The Historic Town of Pila, Laguna
The town of Pila is a typical Philippine town during the Spanish occupation. This is what our towns and cities look like before modernization stepped in. A large plaza surrounded by stone houses also known as the bahay na bato.
The houses around the Pila town plaza has been perfectly restored and kept for the next generations to appreciate. The town of Pila was also granted the status of Villa during the Spanish Colonnial Period. The town was then called La Noble Villa de Pila in 1610.
In more than three centuries of Spanish occupation, only eight cities and towns were given the title of Villa. These are the La Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus de Cebu in 1565, La Villa de Santiago de Libon (Albay, 1573), La Villa Fernandina de Vigan (Ilocos, 1574), La Villa Rica de Arevalo (Iloilo, 1581), La Noble Villa de Pila (Laguna, 1610), La Muy Noble Villa de Tayabas, (Tayabas, 1703), La Villa de Bacolor (Pampanga, 1765), La Villa de Lipa (Batangas, 1887).
It is also interesting to note that the first Philippine dictionary was printed in Pila, and it is still housed in one of the museums there. And in May 17, 2000, the National Historical Institute declared the Pila Town Plaza and the ancestral houses surrounding it as a National Historical Landmark.
Source: List of Spanish Villas
Related Entries:
- Top 10 Best Day Trip Out-of-Town Experience in Manila
- Swimming in Laguna?
- Paete, Laguna: Wood Carvings at its finest
- The Footwears of Liliw
- Angono’s Higantes Festival
- A banca ride to Pagsanjan Falls
- Turumba Festival, Pakil, Laguna.
- Turumba Festival 2007, Pakil, Laguna.
- Laguna de Bay, Laguna
- Los Baños Buko Pies
Dexter Zaf » May 14th, 2007 at 4:49 am
Nice shot. I’ve never been to Luzon, but I saw lots of Old Spanish Villa houses in the movies.
habagatcentral » May 19th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
The house looks so familiar. Was this the house where Nescafe shot its commercial ad?
jovel » July 12th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
just want 2 know if the interior is still ok to be documented?the motifs,moldings, furniture?cause were planning to go there for a documentary project of bahay na bato.
and were is the exact place to go.
hope you can help us..
thank you so much.
eli » September 2nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
may i know more about this town???
stagepuppet » November 14th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
this is my granma’s hometown.
we have a house on the square…
i never knew all these stuff about it though
cool.
the first house was where the nescafe commercial was shot, yeah. haha
stagepuppet » November 14th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
this is my granma’s hometown.
we have a house on the square…
i never knew all these stuff about it though
cool.
the first house was where the nescafe commercial was shot, yeah. haha
Raffy » March 7th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I love this town Pila very much. I really treasure my childhood summer vacation here. This is were my grandparents leave . I’m inviting all of you to visit Pila which is already a historical landmark, and i’m pretty sure you will never regret it. it’s just an hour and half from manila.
Mac » March 23rd, 2008 at 8:17 am
I think this is great! We’re now planning on going here… thanx!
Ela » August 18th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Pila is my hometown. Check out Pila Day July 29 each year. Lots of things to see.
Arom Areej » May 19th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
It is my hometown too, there are lots of things to see there.Our town is really nice, There were lots commercial and movies that was shot there, I remember “Loves ko si Babes” by Jolina & Marvin is one of those!
Mila Lees Calo » May 22nd, 2009 at 5:28 pm
I love my hometown,still have dreams about my happy childhood. The Flores de mayo ,whole month of May is always beautiful and lots of activities. I miss that.
Sweet Girl » June 15th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
This is the town where I live,you gotta visit here because it’s beautiful in here and yeah many shows,movies and commercials are shot in here like milo.Visit here and you’ll remember the past days =)
Annie » June 17th, 2009 at 1:08 am
I’m making a thesis and my topic is Pila Spanish Colonial town any idea where I can stay like a room for rent or something. thanks
Regulus » October 10th, 2009 at 10:03 am
My Mommy Home Town
Bigger penis » November 17th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Penis enlargement products for penis enlargement, male enhancement, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation that gives your perfect sexual health at http://www.Naturalherbalz.com
Uldarico Santisteban » November 23rd, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Am now 70 years old, a survivor of the Japanese Massacre of the town’s people of Pila. There were two only survivors during that slaughter, myself and my aunt. Sadly she died at 92 without ever talking of the horror that we went through. This is my first time to talk about that horror, thinking the possibility is great many who died could be their entire family and their death and memory are buried with them and now totally forgotten. I recently came to the conclusion, before my time is up, perhaps I will not do them any favor, if I continue my life-long silence. Not anymore. I search and search about Pila, and there were no mention about any the slaughter of the town’s people ever took place during the Liberation of the Philippines. I suppose am the only living survivor, now trying to reach anyone from the elected leader/s of the Pila Municipality. I have a prepared story to tell.