Pintaflores of San Carlos City 

SAN CARLOS CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL TRAVEL GUIDE | TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

San Carlos City: Homage to a Demised Negrito Princess

The Philippines is an archipelago that had been an abode to many tribes. Anyone who had known the history of this land clustered with islands would know that the Negritos were the first settlers in it. With many landmasses surrounded by seawater as their footstool, the Negritos have had the archipelago for themselves as an unnamed kingdom.

But, even for a nomadic and primitive tribe as the Negritos, they too have a social hierarchy which places monarchs at the top. One notable figure in this Negrito society is a princess who was so renowned for her beauty, she was essentially revered in the community—the princess, Nabingka.

The reverence for this Negrito princess was so genuine that, in time after her death, much of the tribal community mourned her demise and sought to immortalize her image by naming a settlement after her—thus the Negrito settlement “Nabingkalan” was born.

The clean and peaceful plaza of San Carlos City

Today’s San Carlos City was known as Nabingkalan, at least during the time when it was merely a barrio to a bigger region that was the township of Calatrava—for a long while, until 1856, that is.

Originally a place among the Negritos, Nabingkalan has soon become a “pueblo” as soon as it was renamed to San Carlos, a time when the island-province of Negros was split into two parts: Occidental (west) and oriental (east).

In a complete turn coming from the events which unfolded, the settlement that was known as Nabingkalan had subsequently become a city and the region which once occupied it as a barrio (Calatrava) is reduced to a village state. But even changes of this nature are not immutable as, after some time, the reversal is conducted thereby regaining the township status of Calatrava.

San Carlos City, fitting the description of an established city, officially considered the status since 1960.

San Carlos City, Negros Occidental Tourist Attractions | Things to Do

With some beautiful man-made places to call its own in addition to what Mother Nature herself carved and the events that take center stage, the city of San Carlos is a place worthy of checking out.

Broce Ancestral House

Established in 1934 for the purpose of being a Municipal Hall for Negros, only to be occupied by the Japanese and be used as a garrison back in World War 2, Broce Ancestral House contains bits and pieces of history that are best told in the material things.

An annual event which is held every November 5, the Pintaflores Festival is a lively showcase of dancing on the street with colorful flower-painted tattoos as a part of its highlight. Participants of the event are more than making a show, they are in competition against other participants as well.

Pintaflores Festival

The Pintaflores Festival is a result of San Carlos City’s quest for a traditional and cultural identity. The city previously staged Dances of Flowers and Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival being highlights of their annual fiesta. They decided to combine the two events resulting in what is the Pintaflorez Festival now.

The word Pintaflores came from the two words pintados (“painted ones”), which is the concept behind the Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival, and flores, the Spanish word for “flowers” which is the prime theme of the Dances of Flowers.

The Pintaflores street dance, and arena dance competition highlight the annual Pintaflores Festival every November 3-5.

Hacienda Sta. Ana Grotto

Built in the 1960s by Atty. Silverio Eusebio, the Hacienda Sta. Ana Grotto is home to a number of life-size effigies which depict Our Lady of Lourdes and the 14 Station of the Cross.

San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral

Once a parish in 1895, the San Carlos City Borromeo Cathedral, known for the mix influence of Byzantine, Gothic, and Romanesque architecture, he becomes a diocese in 1998.

 

The most convenient way to travel within the city is by pedicab and padyak.

 

Sipaway Island. Photo from the Tourism FB Page

Where to Stay in San Carlos City

 

 

La Vista Highland Resort, one of the nicest place to stay  in San Carlos City

How to get to San Carlos City

San Carlos City is located at the crossroads of four major cities in the Visayas: Cebu City, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, and Dumaguete City. It has a 40 km coastline of which some parts are covered with mangroves. Neighboring municipalities can be accessed by land transport from their respective terminals, and the Ceres Bus Line Terminal services the entirety of the Province.

From Bacolod, San Carlos City can be reached in about three hours via the coastal highway by private car and approximately three hours and a half by public utility vehicles.  It is about two hours from Bacolod via the Negros TransLink highway.

San Carlos is also a gateway to Cebu through fast crafts reaching Toledo in an hour. Ro-ro vessels are also serving the place to accommodate vehicles to and from Toledo City.

Travel Guides for Negros Occidental Municipalities and Cities

• Don Salvador Benedicto
• Calatrava
• Sagay City
• Escalante
• Carbin Reef
• Silay City
• Talisay City
• Bacolod City
• Bago City
• La Carlota City
• Sipalay City

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