There are a lot of Mindanao tourist spots to visit. Aside from the beaches and islands to visit, there are also a lot of beautiful historical places to visit in Mindanao. These historical sites are protected to preserve the Filipino cultural legacy since they provide our way of life, both then and now, a reason and a meaning. It displays our values and practices, gives structure to our beliefs and traditions, and ensures that we are recognized as Filipinos. These historical places to visit in Mindanao are more than just structures, these places have different inspiring stories that molded us Filipinos. Get ready, we are going to fill in your travel bucket list! Here are some historical places to visit in Mindanao.
1. Fort Pilar of Zamboanga City
The Spanish colonial authority constructed the Real Fuerza de Nuestra Seora del Pilar de Zaragoza, better known as Fort Pilar, near Zamboanga City, Philippines, as a military defense bastion in the 17th century. A prominent landmark and representation of the city’s cultural legacy, the fort is now a regional museum of the National Museum of the Philippines. A Marian shrine honoring the city’s patroness, Our Lady of the Pillar, can be found outside the eastern wall.
Now, this fort is both a holy site for Catholics and a popular Mindanao tourist spot. The Fort hosts the hugely well-liked annual Fiesta Pilar. The Fort has also established itself as a highly significant landmark of heritage, culture, and passion. Along with the Fort, the location features a birdhouse museum that is rather amazing. The walls are adorned with golden statues of Catholic saints, which fascinate visitors.
2. The Rizal Shrine of Dapitan City
This is Dapitan City’s most significant historical place to visit in Mindanao. It refers to Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s estate, which is roughly sixteen (16) hectares in size and located two (2) kilometers northwest of the City Hall in Barangay Talisay.
This park is dedicated to the memory of our beloved hero, Jose Rizal. In this place, Rizal embodied the thought that “A life that is not committed to a noble goal is meaningless.” It is a stone that isn’t attached to anything and is just lost in the field. “He personified what it meant to be a man on a mission. making the most of each moment, despite his tragic fate being created by the gods.
He worked as a countryside doctor, farmer, businessman, inventor, painter, sculptor, archaeologist, linguist, grammarian, teacher, architect, poet, biologist, composer, surveyor, and environmentalist throughout his four years of exile in addition to being a lover, father, and brother to all Dapitanons.
3. Japanese Tunnel of Davao City
Davao has many of those tunnels, but Japanese Tunnel Family Resort is the most well-known. Beautiful statues, including those of a World War II Japanese soldier and a Japanese woman wearing a kimono, may be seen as you move closer to the tunnel. You can expect to find numerous monuments of Japanese warriors all along the tunnel as well. Your tour guide will lead you to a series of steps where you can observe a variety of various weapons, a water bank, and offices for the Japanese soldiers, all guided by the provided lights.
There are other chapels there as well, one of which contains a replica of the Golden Buddha. You will surely come across ancient machine guns, bombs, explosives, a ton of ammo, and bullets as you progress deeper into the Japanese Tunnel.
Thousands of Filipinos were used as slave labor to dig and demolish these Japanese tunnels, which were constructed using physical labor. Most of these tunnels were destroyed following the war as the city was rebuilt. However, a few of them were maintained and developed into the popular Mindanao tourist spots and historic sites that they are today.
4. Magellan’s Landing Site of Butuan City
It is claimed that Magellan landed at this location in Masao Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte, and performed a blood compact with Raja Siaiu. The dazzling light was the beckon in the night that led Magellan’s fleet to the islands, according to Antonio Pigafetta and the Official Chronicler of his fleet: “as we have seen a fire on an island (Masawa) that night before, we anchored near it.” In Butuanon, the only language in the Philippines that uses the word, “masawa” denotes “bright.” From Butuan City proper, this monument may be reached in about 30 minutes by tricycle.
5. Cape of San Agustin of Davao City
Cape San Agustin, sometimes referred to as Parola, is situated in Sitio Talisay of Barangay Lavigan, Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental’s southernmost barangay. On the south, it borders the broad, choppy Celebes Sea, and on the west, it borders the serene Davao Gulf. It is reachable by land and is only a few hours’ drive from Davao City’s crowded streets. American submarines used Cape San Agustin as a favorite hunting ground during World War II, and it is believed that many Japanese ships are located nearby. One of Cape San Agustin’s top draws is the San Agustin Lighthouse, often known as “Parola.”
6. Macaraeg-Macapagal Ancestral House of Iligan
The National Historical Institute designated the Macapagal-Macaraeg Ancestral House as a heritage house on August 14, 2002. It is regarded as the first home in the Philippines where two presidents lived: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the 14th president of the Philippines, and her father, Diosdado Macapagal, the 9th president.
The house was built in 1950 and is composed of cement and wood. The Iligan municipal government has worked hard to maintain the mansion ever since former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo donated it.
Throughout Arroyo’s presidency, this location was used for numerous cabinet sessions. As it was regarded as a resthouse for friends and relatives of the Macaraeg, Macapagal, and Arroyo, occasionally events like seminars and birthdays were also held here.
The house is full of memories and recollections. You can visit this place to get a peek of a past Philippine president’s life prior to her leadership. You’ll also see that she was once a typical adolescent who sought success. You can have conflicting feelings regarding Gloria Arroyo in light of recent occurrences in her life. However, this house will undoubtedly serve as a reminder that, prior to all those controversies, Gloria’s childhood and adolescence may have been similar to our own.
The house represents the modernity of government in the 1950s as well. For people whose life had a significant impact on a city like Iligan City, it is a proper place to reside. Most of the residents are students from nearby provinces who are eager to visit this location for research or school projects.
There are more historical places to visit in Mindanao! Indeed, it is a must to visit these beautiful places in Mindanao. By visiting these historical places in Mindanao, you don’t only appreciate the beauty of it but it is also a way to connect with the past. We also discover and learn more about our ancestry. History gives us a sense of belonging to something far greater.
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