CASA AZURIN AT SAN JOSE, ANTIQUE
CASA ZURIN AT SAN JOSE, ANTIQUE
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I was invited by the Department of Trade and Industry together with a colleague from the Association of Negros Producers Ms. Marivic Rio to conduct a training-workshop for the small entrepreneurs of the Province of Antique. That was my first time to visit the province of Antique, so I was very excited.
Antique was one of the three sakup (districts) of Panay before Spanish colonizers arrived on the islands. The province was known at that time as Hantík, the local name for the large black ants found on the island. The Spanish chroniclers, influenced by the French, recorded the region’s name as Hantique, which was then read as ‘antique (silent ‘h’). The locals then pronounced the name into its present name “Antique” (än-ti-ké).
Antique is often likened to a sea horse in shape, perfectly situated between the sea and the mountain, facing the Cuyo East Pass to the west, and mountain ranges to the east. The long mountain ranges are home to diverse flora and fauna while its aquatic environment boosts productive marine life.
CASA AZURIN AT SAN JOSE, ANTIQUE
The province has many untapped natural, cultural and historical heritage, as well as community-based eco-tourism packages that are attractive to nature lovers and adventure seekers.
The coral walls in the ground floor
One of the participants Cherry Lopez-Azurin who hailed from Dumaguete, Negros Oriental and is married to the Azurins of Antique learned that I am a travel blogger and would want to visit places in the Antique.She mentioned that the Azurin’s has an ancestral home located in the place.
To cut the long story short, we went to the place though its was already quite late in the afternoon.
The Casa Azurin is one of the most prominent remnants of Spanish influence in the Province of Antique. The old ‘bahay na kahoy at bato” of the Azurin’s is the only remained intact structure of Spanish houses in the province, which speaks of its historical and cultural attributes in Antique. With my little knowledge on the evolution of Philippine houses in the Spanish time, prominent families in those eras started with bahay na kahoy, then developed into bahay na bato at kahoy and eventually some houses evolved into bahay na bato.
Before the house was acquired by the Azurin’s, it used to be a hospital during the Japanese war.
The second floor of the Casa Azurin in Jose,Antique is made of hardwood; some traditional capiz windows are still present
The Casa Azurin in Jose,Antique is located along Gobierno Street was erected in the 1800’s. The ground floor utilizes coral bricks for its main walls and posts.Like in most old churches and structures in the Philippine, lime and egg whites were used as binders of the bricks that built up the house constructions.
The ground flooring was also adorned by coral bricks and on the second level the flooring was constructed of wooden slates of hardwoods like yakal and narra.
The main wooden stair leading to the entesala of the house
The traditional old house was designed in cube shape just like most of the old Spanish mansions in the Philippine to suit the Spanish life style. The earth level was primarily served as entrance for the guests. The antesala and the sala are located at the second floor where visitors are welcomed depending on their status in the society. During those era, the antesala is being reserved for ordinary people while the sala is the reserved for the highly profiled guests.
With my fellow speaker from Negros, Ms. Marivic Rio in the one of the rooms os the house at the ground floor
The Casa Azurin in Jose,Antique, unfortunately, has been deteriorated by times and is no longer inhabited by the Azurin’s descendants. It is waiting to be restored which I hope will be happening soon so that it will not vanish and will still be enjoyed by the future generations.
So the next time you visit Antique, don’t miss the opportunity to visit this house.
I too would love to visit Antique, looks like a beautiful place! That part of the country looks very warm and sunny!
I have yet to go to Antique. It is nice to know more about the place that I usually just read about in text books. I find it interesting and I hope to visit Antique in one of my future trips.
The place itself has full of stories to tell. I would love to pay a visit someday. Hopefully. 🙂 Such an interesting place to visit!
This looks like a wonderful place to visit. I always enjoy visiting and learning about historical places. Would love to see it once it has been restored.
It sounds like a really wonderful opportunity you had to address a workshop for entrepreneurs, and the historical heritage you were able to see looks incredible.
Wow! Its so great to know that there’s still ancestral houses up to now. I wish that this would be restored soon. I’d love to visit Antique soon.
What an amazing place! Thanks so much for showing us 🙂
I haven’t heard much about Antique, so this WS very interesting! What an amazing house!
I would love to visit this place.. Sounds like a nice destination
I really hope they restore it. It’s such a beautiful house and the materials used are very durable.
Looks like a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing all the history. I hope it is able to be restored.
i hope this gets refurbished because i have a fear of being in very old houses. i worry that the floor or the roof will cave in
What an amazing trip – this looks like a wonderful place to visit
Look forward to seeing its restoration I bet it will look fantastic.
I really hope they restore this soon. I haven’t been to Antique, but I would love to visit it one day.
i also wish house like this will be restored to it’s natural glory for people to remember the beauty of yesterday.
I would love to see after it gets restored!
Such interesting scenery. Wouldn’t mind visiting someday when we have time to travel. Thank you for sharing.
thank you for educating me
I would love to visit Antique – this sounds like an interesting house to see whilst I’m there x