentioned that Tayabas is among the richest and most joyous places in the region. This is most likely because of how happy the people are in the vicinity. This isn’t hard to believe because of the fertile soil that creates bountiful harvests on an almost regular basis.
When you have fertile soil and an abundance of harvest, you have reason to celebrate. And as a concrete example of this jubilant feeling of abundance, the area has established several feasts.
The Mayohan Festival
Also known as Mayohan sa Tayabas, this major annual celebration starts with the introduction of an arch known as the Parada ng Baliskog. It is normally a grand and colorful entrance, sporting all sorts of presentations, with the Baliskog (arc) itself made from indigenous materials like coconut leaves, lumber, bamboo, buli and rattan, decorated with dried flowers, palay and other accessories deemed fit to celebrate another fruitful harvest.
Hagisan ng Suman
There are other events that happen when the Mayohan Festival starts and one of the more notable ones is the Hagisan ng Suman. During this event, farmers and devotees of San Isidro De Labrador, parade an image of the great saint in a procession across the municipality. In its procession, they are offered (occasionally thrown) suman, a popular rice cake delicacy in the Philippines. The cooking and offering of suman is done with great pride and passion because it’s an opportunity for the locals of Tayabas to share prosperity and abundance. It’s also a way of professing faith to the patron saint of farmers, Isidro the Laborer.
Ponsyunan
The Ponsyunan rituals are also occasionally celebrated during the Mayohan festival. Being once a cabecera, Tayabas is rife with activities and rituals that echo the values and culture of the past. Coming from the words funcion and posicion, the Ponsyunan ritual is an invitation of a land owner for bayanihan where planting or harvesting is concerned.
It is in the Ponsyunan where life cycles are remembered and rituals enacted with their respective, authentic Tayabasin songs, dances and prayers. Apart from the old accessories, clothes and other items that are more or less significant to this celebration, there’s also the cooking of delicacies whose recipes were passed down from generation to generation, becoming centerpieces of most Mayohan fiesta tables.
Pa’yas Kay San Isidro
Also happening during the Mayohan Festival is the Pa’yas or Pahiyas kay San Isidro. In this custom, locals decorate their homes with local farm products and other indigenous materials in order to beautify them. This custom happens in all houses along Felimon Perez street and is open for viewing from May 13 to May 15.
Apart from the Mayohan Festival, there are also other celebrations that the municipality celebrates. For instance, there’s the Feast Of Saint Michael The Archangel, the patron saint of Tayabas. This fiesta occurs normally around September 29, following a nine-day Novena. On this day, the municipality parades children in angel and cherubim costumes.
There’s also the Viernes Dolores de Turumba, a religious procession that reveres the Dolores de Turumba. It has devotees engage in folk dances and chants during the procession.
A THRIVING AGRICULTURAL SANCTUARY
You’ll notice how, in spite of its cultural connection to the Catholic Faith, Tayabas is still very much connected with the earth and all its splendor.This is due largely to its commitment to agriculture and the propagation of sound agricultural practices in the area. The land right at the feet of mountains San Cristobal and Banahaw are protected landscape, which means that no tree cutting or planting goes on there without asking permission from the local authorities.
The soil in Tayabas is mostly fertile, due in large part to the volcanic activity prevalent in the area decades or centuries prior to Spanish occupation. This makes the growth of fruit trees, herbs, medicinal plants, root crops and other food-generating flora possible almost without the use of artificial fertilizers.
Habilin Farms stands as an excellent example of authentically organic farming, being capable of producing harvests that are not only self-sustaining but also non-harmful to the environment. Through the use of diversified farming techniques and applying permaculture design, Habilin Farms provides the perfect environment for man and nature to not only survive but also thrive.
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If you’re looking for a place to stay while you’re in Quezon Province, or just want to have a completely different weekend getaway experience that’s more calm and reflective, feel free to visit Habilin Farms.
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