29/07/2025
People often tell, “Vigan? Oh yeah, Calle Crisologo. I’ve seen it.” But here’s the truth: if that’s all you’ve seen, then you’ve barely scratched the surface. Vigan is more than a postcard street. It’s clay-stained hands shaping jars in Pagburnayan. It’s quiet stories whispered through old walls in Syquia Mansion. It’s longganisa frying at dawn, and empanada shared with strangers at dusk. It’s a heritage that breathes — not just for tourists, but for its people. Vigan isn’t trying to entertain you. It’s offering something better: connection. A chance to really see how culture lives on — in crafts, food, language, and everyday life.
So if you think Vigan is overrated, ask yourself:
Did you really explore it? Or did you just pass through? Because the magic of Vigan doesn’t shout; it whispers. And the best way to see it? Slow down, stay curious, and look past the cobblestones.
Is Vigan overrated?
Some tourists might say yes. They walk along Calle Crisologo, take a few photos of the old houses, maybe buy a souvenir or two, and that's it. They think they’ve "seen" Vigan. Some even leave saying it's just an old street.
But as someone who somehow grew up in Vigan, with a family house just a few steps away from the heritage zone, I see it differently.
Maybe they're judging it based on what meets the eye. On the surface, sure, it's a row of cobblestones and ancestral houses. But what many don't see is the story that lives in every corner. These streets have witnessed centuries of change. These homes were built by hands long gone but never forgotten. Vigan isn't just about what's still standing. It's about what it has survived.
I grew up hearing the clip clop of kalesas passing by in the early mornings, smelling empanada being fried down the street, and watching the way tourists would stop and stare while locals just quietly went on with their day. Vigan was never something I had to "visit" It was just there, steady, familiar, alive.
It's not overrated.
Not really.
It's just, most people don't stay long enough to really see it.
To appreciate Vigan, you have to slow down. Talk to the locals. Taste the native foods of Ilocos Sur, passed down through generations. Listen to the quiet pride in the voices of those who still live there. Learn about the Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino influences that shaped this town into a rare cultural mosaic.
What makes Vigan special isn't just its history, but how that history continues to live on through its people. There's a quiet resilience here, a deep respect for the past without being stuck in it. The way the old and the new blend so naturally reminds you that heritage isn't something you visit. It’s something you carry, protect, and pass on.
Yet despite this living heritage, many only glance at Vigan's surface. But when you understand its soul, it stays with you forever.
