Our succeeding stop is Mahatao town.
It offers a number of tourist spots that you can visit.
First and foremost is the San Carlos Borromeo Church.
It is also known as the Mahatao Church,
the first church in Mahato town built way back in the 19th century.
It was deemed a National Cultural Treasure by the NCCA
(Natural Commission for Culture and Arts) last July 2001
because of its excellent state of preservation.
The church's interiors adapted the Baroque style where there are floral designs,
sunburst ornaments which is painted in poly-chrome
that resulted to its golden glow.
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| the 10 commandments in their local dialect |
And I read in Rappler, the church is the place
where the Katipuneros raised their flags to claim Batanes during the 1898 Revolution.
Moving further, just beside the church, housed the Blank Book Archive.
It's a minute library that contains hard bound books (arranged by numbers) where
visitors can share their stories or scribble their messages in its blank pages.
So awesome!!!
*The guests are also given the option to choose which book they opt to fill with their thoughts.
Cute right?
Although, when you browse,
you'll find stories, prayers, wishes, dreams in different dialects and languages.
Or some, who's not good with words, expressed it through art. :D
And this is how we did it.
We wrote and wrote until we're done.
And I wish one day, I could go back and read my writings.
Standing outside the church is a Mahatao town miniature.
It gives you a bird's eye view of the town and
it displays some of the old structures that can be found in the vicinity.
Alongside the church, you can find two old Spanish lighthouses.
One is adjoining the church while the other one is across the street
maybe, around 30 feet apart.
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| lighthouse which is near the church |
In the old times, the lighthouse are being lit up using a lamp to guide the fishermen.
I've read in Liquiddruid that the two lighthouses work in tandem.
They said that if the lights combine, it signals the right path.
And if not, it means the other way around.
Simple but a very brilliant channeling system, right?
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| lighthouse across the street |
Sad though that these lighthouses are not used anymore
because of the structures built around it.
And most of the time, it goes unnoticed because of its location and its current physique.
Oh, well, I've learned so much about this town.
Thank you Mahatao!! ^_^
Now, off to our next destination, a Side Trip!
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